JC Chasez pulled into his driveway at 3:00 in the morning. It had been a long day at the studio and he hadn’t left until nearly 2:00. The Girl Radical album was well on its way to being complete and there were several finishing touches that still needed to be done before it could be declared “finished.” As tired as he was, he was grateful for what he was doing. He knew not many people could say they loved their job but he’d been in this business for over twenty years now and although there had been rough times, it had all been worth it. He was having the time of his life. Walking inside the house from the garage, he immediately turned off the security system, chugged a glass of water, and headed straight upstairs to his bedroom. The best part about Sundays was that he could sleep as late as he wanted and could truly have a day off, which he planned on doing that next morning. He unbuttoned his shirt and lazily threw it in his walk-in closet. He’d hang it up tomorrow, but right now all he wanted was his bed. His phone was shut off, the heavy blinds were drawn, and his bed was calling his name.

 

He was now the official bachelor of what used to be ‘Nsync. Everyone else was either married or engaged, but JC liked bachelorhood. Not to mention, commitment made him cringe. He’d been in years long relationships, but the girls usually gave up after they saw no ring in sight or realized just how much JC was married to the studio. His mother worried that he’d die alone, but JC had assured her he was fine, that he didn’t want to be with anyone right now, and that if it happened, it happened, but if not, it would be OK. She hadn’t liked hearing that – Karen Chasez had been particularly fond of his last girlfriend – but now that Tyler was married off and Heather had a boyfriend, she knew that at least two of her three would have grandchildren sooner or later. JC had always been her independent child, even into adulthood. At least, he told her, she could be proud that he owned two homes and had survived Hollywood without any major calamity.

 

JC sank into his bed, rolled over onto his stomach, and immediately fell asleep. He didn’t plan on waking up until he absolutely had to, and that, he figured, wouldn’t be until noon. Or at least that’s what he hoped.

 

The doorbell woke him up. He was confused at first, as he knew it was early Sunday morning and nobody ever came over on Sunday. He groaned and looked at the clock next to the bed. 8:30AM. What in the hell…? ‘Maybe they’ll go away’ he thought to himself, and tried to turn over and fall asleep again. The doorbell rang once more and after cursing several times, JC finally pried himself up, stumbled around throwing on a t-shirt and sweats, and went downstairs, already rehearsing the speech he would give to whomever thought it was absolutely necessary to wake him up at 8:30 on a Sunday morning.

 

Opening the door, he did a double take and was completely confused. Standing there in front of him was a middle-aged woman in jeans and a pink turtleneck. Her grey hair was pulled back into a ponytail. Standing next to her was a little girl, her brown hair in pigtail braids, and looking down at the ground. Was this a Girl Scout call? A Jehovah’s Witness?

 

“Are you Joshua Chasez?” the woman asked, looking at a card and then back at JC.

 

“Yes. Can I help you?” JC rubbed the sleep out of his eyes as he spoke and bewilderingly looked from the little girl to the woman and back.

 

“My name is Charlotte Peters. I’m with the New York Foster Society –“

 

“Um, I’m sorry, but I give to like, billion charities and –“

 

“Mr. Chasez, let me finish please. Are you familiar with the name Shayna Minello?” Charlotte Peters continued as JC scratched his head.

 

Shayna had been a girl he’d dated for about three months at least five years ago. She was in L.A. filming a pilot and they’d met at a bar in West Hollywood. He hadn’t heard from her since she left and told him she didn’t want to do long distance. He hadn’t really been bothered or upset because Shayna had always felt more like a fling than a relationship in the first place.

 

“I am,” JC nodded. “What’s wrong with Shayna?”

 

“Mr. Chasez, it’s probably best that I come in,” Charlotte cleared her throat and JC opened the door wider, even more puzzled as she followed him into the house. The little girl obediently sat down on the couch and continued to look down at her hands. Charlotte sat next to her, while JC stood next to the fireplace mantle. “Mr. Chasez, Shayna passed away last month.”

 

“Oh, wow, okay, I’m sorry to hear that. Um, to be honest, I haven’t spoken with Shayna in a long time. Probably since she left L.A. So I’m really not sure why you’re –“

“This is Shayna’s daughter. Emma-Claire. You are her biological father,”

Silence.

 

“Mr. Chasez?”

 

“Huh?” JC snapped out of the fog he was in. He’d just had a million thoughts go by in about thirty seconds and had no idea how to even begin to process them.

 

“You are Emma-Claire’s biological father. Shayna has all of the paperwork for you to go and get the paternity test, but she was 100% positive that her daughter belongs to you. As there is no one left to care for the child on Shayna’s side, we have brought Emma-Claire to you,” Charlotte paused and waited for a reaction from JC.

 

“Um. Yeah. I don’t think I can – “

 

“I am leaving her here for a week. In that time, you can figure out what you need to do in order to best care for Emma-Claire,” Charlotte stood and handed JC a stack of papers. “In here you’ll find the necessary paperwork for getting blood work for the paternity test, a letter from Shayna to you, and information on Emma-Claire.”

 

“I don’t think you understand. I work around the clock. There’s no way I can – “

 

“That’s fine, Mr. Chasez. But I’ve done what I had to do and that was to come and leave the child with you. If you cannot care for her, we’ll have to put her in foster care. But we can’t do anything for a full week,” Charlotte reached into her purse and handed JC her card. “That’s my number. Call me on Tuesday to let me know how things are going.”

 

JC looked at the card, then at the child, and then back at Charlotte. “Wait, you can’t just leave me with her! I have no idea how to take care of kids!”

 

“Emma-Claire is a wonderful child,” Charlotte looked down at the little girl, who still had not moved from her spot on the couch. “Could I please see you in private?”

 

JC nodded and led Charlotte into his dining room. “Look, I can’t do this. I’m really sorry. But Shayna never let me know about her. And why didn’t you people call?!”

 

“We only had your number in Orlando and nobody answered there. This was a state of emergency. Emma-Claire’s grandmother died last week. Shayna’s older sister is in drug rehab up in Vermont. Her father left the family when she was in high school. You are the last known kin to her and it’s my job to leave her with you. She’s been through a lot, Mr. Chasez. I would suggest you tread lightly and at least give her a chance. You can set up the paternity appointment tomorrow. If it comes back negative, then we’ll look at our other options,” Charlotte was sympathetic but matter-of-fact. “It’s not ideal, I realize that. But you’re her last hope before foster care.”

 

JC looked back into the living room. Emma-Claire was staring straight ahead, her hands clasped in her lap. There was no way he’d repeat what his birth father had done to him. He’d at least take the test and go from there.

 

“Fine,” he let out a slight groan and shook his head. “But I hope you know that you guys have a sucky system for letting people know about shit like this.”

 

Charlotte said nothing, only walked ahead of JC to the little girl on the couch.

 

His daughter….supposedly.

 

“Emma-Claire?” Charlotte sat down next to her. “This is the man I was telling you about. He’s going to take care of you for a little bit, okay?”

 

“Okay,” Emma-Claire looked up at Charlotte and it was then that JC saw her give a tiny smile. A smile that looked very familiar to him.

 

Charlotte stood and walked to the door. “I’ll be in touch if you’re not in touch first. Please go easy on her. She’s had a very rough couple of weeks for a four-year-old.” Opening the door for herself, Charlotte gave a sympathetic nod to both JC and Emma-Claire, and then left, closing the door behind her. JC stood in the middle of his living room and dared himself to turn around. He smiled wearily at the child on the couch.

 

“Hi,” he finally spoke to her.

 

“Hi,” she replied almost in a whisper.

 

“Um, so, are you hungry? Want some breakfast? Or do you need to go to the bathroom or anything?” JC felt his voice crack.

 

“No,” Emma-Claire shook her head.

 

He had no idea what to do from here. And how in the world would he explain this to Jimmy or anyone at the studio tomorrow? Well, first thing was first – he was going straight to the doctor to get a paternity test taken as soon as it opened tomorrow. He’d figure out what to do with the child in between that time.

 

“Do you know who I am?” JC sat down on the chair across from the little girl.

 

“You’re my daddy. Your name is Josh. My mommy showed me a picture of you,” Emma-Claire gave all the right answers and JC just nodded aimlessly.

 

“Uh-huh,” he cleared his throat. “Um, hey, you know what? I have a big movie screen down in my basement. You wanna go downstairs and watch a movie while I go, um, make a few phone calls?”

 

“No,” Emma-Claire shook her head.

 

“Okay,” JC sighed, running his hand through his hair. What in the world was he supposed to do with her? He had the paternal instincts of a shoe. “Okay, well, you can just sit tight. I need to go call someone.” He didn’t wait for Emma-Claire to respond. He simply ran to the kitchen, picked up the cordless phone and dialed his mother’s number in Florida. If anyone could tell him what to do, it would be her…..

 

 

“But it’s Annie’s last day!” ten-year-old Ruby McGriffin called to her mother. “We should have pancakes cause it’s her favorite!”

 

“Well, we’re having waffles. Because the first thing Annie ever made you and Henry was waffles,” Mrs. McGriffin told her oldest child.

 

“What does Annie want?” Mr. McGriffin came downstairs, only hearing the last part of the conversation.

 

“I haven’t asked her. She’s still in her room,” his wife answered. Patsy McGriffin was dreading this day. Ruby and Henry were now ten and seven and were involved in so many afterschool activities that it seemed pointless for Annie Leighton, their nanny of four years, to stay on any longer. They’d discussed it six months ago and Annie had agreed that after Christmas, she would look at other jobs either in or around Orange County or simply move back to Ohio and start working on her Masters degree. Christmas had ended nearly a month ago now and they’d all been prolonging it. It had been Annie who had reluctantly brought up the subject the week before when she’d been at the McGriffin house all day and hadn’t seen Ruby or Henry until well after dinner. Ruby was involved in painting class three days a week, piano once a week, and gymnastics once a week. Henry played on a soccer league and had recently expressed interest in painting as well. It was only going to get busier as the school year progressed.

 

Annie had taken the nanny position the day after graduation from Miami University in Ohio. She’d majored in Early Childhood Education and wanted experience outside of the classroom before becoming a full-time teacher. Two of her friends had taken jobs as au pairs in Europe, but Annie saw the ad on a Nanny website for the McGriffin family in California and had immediately been intrigued. Corbin McGriffin was one of the heads at an entertainment firm located in the Capitol Records building in Hollywood. His wife, Patsy, worked from home selling her own line of upscale beauty products. Her business had taken off shortly after Henry had been born. Hiring a nanny had not been something she’d wanted to do. Her pride was bruised when she finally put the ad on the website a friend had recommended because she had never wanted to be the wife of a Hollywood entertainment exec who couldn’t handle motherhood. She still did motherhood beautifully, but Annie had been a huge help in that. She’d fit right in with their family from the beginning and losing her was going to be like losing a little sister in Patsy’s eyes.

 

“Good morning,” Annie came up from the basement where her bedroom was located. They’d furnished her with a huge suite, complete with her own bathroom, WiFi, television and Blu-ray player. Corbin had even told her she could take the Blu-ray player with her when she left.

 

“Annie!” Ruby squealed and dashed over to her, throwing her arms around Annie’s waist. Ruby had had a growth spurt and was now almost at Annie’s shoulder. Her name suited her for the long red curls she possessed. “We’re having waffles! I told Mom we should have pancakes but she said you made me and Henry waffles the first time you ever cooked us anything.”

 

“Ruby!” Patsy hissed.

 

Annie chuckled and shook her head at Ruby. “It’s okay, kiddo. You know I like waffles!” Ruby grabbed Annie’s hand and led her over to the kitchen table which overlooked the pool and backyard. Annie had tried not to think about how much she’d miss that view. Or the McGriffins. Her eyes welled up with tears whenever she thought too long and hard about it. She was staying in Los Angeles for one more week with a fellow nanny friend of hers before flying back to Ohio and starting the process of applying to grad schools. Her room downstairs was packed up and tomorrow she’d leave the McGriffins and they’d become an end to a very fun chapter in her life.

 

Nannying had never really been on her agenda but it had been the best four years she’d ever spent, next to the four she’d had in college. The McGriffins had taken her everywhere with them. She’d been skiing in the Swiss Alps, seen the sun set over the ocean in Australia, and ridden a camel in Morocco. Ruby and Henry were the little siblings she never had and she loved them more than she ever thought possible. Leaving them was going to be harder than anything she’d ever done before in her life.

 

“Annie?” Henry had asked her the night before, when she had finished reading him a story before bed.

 

“Yeah, babe?” Annie stood and placed the book back on the shelf next to his bed.

 

“Are me and Ruby always gonna be your favorite kids?”

 

“Always, Henry. Always,” Annie had promised him.

 

Because she never, ever thought it possible to love two kids as much as she loved Ruby and Henry McGriffin.

 

Karen Chasez listened to her son ramble on and on about this new -found daughter of his. He had called her every hour on the hour since 1:00 Eastern Standard Time. She’d already told him that, yes, he absolutely must get the paternity test taken care of as soon as possible, but in the meantime, he had to take care of the four-year-old now taking up space in his home. If he wasn’t her father, he should still be caring towards the child. She’d apparently gone through more in the last month than any child should ever have to go through and Karen knew that JC wasn’t heartless. He would take care of what needed to be taken care of until there was a solution.

 

“You probably should find out what she likes to eat. Have you read any of the papers you were given?” she asked him, holding the phone between her ear and her shoulder.

 

“No. She didn’t move from the couch for an hour. She finally had to pee and got up. Thank god she’s not in diapers!”

 

Karen chuckled. “I should hope not. She’s four!”

 

“Well, I don’t know how old kids are when they get out of them. Anyway, she’s finally watching a movie downstairs so I can clear my head,”

 

“You left her downstairs by herself?”

 

“She’s fine. There’s nothing that she can get into!”

 

“She’s four, Joshua,”

 

Immediately, JC bounded down the stairs to the basement expecting to see pillows strewn on the floor or the juice box she had being spilled all over the leather chairs. But Emma-Claire was quietly watching Cinderella and eating popcorn. Nothing else had been touched.

 

“She’s still fine, Mom,” he breathed a sigh of relief.

 

“Go make your appointment for tomorrow. You can at least leave a message at the doctor’s office. Then we’ll talk. If it ends up that I need to, I can come out to you for a few days and help you sort it all out. But honey, you need to think about what you’re going to do if the paternity test is positive,”

 

JC was quiet. Then, “Yeah, I know, Mom. I’ll call you later,”

 

“Go read up on this little girl. You don’t want to be feeding her things she might be allergic to or putting her to bed past her bedtime,”

 

JC sighed. “I have no idea what the hell I’m doing,”

 

“You’re babysitting right now. Leave it at that and call me tomorrow. I love you, Josh,”

 

“Love you, Mom,” JC hung up and leaned against the wall next to the stairs of the basement. He let out another sigh, still feeling a huge weight on his chest. The paperwork that Charlotte had brought with her was still in the living room. He walked down the hall and saw them there on the coffee table almost screaming at him. Sitting down in his recliner, he took out the first page and read it. It was a detailed account letting him know that Shayna had died of complications from leukemia. She’d been diagnosed only six months prior to her death. She and Emma-Claire had been living with Shayna’s mother in upstate New York where Shayna was a weather girl on a local television station and also worked one shift at a pub. Shayna’s mother had already been living with a heart defect and was in and out of hospitals. When Shayna had died, her mother was on hospice watch.

 

JC continued to read about Emma-Claire, whose birth name was Emma-Claire Elise Minello and she was born on May 9, 2009. JC calculated silently in his head. If he was her father, he knew good and well that she would’ve been conceived on or around his 33rd birthday when he and Shayna had randomly taken a trip to the Bahamas that weekend. He shook his head and decided not to think about that. Right now, he needed to get that paternity test taken care of and then he’d think about all the logistics.

 

He leafed through the papers briefly seeing that Emma-Claire was allergic to peanut butter – so the peanut butter sandwich he’d thought of making her for dinner was definitely out of the question. It listed the number of her pediatrician in New York and that she had had a bad case of chicken pox when she was two, but other than that no other major illnesses. He finally came to a sealed envelope and on the front in blue ink, was his name. The letter from Shayna.

 

Dear JC,

I guess if you are reading this then it means you’ve met Emma-Claire. I know you probably have a lot of questions. I guess I just didn’t know how to tell you that I was pregnant with your child. It wasn’t like we were in love or even that serious and I just didn’t want it to be a burden. I was planning on telling you, but time just slipped away from me too fast. I should have contacted you sooner and I know that and for that I’m really sorry.

I am guessing that you are planning on doing a paternity test and I don’t blame you, but I also want you to know that you were the only guy I slept with in that period of time. Yes, I admit that I was promiscuous when I got back to New York but I was already pregnant with Emma-Claire, I just didn’t know it. Anyway, I want you to take the test because I want you to be sure for yourself.

Emma-Claire has been nothing but an absolute joy to me for four years. She is the sweetest kid you will ever meet. She doesn’t whine or fuss much, just about typical four-year-old things. She loves to color in her coloring books and watch just about any Disney movie there is, though I prefer if she goes outside every now and then. She goes to bed right at 8:30, no exceptions, and she’s still taking naps after lunch during the weekdays. I have her in a preschool 2 days a week so she can get ready to start Kindergarten next year.

I know that you don’t have to take her, even if she is yours, but my hope is that the paternity test will turn out positive and that you will want to keep your daughter. I would hate to have to see her go into foster care after all she’s been through. I’ve already told her all about you and showed her pictures I had of us back when we dated. She is probably going to be shy around you at first but I hope you will stick it out long enough to see her true self. She is a wonderful little girl and as I write this to you, my heart is breaking because I only got her for four years. If you keep her, you will get to see all of her pivotal life-altering moments that I can only dream about.

I want the best for her, JC, and I really believe you can give her that. I love her so much and she is the best little girl in the entire world. I keep saying that because I want you to believe it. But I guess you just have to see it for yourself.

I wish I knew how this was going to end and all I can hope is that you will do what you think is the best for her and for you.

Always,

Shayna

 

JC read it twice more before he folded the letter up and put it back in the envelope once more. He had no idea what he was going to do whatever the test results were. At that moment, he looked up and saw Emma-Claire standing in the doorway of the living room.

 

“Hey,” he stood to his feet. “You hungry? It’s almost dinner time, I guess.”

 

“Yes,” Emma-Claire said softly and didn’t move.

 

“Um. Ok. So, I don’t really cook much. Do you like pizza?” he walked over to her and realized just how small and tiny she was looking down at her.

 

“Yes,” Emma-Claire nodded and JC saw a smile forming on her face. She hadn’t said much of anything to him and he remembered what Shayna had said in her letter about her being shy. JC relented and stopped being so nervous around the kid. He had to relax or else he’d probably drive both of them crazy.

 

“Awesome. Great. Okay. Let’s go order a pizza. Does that sound good?”

 

Emma-Claire nodded and followed him into the kitchen. She climbed into the booth of the breakfast nook and sat quietly while JC called a local pizza place. He turned around and gave her a nervous smile when he was done. He could do this. He could babysit for a week.

 

After dinner, it was nearing 8:30 and so JC walked with Emma-Claire up to the bedroom that he’d deemed hers for the time being. He unpacked her suitcase and found her Princess Jasmine pajamas and toothbrush. He soon learned that Emma-Claire did not brush her own teeth just yet and had his own sobering experience brushing her teeth for her. He kept cringing thinking she might accidentally bite him. Then, he helped her into bed and was about to turn off the light when he noticed she was still sitting up.

 

“Do you sleep sitting up?” he was trying to be funny but Emma-Claire shook her head and a tear rolled down her cheek. “Oh, um, sorry. What is it?”

 

The child pointed to her suitcase and JC walked over to it. He opened it and looked back at her. “Well?”

 

“My mommy’s picture,” Emma-Claire sniffed and it was then that JC lifted a pair of jeans and saw a crumpled picture of Shayna and Emma-Claire taken when she was a baby. He walked over to Emma-Claire and handed her the picture. The little girl took it, kissed it, and placed it under her pillow, then lied down. JC breathed yet another sigh of relief and turned off the light in the bedroom, cracking the door as he left.

 

“Goodnight,” he whispered before he walked down the hall.

 

“Goodnight,” he heard Emma-Claire whisper back before he went downstairs. He plopped down in his recliner again, wondering where on earth the day had gone and wishing he’d never gotten out of bed in the first place.

 

JC woke up with a pit in his stomach and couldn’t remember why until he saw the papers from Charlotte Peters resting on his bedside table. He rubbed his eyes and saw that it was almost 7:00. He hadn’t fallen asleep until nearly 2:00 and had plans to pop by the doctor’s office at 8:00 before heading to the studio. He’d left a message with Dr. Carnes, his doctor of nearly 10 years. They’d developed a good doctor/patient relationship and Dr. Carnes had called him back at 10, letting JC know that he was fine to come in first thing the next morning. JC had then called Jimmy and let him know what had happened and that he had no other choice but to bring Emma-Claire into work with him.

 

He slowly got out of bed and made his way down the other end of the hallway to where Emma-Claire was sleeping. The door was still cracked and JC poked his head in to see the little girl snuggled against the pillows fast asleep. How did he wake her up? He tried to remember how his mother had woken him up as a child, but most of the time Tyler had beat her to it by playfully pouncing on his older brother. Obviously, that was out of the question. He walked over to the bed and gently tapped Emma-Claire’s shoulder.

 

“Hey, Emma-Claire. You gotta get up. I have to be somewhere soon,” he said it above a whisper and loud enough to where he hoped he wouldn’t have to repeat himself again. He watched her open her eyes and look up at him. JC did a double-take. She had his eyes, there was no question and he knew it. Still, he wanted a paternity test to be 100%. The child said nothing, only yawned and sat up in the bed. He didn’t know whether or not to stay and help her get dressed or what to do next. Nothing came naturally to him when it came to this little girl. He watched as she climbed down from the bed and went into the bathroom. In a minute he heard the toilet flush and she came back out and stood in the doorway.

 

“So, we probably should get you some clothes for today, huh?” JC went over to the suitcase in front of the bed and began to dig around. How the hell did he dress up a little girl? He pulled out a pair of jeans and a short sleeved floral top. “How’s this?”

Emma-Claire nodded and walked over to him. She lifted her arms and JC helped her out of her Jasmine pajamas, laying them on the bed. Then he helped her into her jeans and top and surveyed his work. “Good. Now I’ve got to get ready. Why don’t you go downstairs and –“

 

“Mommy and Grandma always brush my hair,” Emma-Claire told him. She reached into her suitcase and handed him a brush. JC cleared his throat and nodded at her, seeing that he hadn’t even taken her braids out from the night before. Ok, he wasn’t stupid. He could do this. He sat down on the edge of the bed and Emma-Claire stood in front of him. He slowly took each strand of hair out of the braids and when he was finished, Emma-Claire’s hair looked as though it had been through a crimper. He winced as he brushed out her hair, but she stood still and let him finish.

 

“Sorry, I don’t know how to do hair,” he told her, apologetically.

 

“It’s okay,” Emma-Claire answered and turned around, giving him a smile. “Can I have breakfast now?”

 

Breakfast. Right. JC tried to think about just what exactly was in his pantry since he was never really home for meals and never really ate breakfast. “Um, yeah. We’ll go check,” he walked out of the room, Emma-Claire behind him, and they both headed downstairs to the kitchen. He found an apple in the refrigerator and milk that hadn’t gone bad. The only other option was leftover pizza. In five minutes, Emma-Claire was sitting at the table with a plate filled with cut up apple pieces and two slices of pizza. “We’ll go grocery shopping when I get done working,” JC told her as he began to leave the kitchen. “I have to go get ready. I’ll be back in a few minutes, okay?”

Emma-Claire only nodded silently and began to dig into her breakfast.

 

JC hadn’t realized just how long it had taken him to get Emma-Claire ready, fix her breakfast, and then dress himself. By the time they left the house, it was already 8:00 and he’d had to call Dr. Carnes to let him know he’d be late. Then he called Jimmy to tell him he’d be there as soon as he was finished with his appointment. Emma-Claire sat in the backseat of JC’s SUV and looked out the window on the drive to the doctor’s office. JC had scared her as soon as he’d started the car, because he’d forgotten to turn down his music from the night before and a dub-step demo he’d been listening to had blasted throughout the vehicle, causing Emma-Claire to promptly put her hands over her ears and make a face. JC had immediately turned it off and apologized, hoping to get her laughing, but she was simply quiet and didn’t say anything until after the doctor’s appointment.

 

“How come you went to the doctor?” she asked him, as he pulled out of the parking lot an hour later.

 

“I had to just get something checked,” JC replied, looking at her through the rearview mirror. Dr. Carnes had assured JC that he would have the results as soon as possible and hopefully within the week. But the minute the doctor laid eyes on Emma-Claire, he quietly told JC that it was obvious whom she belonged to, but JC had only shrugged and added once more that he needed absolute proof.

 

“What are you gonna do with her here all day?” Jimmy asked him later that morning, after JC had settled Emma-Claire on a couch with one of her coloring books. He’d been proud of himself for remembering to bring it at the last minute along with her set of crayons.

 

“I’ve gotta work. She’ll be fine. She’s got a coloring book,” JC answered, swiveling back and forth in his chair.

 

“You do realize she’s the spitting image of you,” Jimmy pointed out, making JC aware of this fact for the third time that morning.

 

“I do,” JC faced away from Jimmy to set a few dials on the monitor in front of him.

 

“What are you gonna do when that paternity test comes back positive?” Jimmy prodded.

 

“I’ll think of that later,” JC almost snapped at him. “Let’s not talk about it, ok? She’s fine right now and that’s all that matters.”

 

Annie’s heart was in her stomach as she walked out of the McGriffin’s house for the last time. The night before, Ruby and Henry had made ice cream sundaes with her and watched their favorite movie together, The Goonies. Henry always liked to pretend he was on a treasure hunt with Annie after they had watched it and the night before had been no different. Patsy had allowed her children to stay up later than normal because she knew it was important to them to have all the time they could with Annie. That morning, Annie had gotten up with them like she always did, ate breakfast, helped load the dishwasher and hugged them tightly when their carpool ride came to take them to school. Ruby was in tears and Henry was sniffling as they got into the car.

 

“I promise I will come and visit,” Annie kissed Ruby’s cheek. “And you have my email and we’ll FaceTime. Okay?”

 

“It’s not the same!” Ruby sniffed.

 

“No, it’s not. But you and Henry are very important to me and I will always be here for you,” Annie hugged her once more and let her run to the car. Patsy stood behind her and they both waved at the kids as the carpool pulled out of the driveway.

 

“What time is Megan getting here?” Patsy asked, as she poured a cup of coffee. “Do you have time for a cup?”

 

Annie nodded. “She’ll be here around 10,”

Patsy sat down at the kitchen table with Annie and they chatted for a good two hours about the last four years. Annie swore she would come and visit and Patsy had assured her that she would always have a place to stay at their home. Annie looked at the clock on the wall and saw it was nearing 10:00. Just then, Megan pulled into the driveway.

 

“It’s not goodbye,” Patsy assured Annie, as the two women hugged at the front door. “You’ll be back to see us.”

 

“I know,” Annie wiped away a stray tear that was falling down her cheek. “Thanks for everything, Patsy. You’ve been amazing.”

 

“You are amazing, my dear,” Patsy squeezed her once more. “Email me sometime this week or whenever you’re settled back in Ohio.”

 

“I will,” Annie forced a smile and walked to Megan’s car, turning once more to wave at Patsy.

 

“That’s the worst part of the job,” Megan sighed, as she put her car in reverse. Megan had been a nanny in Beverly Hills for six years and considered it her real job for now. She’d gone to school in Northern California and had plans to come to L.A. and work as a sous chef for some fancy restaurant in Bel Air. None of that had gone according to plan and instead, she’d found herself in the homes of some of Hollywood’s elite. Right now, she was the nanny for a Lakers ball player and before that, she’d worked for Jessica Alba.

 

“Well, thankfully, that’s the last time I’ll ever have to do that,” Annie sighed and rested her head against the back of the seat and watching the ritzy Beverly Hills neighborhood pass her by.

 

By eight that evening, the girls had laid down most of the tracks for their album and all that was left was polishing. Everyone was pretty exhausted, including little Emma-Claire, who’d obediently sat in the same spot for hours on end, occasionally getting up and asking JC for the bathroom or for a drink of water. For lunch, they’d all ordered in pizza and JC felt for the kid because she’d now had pizza for the last three meals in a row.

 

“Same time tomorrow,” he announced to the girls as they were dispersing. “We gotta get ready for some upcoming shows.”

 

“You bringing the kid?” Jimmy asked out of earshot.

 

“No idea what else to do with her,” JC hissed back. “I’m calling my mom tonight. She said she’d come out and help with her while I figured stuff out.”

 

“Right. But in the meantime. Like tomorrow?”

JC looked over at Emma-Claire, who was sound asleep on the couch. He winced at that. She hadn’t even had dinner and he still needed to stop at the grocery store so she could have breakfast tomorrow.

 

“Look, take tomorrow off,” Jimmy told him. JC tried to protest but Jimmy continued. “No, man, you need to. Take off tomorrow, tell your mom to get here and in the meantime, I’ll see if I know of anyone who can recommend a nanny.”

 

“A nanny? That sounds so permanent,” JC collected his things and went over to the couch where Emma-Claire was resting.

 

“Don’t be a jerk, man. You know she’s your daughter. You can look at her without a damn test. And I know you’re too nice of a guy to just dump her in the system,”

 

JC sighed loudly and looked down at the sleeping child. He looked back at Jimmy and shook his head. “Dude, I don’t know what I’m doing,” He reached down and gently lifted Emma-Claire off the couch. She woke up immediately and rubbed her eyes, then smiled sleepily at JC, before resting her head on his shoulder. He was surprised by that gesture and looked at Jimmy, who shook his head and chuckled.

 

“Looks like you got it so far,” Jimmy assured him, as they walked out of the studio.

 

“We’re going to stop at the grocery store,” JC told Emma-Claire as they drove out of the parking lot. “And then we’ll go to In-N-Out for dinner. Do you like hamburgers?”

 

“Yes,” Emma-Claire responded.

 

“Great,” JC sighed and rubbed his neck as he drove towards the freeway. He was somewhat relieved that he’d gotten a day off the next day. Granted, he knew his mind would be going a mile a minute because he was constantly going to be thinking of new things to do for the band, but he also knew that he couldn’t bring Emma-Claire to the studio again. Although she’d been well behaved, her bathroom breaks came quite frequently and even though he didn’t know that much about kids, he figured another all-day coloring book session would start to get old really fast.

 

Once he was at home, JC fed Emma-Claire her dinner and then took her upstairs for bed, as it was well past 8:30. “You get to sleep in tomorrow,” he told her, as she climbed into bed. “I don’t have to go to work.”

 

“Wait,” Emma-Claire hopped out of bed and went over to where she’d placed her coloring book.  She opened one of the pages – Belle dancing with the Beast – and handed it to JC. “I colored that for you.”

 

JC looked at the picture and couldn’t help but smile. “Oh yeah? Well, thanks,” Emma-Claire gave him a grin and crawled back into bed. “Okay. Sleep tight. See you tomorrow.”

He went to crack her door and saw her take her picture out from under her pillow, kiss it, and only then did she descend into the covers.

 

“You have to come, Mom. She’s great but I have no idea what the hell to do with her,”

 

Karen chuckled on the phone. “Fine, honey. I’ll get there tomorrow night as fast as I can. I’m just glad you have the day off and she doesn’t have to go into the studio with you. She must have been bored to tears!”

 

“No, she had her coloring book. She colored me a picture,”

 

“Oh, Josh, that is precious. Is she calling you ‘daddy’ yet?”

 

“She doesn’t really call me anything. She’s pretty shy,”

 

“I’d say her coloring that picture for you means something,”

 

“Well, I still don’t know what I’m doing,”

 

“You’ll get the hang of it. I’ll call you tomorrow and let you know when I will be in town okay? Could you come pick me up?”

 

“Of course,”

 

“With my granddaughter, I’m assuming?”

 

“Well, your unofficial granddaughter, yes,”

 

“Right. Unofficial,”

 

“See you tomorrow, Mom,”

Corbin McGriffin was driving to work early Tuesday morning when his phone buzzed in the passenger seat. He reached over just as the light turned red and slightly hit the brakes a little harder than normal. Looking at the screen, he saw it was Jimmy Harry, one of the industry’s top producers and a good friend of the family.

 

“Hey, Jimmy. How are you?” Corbin greeted him, turning off the radio. He hadn’t spoken with Jimmy in a while and it was always good to hear from him.

 

“Corbin! Good to hear your voice. Just been busy with this new group I’m producing with a friend. Remember JC Chasez? Sang in ‘Nsync?”

 

“Of course. He and Justin Timberlake used to serenade Ruby when she was a baby and I would bring her into the studio,” Corbin chuckled at the memory of the two then-young ‘Nsync members singing to his daughter when she’d been a newborn and Corbin had just been a new hired executive with Jive. He’d moved on to a bigger position in the entertainment industry, but those memories of getting to see the most popular bands in the world living out day- to- day life were always good ones.

 

“Actually, he’s kind of the reason I’m calling you,”

 

“Oh?” Corbin watched the light turn green and pressed hard on the gas.

 

“Yeah. Turns out he’s got a kid he didn’t know about –“

 

“Doesn’t he have a good lawyer or does he need a recommendation?”

 

“No, it’s nothing like that. It was from a an ex-girlfriend, not a groupie or anything. Anyway, the kid’s four or something like that and showed up on his doorstep Sunday. She’s the spitting image of him but he took a paternity test yesterday and is waiting on the results. I’m already thinking he’ll keep her because it’s kind of obvious it’s his and he’s not an asshole. So I was just calling you to see if you could recommend a good nanny agency or knew someone that knows a good nanny that’s available?”

 

Corbin smiled to himself as he pulled into the parking lot of the Capitol Records building. “Actually, I do. She worked for us up until yesterday,”

 

“You didn’t fire her did you?”

 

“Oh, no, nothing like that. No, our kids are just getting too old for a nanny. Ruby’s got more activities than she knows what to do with and Henry’s getting to be the same way. Annie was with us for four years and she’s the best in my opinion,”

 

“She doesn’t have another family already?”

 

“Nope. Her plan was to go back to Ohio and get into graduate school. But, I think I could call her and let her know about this position. At least put a feeler out there for you,”

 

“Great, man. Thank you. Just call me if you hear a positive from her and I’ll put JC in touch with her,”

 

“Not a problem, Jimmy. Always good to hear from you,” Corbin said goodbye, then looked through his contacts to call Annie.

 

Annie had not slept in past 6:30 on a weekday in four years. Unfortunately, her body clock was up at 6:30 anyway and Annie had been trying to fall asleep yet again. The night before she and Megan had gone out with a few friends for drinks and gotten back later than Annie had been used to staying out because of her job. She’d heard Megan leave the apartment at 6:45 and had been wide- awake since. It was now almost 8:30 and since she couldn’t go back to bed, Annie reluctantly got up and made her way into the kitchen. Megan had left her a note letting her know that she’d be gone all day and to make herself at home. Annie had already planned to spend the majority of today in her pajamas, something that she’d never done on a weekday, either. She immediately poured herself a cup of coffee from the pot that Megan had left for her. Settling herself on the couch in the living room of the apartment, Annie pondered about what her two former charges were doing right then. Ruby was probably bossing Henry around to hurry and eat so they would be on time for their ride to school. Henry was probably being lazy on purpose to make Ruby even more upset at him. Annie couldn’t help but smile at the thoughts she was having. It would take her a long time to forget those two precious kids.

 

She heard her phone ringing from the bedroom and set her coffee down to go and grab it. It was probably her mother wondering about whether or not she’d scheduled a flight home yet, something that Annie was going to look into later on that day. To her surprise, Corbin McGriffin’s number was flashing across the screen.

 

“Hi, Corbin,” she greeted him. “Is everything okay?”

 

“Yes, Annie, all is well. Just calling to let you in on something,”

 

“Okay?”

 

“I got a call from a friend of mine who was looking into a nanny for a friend of his. Not sure all of the logistics or details, but he wanted the best and I couldn’t help but pass along your name to him,”

 

“Oh, wow, Corbin, that’s so sweet of you, but I really want to look into a Masters degree,”

 

“I told him that, but I also told him I’d fill you in. Would you mind at least hearing about the position from him?”

 

Annie shrugged. It certainly couldn’t hurt. It wasn’t that she was in anyway dying to get back to Ohio, but she also knew that nannying wasn’t for her anymore. “Well, sure, Corbin. Anything for my favorite boss!”

 

“I would appreciate it, Annie. Thanks. I’ll be giving your number to Jimmy Harry. He’ll call you with details later today or tomorrow,”

 

“Sounds good. Thank you for thinking of me,”

 

“Annie, you are like one of our family. We’re just glad we got all those years with you. I’ll call Jimmy now and let him know you’re interested in talking with him,”

 

“Okay. Thanks, Corbin,” Annie hung up and went back into the living room, settling on the couch once more. There was no way she was going to take this, but she’d at least hear what this Jimmy guy had to say.

 

Karen would be landing at LAX at 1:00 that afternoon and JC had never been more relieved about anything in his entire life, or so he felt. The morning with Emma-Claire had gone smoothly, more or less because she’d slept until 9:00 and it had given JC time to collect his thoughts and not have to worry about what she might be getting into. She only had a few coloring books and dolls to play with and he was dreading the moment she would tell him she was bored because he had no idea what to do with that. He had a pool but it was January and he hadn’t turned the heat on because he’d not had time for any sort of pool party. She could watch movies on Netflix, but that would require him going back and forth to the theater room downstairs and constantly checking on her and he had to get work done. Fortunately for him, Emma-Claire had been content coloring in her Smurfs coloring book for the better part of an hour before they’d left for the airport at 11:30. He was grateful that the last 48 hours with her had been more or less worry-free. She hadn’t been very talkative and JC was fine with that. He had no idea what to really say to her anyway.

 

As he drove along the freeway towards LAX, his phone rang and he grabbed for it, turning the radio down. Emma-Claire was holding on to one of her dolls and looking out the window as the landscape passed her by.

 

“Jimmy, I’m going to get my mom. She’s landing a lot earlier than I thought,”

 

“That’s great, C. I’ve got some good news for you, too. I talked to a friend of mine. He gave me the name of his former nanny. Spoke real highly of her, too. You interested?”

 

“Of course!” JC felt relief come coursing through him.

 

“Great. Her name’s Annie Leighton. She’s 26 and worked for the McGriffin family for four years. You want me to call her for you or you want to set up something with her?”

 

“Text me her number and I’ll give her a call after mom gets settled,”

 

“I’ll do it. How’s the kid?”

 

JC looked at her through the rearview mirror. She was hugging on her doll and resting her head against the back of the seat. “Quiet. For now. Honestly, she hasn’t been that difficult. I just don’t know what I’m doing,”

 

“Well, hopefully this Annie chick will work out for you,”

 

“Hopefully,” JC sighed. “Okay, I’m getting off at the airport exit. Text me that number and I’ll call her later today.”

 

“You got it, man,”

 

JC hung up and with every mile closer he got to the airport, he felt more and more relief. His mother would certainly let him know what to do with this child. He was also hoping for the official results to turn up before she went back. Even though he was pretty sure what the results would be.

 

“Well, the first thing we must do is get her more clothes. I think we should also look into getting a bedspread that is more suited for her, so we’ll go to Bed, Bath, and Beyond. And have you even bathed her?” Karen Chasez was surveying the bedroom where Emma-Claire had been sleeping. It had been a sweet reunion between Karen and JC and when she met Emma-Claire she had immediately been taken by her, hugging her and loving on her as though she’d always been in her life. Emma-Claire had been yearning for this kind of attention that she’d not received from JC and had loved every minute with this new woman who was constantly making sure she was being held or hugged on.

 

JC suddenly felt like an idiot. No, he hadn’t put her in the bathtub. Not that he didn’t want to, it just hadn’t occurred to him, along with every thing else his mother had pointed out. She saw the look on his face and smiled warmly at him.

 

“Now, honey, you didn’t know. It’s perfectly fine. I think what we should do first is give our little Emma-Claire a bath and go shopping for a few things,” Karen patted his arm and looked down at Emma-Claire. “How about you go with me and Daddy in the bathroom and get a bubble bath?”

 

“Um, Mom, we haven’t really established the relationship with –“ JC started to say but Karen shot him a look.

 

“Do you really think a test is going to have to give you the answer that you clearly already know is true?” she whispered to him out of earshot to Emma-Claire.

 

“I know, but –“

 

“Joshua,”

 

Even at 37, when he heard his mother call him by his full name, JC stopped and listened. “Fine. Let’s go into the bathroom,” He followed his mother and Emma-Claire into the bathroom that was adjacent to the bedroom she slept in and watched as Karen started to run the bath water.

 

“Bubble bath?” she asked him, while helping Emma-Claire out of her clothes.

 

“No. There’s body wash in my bathroom. Will that do?” he asked, leaning against the sink.

 

“For today,” Karen nodded and smiled at Emma-Claire. “We’ll get you some real bubble bath later today, okay?”

 

“Okay,” Emma-Claire beamed at Karen.

 

JC sighed and left the bathroom. He walked down the hall to the master bedroom and into the master bathroom to grab a bottle of men’s Kiehl’s body wash. When he returned, Karen was just putting Emma-Claire into the bathtub.

 

“Here,” he handed his mother the body wash. Karen thanked him and then poured a few drops of the liquid into the tub. Emma-Claire giggled when she saw the water turning into foamy bubbles. Karen let the child play with the bubbles for a few minutes and turned slightly to watch her son look at his daughter. JC still looked somewhat perplexed at everything going on. He wanted to feel all of the paternal instincts he was supposed to feel, but he still felt as though this little girl was a stranger. He envied his own mother, who had immediately clicked with Emma-Claire. Perhaps he should try harder and at least give her a better tuck in at night than his usual “sleep tight” that he’d told her the past two nights.

 

“Josh,” Karen said quietly to him, after she’d dressed Emma-Claire and was braiding her hair into pigtails. “It will come. Remember, when we got you, you were about her age and we loved you from the beginning. And you weren’t even ours.”

 

“I don’t know if she’s mine, Mom,” JC was sitting on his bed watching his mother braid Emma-Claire’s long, brown hair.

 

Karen gave him a look and shook her head. “Always having to be practical and logistical. Are you blind, son?”

 

“Mom,” JC groaned and shook his head. He wanted to say more, but not in front of Emma-Claire. Karen noted this and quickly finished the last braid.

 

“Okay, Emma-Claire. Now, you’re all dressed and ready to go shopping. Can you go in your room and bring me the shoes you want to wear?” Karen turned Emma-Claire around to face her.

 

“Yes,” Emma-Claire nodded and ran out of the room.

 

“I’m not blind.  I know she looks like me and I’m already thinking ahead of what life’s going to be like for me now. But that’s just it. I’ve always been independent and I’ve always done things my way. And I’m scared because I’m going to have this kid around and this project that I’ve worked my ass off on is going to be for shit now,” JC stood to his feet and went over to his mother. “And I don’t feel anything for her. I see her and she’s this little stranger that bugs me because I didn’t want kids in the first place!”

 

Karen listened to her son and said nothing for a minute after he finished. She had to choose her words carefully and not sound like a nag. “Josh, I know it was unexpected. But you know that life is like that. None of what you are doing will be gone. It just might take longer than you thought. That’s just what happens when children enter the picture. But please, honey, please don’t shun her just because she didn’t fit into your plan for your life. She’s a wonderful little girl and I can tell she wants you to love on her. That’s why I’m hugging on her so much. She needs it. She’s lost two very important people in her life in a very short amount of time and she’s four. Don’t make her lose you just because she’s not what you expected,”

 

JC sighed and could only nod his head. At that moment, Emma-Claire walked back into the room with a pair of little sneakers. She went over to Karen and smiled, handing them to her.

 

“Very nice shoes, Emma-Claire,” Karen told her, then looked over at JC. “Why don’t you have Daddy put them on for you and I’m going to go downstairs and freshen up before we leave for our shopping trip.”

 

Emma-Claire looked warily at JC then back at Karen. “Okay,” her face had fallen somewhat upon hearing that the nice lady was going to leave her alone now.

 

“Come on over here, Emma-Claire,” JC’s voice was soft and he smiled at her as warmly as he could. Emma-Claire walked over to him and he picked her up, placing her on his bed. He took the shoes from Karen, who watched from the doorway while JC tied her shoes. “There. Ready to go?”

 

“Uh huh,” Emma-Claire nodded. JC picked her up from the bed and instead of putting her down, settled her on his hip. She smiled at him and for the first time, JC felt a piece of his heart begin to melt towards his little girl.

 

Annie hung up the phone later that night. She couldn’t believe it. She’d just agreed to go on an interview at the home of JC Chasez. She’d been an ‘Nsync fan as a teenager. Her older sister, Maggie, had had JC’s posters plastered all over her wall in college. Annie had been more of a Justin fan herself, but still. This was very unbelievable. She had been sworn to secrecy by JC not to say anything about this job, not even to family, until the test results came back and his publicist made the official announcement to all of the entertainment outlets. Annie looked at the grad school application that she’d been filling out online before the phone call came in.

 

She couldn’t help but think that she probably wasn’t going to be finishing it any time soon.

“Are we going shopping again today?” Emma-Claire asked Karen the next morning at breakfast. Karen had made cheese omelets for everyone and was just putting bacon next to the omelet on Emma-Claire’s plate.

 

Karen smiled down at the child. “Not today, sweetie. Today your Daddy and I are going to be talking to a lady about coming and staying with you when Daddy’s at work,”

 

“Where will you be when Daddy’s at work?” Emma-Claire asked, and Karen’s heart sank as she sat down across from her grandchild.

 

“Oh, honey, I have to go back to Florida. That’s where I live. But I already told Daddy that you are coming out to visit me and your grandfather and your uncle and aunts just as soon as we can get you out there!” Karen tried to be assuring, but Emma-Claire looked forlorn as she took a bite of her piece of bacon. “I’m so sorry, honey. I’m going to stay here until you get settled and I won’t leave until I know it’s time. Okay?”

 

Emma-Claire only nodded and wrapped both of her tiny hands around her cup of orange juice. It was just one of many dishes that Karen and JC had picked up for her at Target the day before. They’d nearly bought out the store with new clothes and a few toys and Bed, Bath, and Beyond had probably never had such a large sale after they’d left the premises. Emma-Claire’s room would be painted a pale green to match the white comforter and tiny floral print of her new bedspread. They’d also purchased towels, toiletries, a complete pink and green bathroom motif, and at Target, Karen made sure that Emma-Claire had several bottles of bubble bath. Little forks and spoons and knives fit just for Emma-Claire’s little hands, small cups and plates, and then they were off to Trader Joe’s. Karen insisted that JC try and be healthy with his daughter and had filled his refrigerator with a plethora of fresh produce and organic items. He’d never seen his pantry or his kitchen with so much food before.

 

“Will Daddy come for breakfast?” Emma-Claire asked, wiping her mouth with her arm. Karen reached over and dabbed her mouth with a napkin.

 

“He should be. He needs to be downstairs before too long,” Karen looked outside of the kitchen into the living room where the stairs led. She knew JC had stayed up later once she’d finally gone to bed. But she also knew that Annie would be arriving within the hour and he needed to be ready for his interview with her. “When you finish, we’ll go upstairs and see if he’s awake. His omelet might get cold.”

At that moment, she heard the stairs creak and in a minute JC walked into the kitchen dressed in jeans and a white undershirt. His hair was still wet from the shower and he was yawning as he reached for a coffee mug.

 

“Good morning, son,” Karen greeted him.

 

“Hi,” JC turned and smiled at his mother and then at Emma-Claire. “Hi, Emma-Claire.”

 

“Hi, Daddy. Look, Mimi made omelets,” Emma-Claire pointed to her now almost empty plate.

 

JC still wasn’t used to being called “Daddy” but he’d heard it so much yesterday from his mother and now Emma-Claire that he knew it should be something that warmed his heart. It still made him feel somewhat uncomfortable, but he masked it well and only smiled at the girl. His mother had insisted Emma-Claire call her “Mimi” even after JC told her that he would rather wait for the final result. Karen had ignored him and said once more that Emma-Claire needed stability starting now and deep down, JC knew it was true.

 

“Uh huh,” JC cleared his throat and poured a cup of coffee.

 

“Your omelet is in the microwave so it won’t get cold,” Karen told him, sipping on her coffee. She looked at Emma-Claire who was watching JC with much awe. Karen already knew the child was in love with her father and was just waiting for him to return his affections. She’d already prayed that it wouldn’t take him much longer. Yesterday he’d at least held her hand in Target and when they’d stood in line at Bed, Bath, and Beyond, she saw Emma-Claire lean against JC’s leg and JC put his hand on top of her head. It was a start, if nothing else.

 

“Ready for the interview?” Karen asked him, as he sat down next to Emma-Claire in the breakfast nook.

 

“I guess. I still have no idea how it will all go down,” JC began to dig into his omelet.

 

“You’ll tell her you work during the day. She gets Saturdays off and one Sunday a month,” Karen told him. “We already worked that out.”

 

“Yeah, it’s the Saturday off thing I’m a little skeptical about,” he admitted. Giving up his Saturdays wasn’t something he was particularly looking forward to. It had always been his time to chill out and not do anything if he didn’t want to. Saturday night had been his night for going out till the wee hours of the morning and now that was being taken away, too.

 

Emma-Claire finished her breakfast and asked to go play in her room. Another bedroom was being turned into her playroom in the next few weeks, but for now, all of her toys were in her room and they were all brand new. It had felt like Christmas for her all over again when Karen and JC had set everything up the night before.

 

Karen looked at her son over her coffee mug and sighed. “Josh, please, honey. This isn’t an ideal situation, I know. Please just try. For Emma-Claire. And if not for her, then at least for me until you decide that you are ready for her to be in your life,” Karen stood and went to the sink to rinse out her mug. “Annie will be here in a half hour. I’m going to finish getting ready.”

 

JC only nodded and looked down at the plate of food in front of him. He usually loved anything his mother cooked for him, but he was so perplexed and upset that the omelet tasted bland to him. He stood and took his plate, along with Emma-Claire’s, to the sink and then went back upstairs to finish getting ready.

 

Annie had expected JC Chasez’s house to be something like that of the McGriffin’s. Pristine front yard, exquisite outside décor, columns up and down the front steps. But it wasn’t. It was a contemporary looking gray structure that overlooked West Hollywood. The pool was a regular pool with a diving board. There was an outside grilling area and fire pit next to it. Across from the pool was a smaller structure; Annie assumed it was the pool or guesthouse. Inside, the house was plain and it definitely looked as though a bachelor had decorated it. She already missed the warm wood paneling throughout the McGriffin’s house that always made her feel at home. It wasn’t that JC’s house was ugly. It was quite beautiful, but Annie knew it was missing that special touch that only came when a woman entered the picture. She was quite sure that Corbin would have left the house alone had it not been for Patsy’s interior design friend coming in every two years to redo the rooms. But that was done now. She wasn’t with the McGriffin’s anymore. It panged her to walk into a new house knowing that she could be a nanny for another child other than Ruby and Henry. She also knew that if she did end up getting this job, she would call Patsy first thing and let her know that she would be around and on her weekends off, she’d want to see her old charges.

 

“Hi, Annie,” an older woman greeted her when she opened the door. “Come on in. I’m Karen. I’m Josh’s mother. I’m here helping him out until he gets a nanny.”

 

“Hi,” Annie smiled and immediately liked this woman. “I’m Annie Leighton. It’s nice to meet you.” Annie followed Karen into the large living room and sat down on the leather couch.

 

“Josh should be down any minute and –“ Karen began but was stopped by the sounds of small footsteps on the stairs. She turned to see Emma-Claire standing in the middle of the staircase and smiling shyly at Annie.

 

Annie grinned at the little girl standing above her. She was dressed in pink overalls with a white shirt underneath. Her brown hair was in a ponytail with a pink ribbon tied through it. In her arms she carried a baby doll and blanket. Annie had always thought Ruby McGriffin was the cutest little girl in the world. She might be mistaken now. This child looked like something out of an ad for Gymboree.

 

“That’s Emma-Claire,” Karen grinned at her as Emma-Claire began to slowly make her way down the steps. “Emma-Claire, come meet Annie.”

 

“Hi, Emma-Claire,” Annie greeted the child, who walked over and sat down next to her on the couch.  “What is your baby’s name?”

 

“Shayna,” Emma-Claire answered. “After my mama.”

 

Annie smiled warmly at her and touched the baby doll’s dress. “She is beautiful. I like her dress!”

 

“I got it yesterday with Mimi and Daddy,” Emma-Claire replied. “We went shopping all day!”

 

“I like shopping. We’ll have to go sometime,” Annie already felt bonded to this child and was ready to begin the interview. All thoughts of grad school were long gone, especially after meeting her. On the way to the house, Megan had asked her about it and Annie had told her friend that the interview would seal the deal on whether or not she pursued her Master’s now or later. It was looking like later so far.

 

At that moment, JC was walking down the stairs. Annie looked up and smiled at him and he returned it with a half-smile, half-grimace. He had aged somewhat since she’d last seen him in those teeny bop magazines years ago. His hair was greying on the sides and a few wrinkles lined his mouth. But, Annie had to admit he could still pull off handsome. There was no doubt. She put that out of her mind and began to prepare herself for the questions she knew were about to come for the interview.

 

“Emma-Claire, go on upstairs. Mimi and I have to talk to this nice lady,” JC told his daughter, as he walked over to Annie.

 

“Her name is Annie, Daddy,” Emma-Claire told him matter-of-factly and hopped off the couch. “Bye Annie.”

 

“Bye, Emma-Claire,” Annie said and then looked up at JC and stood. “I’m Annie Leighton.”

 

“JC Chasez,” JC shook her hand politely and went over to join his mother on the couch and observed her. She was medium height, curly brown hair, and, he had to admit, a pretty smile.  “I don’t know all of what you’ve been told, but Emma-Claire’s mom and I used to date. I only found out about her a few days ago because her mother passed away and that’s how she ended up here. Basically, I’m really busy with this new band I’m trying to produce and I’m not really around to take care of her during the week,” he’d had a hard time getting that last sentence out because he really wanted to say that he wasn’t around at all but he knew it was all about to change. “So, you’d be on pretty much Monday through Friday. I’ll give you every Saturday off and one weekend a month. Can I ask what you were making at the McGriffin’s? I just need to know because I have no idea what nanny’s are even paid.”

 

Annie paused before she answered. It almost seemed as though he didn’t really want this kid but maybe she was reading him wrong. She shook the thought from her mind and answered the question. “It wasn’t a salaried job. But I made close to $25,000 a year. They gave me room and board and paid for my health insurance and a car that I was able to use.”

 

JC nearly choked. He figured nanny’s got something like $100 a week or something like that. And a car? Health insurance? He felt his mother boring a hole into him and knew he’d better say something. “Um, wow. Ok.”

 

“You were thinking it was hourly, right?” Annie had found this assumption to be true from a lot of people who’d never had a nanny or knew anything about them. “The thing with us nanny’s is that we’re taking care of your children around the clock. Parents will pay anything as long as their kids are happy and taken care of. And I can promise you I will do just that with Emma-Claire.”

 

“Fine,” he was hesitant to agree, but if what she said was true, this was the best he’d get, unless he hired someone illegally and he wasn’t too keen on doing that at all. “So, um, can you tell me about your last job and your other experiences?” He might as well find out. She was the only one in the running so far and he was desperate.

 

“I worked for the McGriffin’s for four years. I was hands -on all the time with their son and daughter. I helped them get ready for school, picked them up, drove them to activities, made their dinner, and got them ready for bed. Their parents would usually take over and put them to bed or sometimes take over when they got home from school,” Annie replied. “I went on all family vacations and was given three weeks paid vacation throughout the year. Most of my other experiences were babysitting back home and substitute teaching during college. I majored in Education and plan to get my Masters eventually.”

 

JC sighed and looked at his mother, then back at Annie. “Wow. Okay. That’s good, then. I mean, you obviously know what you’re doing in the aspect of kids,” he looked at his mother, then back at Annie. “When can you start?”

 

“I’m ready now,” Annie couldn’t help but smile at his offer. “Just have to get my stuff from a friend’s house and I can be ready whenever you need me to be.”

 

JC smiled back at her and nodded. “Great. I guess I should give you a tour of the house.  Oh and you’ll be staying in the pool house out back. It’s not much but I wanted to give you your privacy. You can come back tomorrow and start then if you like,”

“Tomorrow sounds perfect,” Annie watched as JC stood and gestured towards the stairs. She assumed this meant they were going on a tour of the house and followed his lead.

 

“This is really great, Annie,” Karen told her, as they began to climb the steps. “I think you are going to be just what Emma-Claire needs.”

 

“I hope so,” Annie said, as they reached the top of the second floor. “It sounds like she’s been through so much.”

 

The tour didn’t take very long. There were four bedrooms upstairs with bathrooms in each. JC was firm about the fact that he was a private person and his room was off limits to both Annie and Emma-Claire. He said the same about his private office and the recording studio adjacent to the theater room in the basement.

 

“I am trusting you to not say a word to anyone about who it is you nanny for. Obviously, there are a few people who already know, but those people are close friends of mine. I know your old bosses know and that’s fine, but I would appreciate it until the word gets out about my daughter that you keep quiet,” JC said, once they were finished with the tour. “When you come over tomorrow, you can move in and get settled and then we’ll go look at a car for you.”

 

Annie was having a hard time trying to decipher whether or not she liked JC Chasez. She understood why they had to keep certain things private and knew that tabloids would be itching to print this story. But, if she was honest with JC, no one really kept up with him anymore. She knew all anyone cared about was Justin Timberlake. Until the reunion a few months ago she’d almost forgotten there were five guys who made up the band ‘Nsync in the first place. It was his business and his life and she knew that. She also knew how nosy Hollywood was and if he wanted this kept secret, she’d keep her mouth shut to anyone who wanted to know what she was up to now.

 

“It was so good to meet you,” Karen shook her hand as Annie headed towards the door an hour later. “I’ll be helping you out tomorrow and through the weekend. It’s probably obvious that Josh is still trying to figure out fatherhood.” Karen said the last part under her breath and only to Annie. Annie nodded and smiled. It was clear that JC was not so paternal just yet. But hopefully, she’d get to see the turn when he realized just how amazing it was to be the parent of a cute little girl like Emma-Claire.

 

After Annie had left, JC went and plopped down on the couch, rubbing his face in his hands. It was final. He’d hired a nanny. He was actually going to keep the child, even if those results came back negative. As if on cue, his phone rang. He looked at the caller ID and saw that it was Dr. Carnes’ office.

 

“I bet this is the result,” he told his mother, who had come into the living room from the kitchen, a glass of iced tea in her hand. Karen set the tea on the coffee table and watched as JC answered the phone. He nervously tapped his foot and bit a nail, looking at his mother when he greeted the nurse on the other end.

 

“Mr. Chasez? Hello. I’m Dr. Carnes’ nurse. I wanted to let you know that the test results are in and the match was 100% positive. In fact, we’ve never seen a match come back so fast,”

 

JC simply nodded to his mother. Karen let out a sigh of relief, knowing that this was going to make it complete and final. Nothing could change it and Emma-Claire wouldn’t have to be bounced around from foster home to foster home.

 

“Um, yeah, great. Thanks,” JC hung up and threw the phone on the couch. “Well, I guess it’s all true, then. I’m her dad.”

 

“Oh, honey. I know it’s not what you expected. But you’re going to make it through this,” Karen went over to comfort him, but JC moved away.

 

“I need to go clear my head,” and before she could protest, JC bounded down the stairs to his recording studio and shut himself inside for the rest of the day. He pounded out notes on the piano, he strummed harshly on an electric guitar, and he beat the drums so hard that he thought he might stab a hole in the snare drum. He didn’t care. It was his way of releasing stress and his way of trying to cope with what had happened in the last week to rock his world and turn it upside down in a way that could never be turned back.

 

When he finally emerged, it was close to Emma-Claire’s dinnertime. Karen was in the kitchen making chicken and broccoli with whole -wheat pasta. Emma-Claire was sitting at the breakfast nook playing with her Polly Pocket dolls. She was making up her own little story and talking for each of the dolls while she waited for her dinner. JC watched her from the bar that overlooked the kitchen from the living room. He wanted to look at her and feel something other than resentment, but at that moment, he was suddenly angry. Angry that Shayna never even let him know about a daughter, angry that his mother was all for him being this child’s father, and angry that he would never again have a life of his own. It would always be about Emma-Claire from now on and it infuriated him that he was going to have to suck it up and learn how to deal with it.

 

Emma-Claire looked up from her dolls and right at JC. She grinned at him when she caught his eye. “Hi, Daddy. Are you eating dinner with me?”

 

“No,” JC answered shortly, then turned to his mother, who was draining the pasta in the sink. “I’m going out to meet some friends for dinner.” That wasn’t necessarily true. It was pretty early for his friends to go and eat dinner at 6:00. But he’d at least get out of the house and find out what everyone was doing that night.

 

“Josh-“ Karen started.

“I’ll be back later tonight,” he didn’t let her finish.

 

“Daddy, are you going to tuck me in tonight?” Emma-Claire’s voice echoed as JC left the kitchen and started for the front door.

 

“No, Emma-Claire. I’ll see you tomorrow,” he called back and slammed the door on his way out. The evening air was crisp and cool. Just the type of air he needed to let his roof down on the convertible.

 

Karen heard the engine start and cringed as the brakes screeched when the car pulled out of the driveway. She shook her head and began to put chicken on Emma-Claire’s plate.

 

“Mimi?” her little voice was almost a whisper.

 

“What, sweetheart?” Karen turned around to look at Emma-Claire.

 

“Does Daddy like me?” her chin trembled as she asked the dreaded question.

 

“Of course he does,” Karen had no idea if she was telling the truth or not. “Daddy’s just got a lot on his mind right now. I bet tomorrow when Annie comes to play with you, he’ll feel a lot better.” She was trying to be convincing, but after what she’d just witnessed, Karen was having a hard time convincing anyone that her son would ever really get used to his own daughter.

The next evening, Annie was all settled into the pool house, which was now her apartment. It was an open floor plan with a kitchen, a bathroom, a living area, and a lofted bedroom with a view of the pool and the back of JC’s house. The afternoon had been spent getting to know Emma-Claire and shopping for a car for her to use during the day. JC had told her she could also use it on the weekends or on her days off to meet up with friends. Her schedule would be quite full during the day as JC had to be at the studio early and had promised to be back right before Emma-Claire’s bedtime. He’d promised to call if it would be any later than that or if she needed to stay the night in the house with the girl. Karen had looked into preschools for Emma-Claire to start and had found a private one just a mile from the neighborhood where JC lived. Tomorrow, she and JC would go to check it out and hopefully get to enroll Emma-Claire to begin the next week. She would also be enrolled in a tap and ballet class at a dance school in the next town over and they’d all gone to look at that after lunch that afternoon. It had been quite a full day and Annie was never so glad to have some peace and quiet for herself.

She went to the refrigerator and pulled out items to make a small salad, then went to the pantry and took out the bottle of wine she’d purchased at the grocery store that evening before they’d all come back to JC’s house. She sat down on the couch with her dinner and turned on the 50- inch screen television that was mounted in front of her on the wall. A rerun of The Big Bang Theory was on and she laughed to herself as she began to eat. Laughter had been something that hadn’t happened much that day. She’d observed little Emma-Claire desperately trying to get her father to pay attention to her, but ultimately was unsuccessful. Instead, Karen had distracted her and even Annie a few times had told her a few jokes to make her laugh. It had worked, but Annie could tell that Emma-Claire wanted JC to laugh with her and he’d been too busy on his phone texting or talking to some guy named Jimmy on and off all day. It had annoyed Annie to no end. She knew plenty of parents who had nannies and were just like JC. She’d seen it first hand. But to now work for someone who did that, well, it made her thankful for the McGriffin’s and how much attention they had paid to their children.

Annie put the plate down on the coffee table and stood, walking over to the glass door that separated her kitchen from the pool. She could see into JC’s kitchen and watched Emma-Claire standing next to Karen who was finishing up cleaning after dinner. JC was nowhere to be seen. She observed Emma-Claire, tapping Karen’s arm, and asking her a question. Karen had looked sad as she replied to whatever the question had been and then Emma-Claire hung her head and walked out. Annie wondered if she’d asked if she could eat with her dad or if her dad could tuck her in that night. It seemed to Annie that Karen did most of the work that JC should have been doing and it made her even more disappointed. She turned away from the window and went back to the couch.

Karen watched her granddaughter sulking up the stairs and shook her head. Emma-Claire had just told her that she’d wanted her father to tuck her in but that JC was upstairs with his door locked. Karen had told Emma-Claire to go to her room and she’d be there in a minute to tuck her in. As she watched the little girl trudge up the stairs, Karen’s heart broke and she wondered if she’d ever really feel comfortable leaving her with JC. That afternoon had been great with Annie. Emma-Claire had taken to her right away and it had almost made Karen forget that JC was so distant towards her. He’d been fine with her at lunch because for the most part Emma-Claire hadn’t bothered him; that is, she’d mostly talked to Annie and Karen. Putting down her cup of tea, Karen stood from the bar in the kitchen and went upstairs. She went into Emma-Claire’s room where the child was sitting up in bed looking through a large picture book that she’d gotten the day before. She smiled at her grandmother, who sat down next to her on the bed.

“Now, what book shall we read tonight?” Karen asked her, as Emma-Claire went over to the bookshelf and picked up a book of fairytales.

“Can you read me Cinderella?” Emma-Claire settled next to Karen and opened the book. Karen found the story and began to read it to her aloud. Emma-Claire fell asleep against her shoulder before the story was done. Karen kissed her cheek, tucked her beneath the covers, and quietly tip toed out of the room and down the hall to where her son was hiding.

JC was lying on his bed not really paying attention to whatever it was that was on TV. He’d heard his door move and knew that Emma-Claire had been on the other side of it. Part of him wanted to answer it the other part – the part that had won – wanted to ignore it. For the next few years, he knew he wouldn’t get many chances to be alone like this. He’d tried to not feel such bitterness towards her but it was hard when he couldn’t take it out on anyone. Jimmy had joked earlier with him that if he’d practiced safe sex, none of this would’ve happened. JC hadn’t found it funny, especially because he had always been careful with every woman he’d slept with. Then again, he knew it might eventually catch up to him.

The knock at the door disturbed his thoughts and JC reluctantly called out, “Come in.”

His mother stood there, her arms folded across her chest, frowning at him like she’d done many times when he’d been little and forgotten to put away his toys or left his clothes on the floor of his bedroom. “Josh, stop acting like we all owe you a pity party!” Her voice was soft but harsh and JC hadn’t been talked to like that in a long time. “All she wanted was for you to tuck her in bed. You know, eventually, you’ve got to get over yourself and start being a father!”

“I just want peace and quiet,” he mumbled, looking away from her.

“She was already in bed. She wasn’t being fussy. What’s more peaceful than that?”

“I just wish she wasn’t here,” JC looked at his mother right in the eye. “I have no idea what the hell I’m doing, I feel like the world’s worst father, and every time I look at her I want to scream at Shayna for what she put me through!”

“The last time I checked, it takes two to do what you did, Joshua. It’s no more her fault than yours. Yes, she should’ve told you, we’ve been over that. But she didn’t and she’s gone now and you have a responsibility. You have a nanny and I’ll be here until Monday. I don’t know what else to do. You said yourself you didn’t want her in foster care!” Karen was leaning against the doorframe. 

“I don’t want her in foster care,” JC rubbed his face and stood up. “But it’s taking me some time to figure out how I want to handle this. I look at her and I cringe, Mom. It isn’t like she brightens up my day right now.”

Karen shook her head for the umpteenth time. “Well, I certainly hope that before too long that little girl will be the reason you get up in the morning and the reason you come home,” With that, she left his room and firmly closed the door behind her.

JC threw a pillow over his face and groaned into it. He laid there for a few minutes and finally got up, quietly sauntering down the hallway to Emma-Claire’s room. He opened her door and saw her asleep in her bed. He walked over and knelt down next to her, daring himself to brush away a few strands of brown hair from her forehead. She was beautiful, he had to admit that. But the fact that she was his was still foreign to him and he wished it wasn’t so. He knew his mother – and probably Annie – thought he was a Class A jerk for the way he’d been acting ever since Emma-Claire had been dropped into his life. He didn’t want to be that way. He wanted to feel something other than annoyance every time he looked at her. He got up and went back to his room, wondering if anything would ever change or if this child would just be some stranger that lived with him forever.

“But I don’t want you to leave, Mimi!” Emma-Claire was sobbing into Karen’s shoulder the following Monday. It had been decided that since Annie was here, Karen’s job was essentially done and she needed to return to Orlando. It didn’t make saying goodbye to her only grandchild any easier.

“I know, my sweet girl,” Karen held her tightly and kissed her cheek, then the top of her head. “Remember, you’re going to come out to me soon.” She looked at JC. “Right, Joshua?”

JC nodded, painfully watching the scene in front of him. Emma-Claire had been crying most of the morning and it was uncomfortable to watch. She’d been with him only a week and this was the first time she’d shown so much emotion. He looked over at Annie, who was leaning against the island in the kitchen and sadly frowning at the sight. For most of the weekend, she’d only shadowed Karen and JC –mostly Karen- to see exactly how to take care of Emma-Claire. Emma-Claire had enjoyed her being around, but now that Karen was leaving, she hadn’t left her side in nearly 24 hours.

“We’d, um, we’d better get to the airport,” JC said softly, noting the time. This made Emma-Claire sob harder. He knew it was now the third person the girl had lost in a matter of a month. “Annie, do you mind…” he trailed off not knowing exactly how to say what he needed to without it sounding like, ‘Do you mind taking her away from her grandmother and making her cry even more?’

“Hey, Emma-Claire,” Annie spoke up and walked over to her. “Wanna go over to my house for a little bit? I’ve got some chocolate chip cookies I made this morning and we can watch a few movies together.”

“I want Mimi!” Emma-Claire wailed.

“I know, honey, I know,” Annie knelt down and Karen caught her eye. They both smiled pitifully at one another as Karen handed Emma-Claire over to Annie. The child relented and sobbed into Annie’s shoulder. JC awkwardly walked out of the kitchen and Karen waved one last goodbye before they left. Annie frowned at him when his back was turned to hers. Would it be that difficult for him to comfort his own daughter?

Annie held Emma-Claire until the sobbing ceased and then wiped her face off with a wet washcloth. “Okay, girl. How about some chocolate chip cookies?” Annie took Emma-Claire’s hand and the child nodded, giving her a tiny smile. “What movie should we watch? And do you want chocolate milk or hot chocolate with those cookies?”

“I’ll call when I land,” Karen told JC, as she hugged him goodbye at the security checkpoint. “Please, honey, please love on your little girl when you get home tonight.” 

JC only nodded. He wouldn’t be home until well after Emma-Claire was asleep. He’d planned on going to the studio as soon as he was done at the airport and then staying for as long as he could to catch up on all that he’d missed from the week before. “I will, Mom,” he tried to assure her, but Karen saw right through it, though she didn’t say anything else. He’d already heard it from her enough and now, he’d have to figure it out on his own. He kissed her goodbye once more and then left to go find his car in the parking garage. He drove along the freeway feeling free for the first time in a week. He’d worry about everything later. Right now, he needed to get to the studio and get to work. That was his main priority and it wasn’t going to change any time soon.

Annie had finished folding all of the laundry in the three baskets of clothes JC had left for her that evening. She’d fed Emma-Claire a healthy dinner of grilled chicken strips, green peas, and wild rice that she’d doctored up with a few herbs and spices she’d found in JC’s pantry. For dessert, they’d finished off the batch of cookies from earlier in the day and Emma-Claire was promptly bathed and put to bed soon after dinner. Annie was exhausted. It had been a long day of getting acquainted with things around JC’s house as well as comforting Emma-Claire, who’d cried most of the morning until after lunch. But soon Annie had her in giggles telling her silly stories and knock-knock jokes and by the time dinner had rolled around, Emma-Claire was content and happy.

“Where is my daddy?” Emma-Claire asked Annie, as she pulled the covers over Emma-Claire that night. 

“I guess he’s still working,” Annie replied, trying not to show how irritated she was that JC hadn’t even called them to let them know he’d be later than 8:30. Karen had phoned around 6:00 to let them know she’d landed and Emma-Claire had been ecstatic to talk to her. She was going to try JC next but Annie hadn’t known if she had gotten a hold of him or not. “You’ll see him tomorrow morning,” she tried to encourage the child. “Maybe he’ll eat breakfast with us.”

“Maybe,” Emma-Claire yawned. “Goodnight, Annie.” 

“Goodnight, sweetie,” Annie stood from the bed and walked over to the door, shutting off the light as she left. As she sat downstairs and looked at the piles of folded laundry next to her, her blood began to boil. It was almost 10:00 and JC had told her he would do his best to be back by 8:30 to tuck in Emma-Claire, especially the first few nights without Karen around. She turned on the television and aimlessly flipped through channel after channel trying to find something to keep her mind occupied. She would have to be up early tomorrow morning, as Emma-Claire would begin her first day of preschool and all she wanted was to be back in her new apartment asleep in her bed.

Annie jolted herself awake when she heard the front door open. Jimmy Fallon was just going off the air and she grabbed her phone to see that it was now past one in the morning. JC stumbled into the living room, rubbing his eyes, then jumping in surprise to see Annie sitting up on his couch.

“Oh, shit, Annie. I’m so sorry,” he shook his head. “I lost track of time. We got working on another song and then went out for a few drinks.”

Annie had no idea what to say to that. She wasn’t his mother. She wasn’t even a friend. She was his daughter’s nanny. “No, it’s fine. I just didn’t want to leave the house incase Emma-Claire woke up,” it was the most civil thing she could say to him.

“Yeah, no, that’s great,” JC replied, and put his bag down on the floor by the couch. “Um, so tomorrow what time did we say?”

“I’ll be in the house at 7:30 to get her up for preschool,” Annie told him. She stood to her feet. “I didn’t know where to put all of the clothes. Just let me know and I can put them up tomorrow.”

“Sure, no problem,” JC rubbed his face in his hands and yawned. “Have a good night.” 

Annie forced a smile and left through the sliding glass door of the kitchen. As she made her way towards the pool house, she could feel herself about to explode from anger. She knew better than to ever compare this job to the McGriffin’s, but they had never, ever come home that late before and if they had, they would’ve at least called. She hadn’t heard from him at all that day. To make matters worse, she’d have to be up in six hours. She could at least be grateful that after she dropped off Emma-Claire at preschool, she would have some time to nap or just peacefully sit in her apartment until it was time to collect her. She was hoping that would make her feel better but it didn’t. Instead, it just made her even more upset with JC. He hadn’t asked anything about how Emma-Claire had been after Karen had left, much less how she’d been in general on her first day with a nanny. Expectation. She knew it all lied in the fact that she placed too much of that on JC and it was apparent that he had no idea what to do or how to act.

“One day at a time,” she breathed, as though it were a mantra. “He’ll come around. He has to come around.” Annie quickly changed, brushed her teeth, and fell into bed, hoping that tomorrow would bring something new along with it.

JC came downstairs the next morning and was met with a gleeful Emma-Claire, who was talking a mile a minute while eating her oatmeal. His head pounded and he blamed the three glasses of wine he’d had at the bar the night before. He threw a smile at Emma-Claire and Annie, who was sitting across from her, drinking coffee and hanging on to every word the little girl said.

“...do you think they will have swings at my new school?” Emma-Claire was asking, when JC came into the kitchen.

“Oh I bet they will,” Annie replied, looking up at JC and returning his smile. “Good morning.” She greeted him and JC nodded to her.

“Good morning,” he said, going over to the coffee maker. “Hi Emma-Claire.”

Emma-Claire’s smile faded and she mumbled, “Hi, Daddy,”

“What’s wrong?” JC asked, pouring the coffee into a mug.

“You said you’d tuck me in last night. You promised Mimi you would,” Emma-Claire’s voice was barely audible as she suddenly began to play with her spoon in the oatmeal. Annie said nothing, just waited to see how JC would respond.

“Um, yeah, well, Daddy got busy at his office,” JC cleared his throat and walked over to the table. “I’m sorry about that.” Emma-Claire didn’t look up at him, only continued to play with her oatmeal. “I can..um, I can try to come and tuck you in tonight,” he offered, though it sounded like more of a question than a statement. 

“Ok,” Emma-Claire finally picked up a spoonful of oatmeal and ate it, still not looking at him.

“Um, Annie, so I’ll hopefully be back by seven,” he said, feeling more uncomfortable than ever.

“You can sit,” Annie said to him, trying her best not to be sarcastic. “There’s room and everything.”

JC nodded and cleared his throat again, something he did when he was uncomfortable, which lately, had been a lot. Emma-Claire moved over so that he could sit next to her. “So, you start school today. Are you excited?” He could at least pretend to be interested in understanding the child. 

“Yes,” Emma-Claire looked up at him. “Annie is taking me and then when she picks me up she said she would make me a tuna fish sandwich.”

“Oh. You like tuna fish?” JC asked, sipping his coffee. 

“It’s my favorite. I told you when we went shopping with Mimi. Remember?” Emma-Claire’s blue eyes looked into JC’s and he rubbed the back of his neck and nodded his head. If he was completely honest, he hadn’t remembered much from that day, except surviving through it and getting back home.

“Yeah. Uh huh,” he looked at the time on the microwave. “Well, I better get going. You guys have a great time.”

“Bye, Daddy,” Emma-Claire moved to hug him and in doing so spilled the mug of coffee all over his jeans.

“Shit!” JC snapped and unknowingly glared at her. “That was hot! Dammit, now I have to change and I’ll be late!” He stood quickly and began to shake out his jeans, getting more drops of coffee on the floor. Emma-Claire’s lower lip trembled and she looked from her father to Annie.

“It’s okay, Emma-Claire,” Annie tried to soothe her. 

“I’m gonna be late,” JC griped and left the kitchen, stomping up the stairs.

Emma-Claire promptly burst into tears, her hands over her mouth, observing the damage that she blamed herself for.

“Emma-Claire, look at me,” Annie stood and went over to the little girl, who sat shaking in her seat. “Shh, listen. You didn’t do it on purpose. I’m gonna clean it up. It’ll be okay. I promise.” Emma-Claire reached for Annie and sobbed into her shoulder. Annie looked at the stairs and glared at them as though they were JC. She was in absolute shock at the way he had just behaved. As though spilling coffee was the worst offense someone could commit. As though Emma-Claire didn’t already feel that JC, her own father, hated her. It would be hard to convince her otherwise now. “C’mon. I’ll clean it up when I get back. Let’s go to school. Okay?”

Emma-Claire held onto Annie as she stood up and wrapped her legs around Annie’s waist. Annie collected her purse from the island along with Emma-Claire’s backpack and snack. She looked back at the staircase as she left through the front door, wondering if she should let JC know they were leaving, but thought better of it and just shut the door firmly as she left the house. Emma-Claire sniffled until they reached the preschool and then saw the playground gleaming pretty and new. It had two sets of swings, a large slide, and plenty of climbing apparatuses.

“Looks fun, huh?” Annie said to her through the rearview mirror and Emma-Claire grinned through her tearstained face. “Ok, girl. Let’s go meet your teacher.” Annie parked the car and helped Emma-Claire out of the car. They made their way to the front of the school, which was part of the local Lutheran church. They walked down a long hallway that circled around until they found the 4K classroom. Emma-Claire squeezed Annie’s hand as they approached the room and Annie knew she was getting nervous. She knelt down to Emma-Claire’s level and smiled at her, moving a piece of brown hair away from her eyes. “I know new places aren’t a lot of fun at first. You are going to be fine. I’ll be here as soon as you get out and when we get home we’ll have a tuna fish sandwich together.”

“Will you meet my teacher with me?” Emma-Claire put her hand on Annie’s shoulder.

“Of course!” Annie stood and took her hand, walking into the classroom.

“Are you Emma-Claire Minnello?” a young woman with blonde hair approached them. She was wearing dressy jeans and a bright colored top. Her smile was friendly and Emma-Claire seemed to relax as soon as the woman approached them.

“Hi,” Annie said. “I’m Annie Leighton. I’m Emma-Claire’s nanny.”

“I’m Rachel Morton. But Emma-Claire, you can call me Miss Morton, okay?” Miss Morton smiled down at the child. “Why don’t you go over to the coloring station? That’s where a few of the other girls are.” Emma-Claire looked up at Annie and Annie winked at her, giving her the okay.

“I’ll be here at twelve. I promise,” Annie went to hug her and Emma-Claire clung tightly until she knew she had to let go. Annie turned to Miss Morton. “I’ll be dropping her off and picking her up most days. Her dad is in the music industry and stays busy.” 

“They let me in on who her dad is. Mum’s the word until it’s out publicly,” Miss Morton assured Annie. “And I’m so sorry to hear about what happened to her mother. She sure has been through a lot. I hope she’s happy here. I’ll do my best to make her feel at home.” 

“Thanks so much,” Annie smiled. “She’s a pretty great kid. I’m still getting to know her, but we’ve bonded fast.” Annie wanted to add, “Because her father is an asshole and wants nothing to do with her.”

“Good to know,” Miss Morton looked over at Emma-Claire who was already conversing with another girl in the class. “You can come and pick her up in the classroom at twelve.”

“Perfect,” Annie turned to leave, and then heard Emma-Claire call for her. She turned and the little girl was standing in front of her, opening her arms for one last hug.

“Bye, Annie,” Emma-Claire wrapped her arms around Annie’s neck.

“Bye, Emma-Claire,” Annie squeezed her before letting go, then left the classroom.

The drive home provided Annie time to think about the events of that morning and the night before. It wasn’t her business to say anything to JC, she knew that from other friends of hers who were also nannies and had had similar experiences. She was the one being paid and it wasn’t her job to tell people how to parent their child. But the fact that JC had blown up at Emma-Claire and had broken his promise to her within a span of 24 hours made Annie livid. She was relieved to see that JC had already left when she came home. If she saw him right now, it would be hard for her to keep her mouth shut.

The mess from that morning was still ever present and Annie immediately began to clean it up, then went ahead and prepared the tuna fish to stick in the refrigerator so it would ready to go when Emma-Claire got home. She went into the living room and saw the piles of laundry still on the couch from the night before. She went upstairs and delivered one of the piles in front of JC’s bedroom door since she had been told his bedroom was off limits. The other two piles belonged to Emma-Claire and Annie began to put them away, then made the bed. She took the picture that Emma-Claire slept with and placed it on the nightstand, propping it against the lamp so that it was visible.  She stared at it for a minute. Yes, Emma-Claire definitely looked like her mother, but it was obvious to anyone who knew the situation, that she was JC’s daughter. She left the picture, went downstairs and then to her apartment.

Her cell phone rang as soon as she’d plopped down on the couch. Annie pulled it from her jeans pocket and smiled when she saw it was Patsy McGriffin. 

“Hi, Patsy!” she was excited to hear from her old boss. Especially since her present boss had barely conversed with her.

“Annie, how are you? How is everything at the new job?”

“It’s…interesting,” Annie rested her head against the couch cushion. “Definitely a different relationship than I had with you guys.”

“Well, it’s only your first week, right?” 

“Something like that, yeah,”

“Give it a while. How is the little girl?”

“She’s adorable. She really clicked with me right away,” 

“Oh that’s wonderful. I was hoping she wouldn’t be too difficult,” 

“No, she’s not the difficult one,” 

“Uh oh,” 

Annie knew Patsy was a safe person and spilled to her everything that had happened in the last 24 hours. Her frustration with not being kept in touch with yesterday, the lack of parental responsibility from JC, and the outburst that morning. When she had finished, she felt as though a weight had been lifted.

“Oh, Annie. That poor little girl,” 

“Should I say something, Patsy?”

“Well, if he’s late again tonight and you don’t hear from him, then yes, you have every right because he’d already told you he’d be back at a certain time. As for what happened today, I’m afraid you can’t really say much. Sounds like he’s learning what patience and parenting is all at one time,”

“She thinks he hates her,”

“Well, you can’t blame the poor little thing. I’d think the same thing if someone treated me the way he’s treated her. At least she has you. You are going to be the only stable person in that girl’s life, Annie. I hope you know that,”

Annie sighed. “Yeah, I know,”

“You know, it might be fun for Emma-Claire to come have a play date with Ruby and Henry one weekend. You could bring her over here and stay for dinner. I know Ruby would eat her up and Henry would just enjoy not being the youngest,” 

“That sounds great, Patsy,” Annie suddenly felt much better after she’d talked to her old boss. “I’ll definitely be in touch.” 

“Good,” Annie could hear her smiling on the other end. “Annie, I’m so glad you are where you are. I know you wanted to go to graduate school, but I just think that this little girl needs you in her life right now.”

“Agreed,” Annie stretched out on the couch and yawned.

“Well, I’ll let you go rest up before you go and pick her up. Call me anytime. And please say something to that jackass if he’s late again!”

“No problem there!” Annie laughed. “Bye Patsy.” She hung up and looked at the time. She had a good hour and a half to rest before she needed to get up and collect Emma-Claire.

 

“We’ve already got a few dates and places for the girls to sing,” Jimmy was telling JC later that afternoon. “Seventeen wants them for an interview in New York next month.” He looked at JC cautiously.

“What? I think that’s great,” JC answered, looking at Jimmy.

“Well, yeah, I know, but are you gonna be able to go?” Jimmy asked. “You know, because of the kid?”

JC rolled his eyes. “Yeah, it’ll be fine. Annie can just watch her and I’ll give her an extra weekend off or something,” 

Jimmy eyed his friend and shook his head. “You could bring them along you know,” 

“Hell no,” JC shook his head vehemently. “I’m not bringing an entourage across the country.”

“An entourage. Really,” Jimmy snorted. “Your kid and the nanny? You call that an entourage?” 

“Whatever. I’m not starting all that. Besides, nobody knows about her yet and I like it like that,” JC turned away to listen to one of the tracks they’d just laid down. 

“Um, you know that’s not going to last,” Jimmy turned the volume down on the board, ignoring JC’s protest. “I’m pretty sure word’s gonna get out. You can’t keep her locked up in that house forever like Rapunzel.” 

“I know that. She’s at preschool as we speak,” JC moved Jimmy’s hand away from the control panel, but Jimmy disregarded it. “Dude, seriously, lemme fuckin listen to the track!”

“C, you’re acting like this doesn’t exist. It exists. You have a kid and you at least need to acknowledge that!” Jimmy snapped at him and JC frowned.

“Do you know why I was late today? Cause my fucking kid spilled coffee on me! So trust me, I acknowledge her!” JC’s temper flared and he stood to his feet. “I wish everyone would get off my damn back about it. She shows up on my doorstep a week ago and I’m automatically supposed to develop feelings towards her. But I can’t. I can’t.”

“Okay, okay C, calm down,” Jimmy held his hands up in surrender. “Go take a walk or something. You don’t need to be here right now.”

“Yeah, fine, whatever,” JC fumed and exited the studio. The air outside was smoggy and typical of L.A. but he didn’t care. He breathed it in anyway as though it were the sweetest thing he’d ever smelled. He paced up and down the pavement and thought about what had happened that morning with Emma-Claire. She hadn’t meant to spill the coffee and he knew it, but it had disrupted yet something else in his life. He leaned against the wall of the outside of the building and tried to breathe slowly in and out. He pulled out his phone and noted the time. It was after one. He could at least call and see how her first day of preschool went. That would show people he was trying.

 

“Okay, Emma-Claire, one more game and then it’s naptime,” Annie reached for the Candyland game pieces and put them back at START. Emma-Claire had been on a high since Annie had picked her up. Already she’d made several new friends, painted a picture, and was excited for Thursday when she would go back. Annie had given her lunch and, figuring that she probably wouldn’t be tired enough yet, had decided a few games of Candyland were in order. They sat in the middle of the living room floor and Emma-Claire had beaten Annie both times they’d played.

“Yeah, okay,” Emma-Claire nodded and drew her first card, then frowned. “I wanted the lollipop.”

“You’ll get it,” Annie stifled a chuckle. The cards with the pictures of the candy on them were Emma-Claire’s favorite. Annie went to draw her card when she heard the phone ringing in the kitchen. “Hang on. Be right back.” Annie briskly walked into the kitchen and picked up the cordless phone that was positioned by the toaster oven. “Hello?” 

“Hey, um, Annie, it’s JC,”

Annie nearly dropped the phone. “Oh. Hi,”

“Hi. I was just calling to see how Emma-Claire’s first day was. You know, at preschool,”

Obviously, Annie thought, but reserved the sarcasm for another time. “Well, would you like to ask her yourself? We’re playing Candyland but I’m sure she’d love to tell you about it,”

“Oh, um, yeah, sure,”

Annie couldn’t help but smile. Progress. She would give him that. “Okay. Hang on,” she walked back into the living room. “Hey Emma-Claire. Your daddy’s on the phone. He wants to ask you about preschool,” 

Emma-Claire looked warily at Annie and then back at the game. “I want to play Candyland,”

JC heard his daughter’s response and cringed.

“You can still play. Talk to your dad first, though. He’s calling from work,” 

“I don’t want to,” Emma-Claire looked down at the game.

“It’s okay, Annie,” she heard him say.

“I’m sorry, I think she’s just getting tired,” it was a lie. Emma-Claire was still wide -awake. She was punishing her father for the way he’d been acting and Annie knew it and she also knew that JC wasn’t that dumb and had probably figured the same.

“No, it’s fine,” JC said. “I’ll see you guys tonight.” 

“Still thinking you’ll be here around seven?”

“Yeah. If it’s later I’ll call,”

Annie bit her tongue. She didn’t know him well enough yet to say something cheeky. “Okay. Better get back to Candyland,”

“Yeah. See you, Annie,”

JC hung up and closed his eyes, rubbing his forehead with his fingers. This was all going to hell faster than he’d thought it would. Now, his daughter didn’t even want to speak to him. He couldn’t blame her. He’d been an ass and he knew it. He let out another breath then headed back into the studio, his mind focused on his work. He’d worry about what to do with Emma-Claire later.

“Lucky Charms,” Emma-Claire pointed to the top of the shelf on the cereal aisle.

“I’m pretty sure your Mimi wouldn’t approve,” Annie shook her head and picked up a box of Kix instead. “How about this?”

“Are there marshmallows?” Emma-Claire looked at the box skeptically.

“No. But it tastes just as good,” Annie put the box of cereal in the shopping cart.

“But can’t I get one fun cereal? To eat on Saturdays?” Emma-Claire’s expression was pleading and her little hands clasped together under her chin. Annie couldn’t help but chuckle at her. How in the world JC couldn’t look at this kid and think she wasn’t absolutely adorable, Annie would never know. It had been a week now since Karen had left and Annie and Emma-Claire had fallen into a rhythm with each other. Annie would greet her in the morning, make either oatmeal or scrambled eggs, and on days when Emma-Claire didn’t have school, Annie had planned an outing for either before or after lunch. Today’s outing had included the grocery store after they visited the local park. Then, they’d go home, have lunch, Emma-Claire would nap for about an hour, and they’d spend the rest of the afternoon either outside playing hide and go seek or inside playing rounds and rounds of Candyland or Chutes ‘n’ Ladders. Dinner was at 6 and then Emma-Claire would get a bath, watch one television show on The Disney Channel, and go to bed.  JC had yet to make it home in time to tuck his daughter in at night and Annie knew she had to say something soon. She’d given it a week and every morning, if they were lucky to see him, he’d give some excuse as to why he hadn’t been able to join them.

“The girls had an appearance to make,” he’d said that morning. “We were caught in traffic.”

Annie had said nothing and Emma-Claire had just continued to eat her breakfast. The relationship between father and daughter was clearly strained. Emma-Claire barely even acknowledged him anymore and it broke Annie’s heart to see him doing this to her. Yes, she’d been a surprise. Yes, dropping her off like the agency in New York had done was not ideal. And yes, it was obvious JC wasn’t trying that hard to  learn how to balance his work and his family together. But enough was enough. If he went too long like this, it was going to start forming a habit and Emma-Claire would be nothing more than the little girl who took up space down the hall and Annie already felt like the hired help. Thankfully, they had each other.

“Fine, for Saturdays,” Annie relented and grabbed the box of Lucky Charms, thinking about how this past Saturday, JC had forgotten it was her day off and had gone ahead and scheduled something with a few of his friends. When she’d reminded him, he’d feigned innocence and said he’d change his plans and had his friends come over to the house. That had been disastrous because he’d left Emma-Claire to her own demise and when Annie had gone to leave to meet up with Megan, she saw Emma-Claire sitting alone in the kitchen. Going into the house she saw JC, Lance Bass, one of the actor’s from Glee, and a few other people she didn’t recognize sitting in the living room and blaring music so loudly that she had no idea how they could even hear each other talking. She’d called Megan and canceled, then brought Emma-Claire over to her apartment and watched a movie with her. It had been the last straw, but Annie had not found the opportune time to speak with JC about it because he was so in and out and when he was in, Emma-Claire was usually with Annie. She’d be damned if he did that to her again.

After Annie had picked up the last item on her list, she and Emma-Claire headed for the checkout line. She never really paid any attention to the magazines on sale by the cashier, but she looked over and saw the cover of Star and it made her do a double take. There was JC, plain as day, standing in front of his house on his cell phone. In a corner box, there was a picture of Emma-Claire sitting on the front steps, playing with one of her stuffed animals. It had to have been taken the week that Annie had started because there was also a picture in the background of Karen smiling down at Emma-Claire. The cover of the magazine read JC Chasez: My Secret Child…The former boybander is a father to a child he has been hiding for years. Inside Scoop: Baby Mama dead. ‘He’s on his own…’ exclusive details inside! Annie gasped and looked down at Emma-Claire who was busy hanging onto the side of the shopping cart. She knew the child couldn’t read yet and was hoping she didn’t look up to see her picture. Annie suddenly felt as though all eyes were on them and as fast as she could, she checked out and literally ran to the car with Emma-Claire dragging behind her. She had to call him and let him know. She made sure Emma-Claire was occupied in the backseat and had the radio on so that the songs would drown out the conversation.

He answered on the first ring. “Hey, Annie. Is everything okay?”

“Um, well, no, actually. I just wanted to let you know that you made the cover of Star magazine. You and Emma-Claire. The story is out,”

JC paused, then let out a breath. “Shit. Are you serious?”

“Yeah. I just saw it at the grocery store,”

“Awesome,” he groaned sarcastically. “That’s just awesome. All I need right now is negative publicity,”

“Sorry. I just wanted to let you know,” Annie said. “Also, whenever you get home tonight, I need to talk to you about something else.”

“Yeah, sure, fine,” he snapped. “Thanks for letting me know about the magazine.”

“No problem,” he’d hung up before Annie finished her goodbye.

 

JC threw the phone over on the couch at the studio, startling a few of the girls and even Jimmy. “Fucking Star magazine found out about my kid. Put it all over the front of their cover,”

“Ignore it. You know those things are 90 percent bullshit,” Jimmy reminded him.

“Yeah, but this one’s 90 percent truth,” JC leaned back in his chair and shook his head. “I guess I couldn’t keep her a secret forever.”

“You should call People. Give them the exclusive interview. Before anyone else gets a hold of it. And you know that OK! and InTouch will be next if you don’t,” Jimmy stood up and slapped his friend on the shoulder. “You knew it was coming. You can’t hide anything out here. I’m still wondering how Schwarzenegger got away with it all those years with that kid he had with his maid.”

JC pulled out his phone and Googled the latest issue of Star. He snorted when he saw the cover. “Hiding a kid for years? Baby Mama dead? Seriously?!” He was glad he’d learned to ignore most of the tabloids insidious articles. There hadn’t been one about him in years; most of the publicity was focused on Justin and he was fine with that. “Must be a dull week at Star if I’m their main focus.” His next order of business was calling his mother to let her know about the article and then calling People to get the truth out before anyone else put out something ridiculous.

 

For the first time in a week, JC returned home before seven. After he’d made the phone calls, he couldn’t concentrate on anything other than his privacy being compromised. He’d always enjoyed the fact that he could be that private person and unlike Lance or Justin, he didn’t thrive on having his name pop up in any major headline. He was fine with his life the way it was and the only name he wanted out there that had anything to do with him was Girl Radical. He was fine with slipping under the radar. And why anyone cared that he had a child that he hadn’t seen before two weeks ago, he’d never know. Walking into the living room, he saw Annie sitting on the floor with Emma-Claire playing Memory. Annie looked as though she were having the time of her life and Emma-Claire even more so. He wished he understood children better. A game of Memory sounded like hell to him.

“Hi,” he said to both of them, sitting down on the couch. “Memory, huh? I used to play that when I was little.” He was going to try and start conversing and be better at that with his daughter. Especially before People came to interview him, which was set to take place the following week.

“You’re home early,” Annie noted, not looking up from her turn. “Oh man, I knew that was the dog! I keep picking up the flower!”

Emma-Claire giggled and went to pick up a card. “I got the flower!” she rejoiced and took the card that Annie had just placed down again. “I got two matches, Annie!”

“Good job, girl,” Annie grinned at her, then finally looked up at JC and smiled at him.

“Rough day,” he returned her smile with a grimace and looked over at his daughter. “Hey, Emma-Claire.”

Emma-Claire barely looked up from her game, but said, “Hi, Daddy,”

JC sighed and caught Annie glancing at him. He shrugged his shoulders at her and stood. “I’m gonna go upstairs and take a nap,”

“Should we save you any dinner?” she asked him, as he made his way up the stairs.

“Uh, maybe. I don’t know if I’ll be awake,”

Must be some epic nap, Annie thought to herself, noting that it was barely 4:00. “Okay, Emma-Claire, one last round and then let’s go outside. It’s too pretty today to be cooped up in here,” she told her. Emma-Claire nodded and waited for her turn again.

 

JC didn’t come downstairs until Emma-Claire had already finished her spaghetti. Annie was clearing her plate and taking a popsicle out of the freezer. They both looked at JC and acknowledged him before continuing with their routine. JC looked at the pot of spaghetti on the stove and his mouth watered.

“Is there enough for me?” he ventured to ask, as Emma-Claire took the popsicle from Annie and began to lick it. She was humming to herself as she ate and JC had to admit she looked pretty cute sitting there, a popsicle in her mouth, and swinging her legs back and forth without a care in the world.

“Sure. Help yourself,” Annie told him, moving away from the stove and going over to Emma-Claire again. “How is it?” She’d bought the popsicles on a whim that day because even though she’d been instructed to make sure Emma-Claire ate healthy, she also knew dessert now and then wouldn’t be too harmful. That and the popsicles were shaped like Disney princesses and it was too late before the kid had spotted them in the freezer section.

“Yummy,” Emma-Claire licked it again and her tongue was now colored a bright red.

JC sat down with his plate of spaghetti and began to eat. Emma-Claire moved away from him, still afraid that she’d spill something and make him angry at her again.

“So, how was your day?” JC turned to look down at his daughter.

“Fun. I went to the park,” Emma-Claire still wouldn’t look at him, only down at her popsicle.

“I bet you went on the swings,” he offered, trying to remember past conversations with her.

“How did you know?” Emma-Claire suddenly looked up at him, surprised that he had remembered.

JC had to smile. “I know you like swings,”

Annie watched the conversation between them and started to feel somewhat of a relief inside of her. Finally, a small breakthrough.

“I do!” Emma-Claire smiled. “They are my favorite.”

JC nodded and went back to his dinner, not before catching Annie gazing at both of them. He knew she was pleasantly surprised at his effort. A part of him felt selfish. He was doing this to get to know her, yes, but also so that the editors at People wouldn’t peg him as a jackass when they came to interview him and discovered he had no idea what he was doing with her in the first place.

“Annie, can I go watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse?” Emma-Claire asked, a red stain now present around her mouth.

“You need to finish your popsicle first,” Annie nodded at the melting ice in the little girl’s hand. “We DVR’d it this morning. It’s not going anywhere,” she assured her and Emma-Claire continued to eat her dessert.

JC looked at Annie questioningly. “Mickey Mouse Clubhouse? Is it like a new MMC?”

Annie chuckled at him and shook her head. “No. It’s a new kind of cartoon,”

JC nodded thoughtfully and went back to the stove for more pasta. He looked over again at Annie and Emma-Claire, who was now laughing at something Annie had said. He had to admit – he had the best nanny in the business. She seemed to be really understanding of his schedule. Either that or she just wasn’t saying anything, but JC liked to think that it was the first option. He sat down again just as Emma-Claire finished the last bite of her popsicle. Annie immediately had her go to the sink so she could wash off her face and hands.

“Ok. Go enjoy your show, girl,” Annie tousled her hair and went back to her seat as Emma-Claire ran into the living room. In a few seconds, the theme song for her show could be heard and Emma-Claire was singing right along with it.

“You’re really good with her,” JC noted, twirling his spaghetti on his fork.

“She’s easy,” Annie replied, pushing her plate away from her and leaning back into the booth. She wanted to say more. Like maybe if JC stuck around more often he’d see that for himself. Or maybe if he took the time to play with her he’d understand that Emma-Claire wasn’t as complicated as he’d made her out to be. But instead, she decided to bring up the one subject that had needed to be brought up since last Saturday. “Hey, can I talk to you for a minute?”

“I’m not going anywhere. By the way, this pasta sauce is really good,” he licked his fork. “Did you make it?”

Annie nearly laughed out loud but suppressed it. “No way. It’s straight from Emeril,”

JC chuckled. “Oh. Right. So, what’s up?”

Annie took a breath and hoped what she was about to say would come off the right way. “I need to talk to you about last Saturday,”

JC stopped chewing and looked at her. So much for her being understanding.

“Look, I know you are really busy, but Saturdays are your day with her. She needs that from you. I don’t want to say too much because I don’t know you that well and I also know that you could have forgotten, but I had to change my plans at the last minute so that Emma-Claire had someone looking after her,” Annie waited to see if he would respond. He just looked at her. “I need a day off, JC. I need to have my own community outside of Emma-Claire. And I just need you to start thinking of that or else I’m gonna burn my candle at both ends and it won’t be a good thing.”

JC was silent and put his fork down. “She was fine with me,” he said. “I was watching her.”

Annie rolled her eyes before she could stop it. “No, you weren’t. She was in the kitchen alone. She’s not dumb, but she’s four. She could have easily turned on one of the burners on the stove or something. She told me she was bored and that you wouldn’t play with her. That’s why I brought her back to my apartment because I didn’t want her to be by herself. She’s not complicated, JC. She’s just a kid who needs stability and needs to know that her father likes her,” she listened to herself and knew she was about to step over the line.

“I never said I didn’t like her!” JC snapped. “Fine, I made a mistake on Saturday. It won’t happen again.”

“You don’t have to get all defensive,” Annie was on a roll. “And you didn’t have to say anything. It’s kind of obvious.”

“You talk too much,” JC glowered at her. “Look, I’m trying okay? But I certainly don’t need you to tell me what I’m doing wrong with my kid.” He suddenly stood and grabbed his plate, dumping it in the sink. “You’ll have Saturday off, okay? Trust me, I won’t ever make plans again for that day.” He folded his arms across his chest and glared at her.

Annie looked away from him, feeling her skin turn prickly from embarrassment. She hadn’t meant to set him off like that. She knew she’d said too much but she couldn’t help it. Nobody else saw what she saw and nobody else would dare say anything to him about how he was acting. “I’m sorry, JC. I didn’t mean –“

“It’s fine. Whatever,” he stormed out of the kitchen and stopped when he saw Emma-Claire sitting on the couch and laughing at the television show. He looked back at the kitchen, feeling guilty for how he’d responded and knowing it was all out of defense. He didn’t want to be a father but he also didn’t want to be known as a jerk and there wasn’t anyway he wasn’t showing his ass by doing both. He took a few steps toward the couch and plopped down next to his daughter.

“Are you gonna watch this with me, Daddy?” Emma-Claire asked him and JC nodded, smiling at her .

“Yeah. And I’ll even tell you a story about how your dad was on a show once on the Disney channel,” his hand moved to smooth out her hair and JC was surprised at how naturally it came to him then. She looked up at him, wide-eyed and waited for him to continue his tale.

Annie watched from the kitchen and as angry as she was at how he’d responded, she couldn’t help but smile at the scene in front of her. Maybe he was coming around after all.

 

 “Annie!” her sister’s voice greeted her over the phone and was high-pitched, shrill, and filled with excitement. “When were you going to tell me that you are nannying for JC Chasez?! When mom told me yesterday I nearly had to pull the car off the side of the road!”

Maggie was five years older than Annie and had always been more star struck and into pop culture than her younger sister. When Annie had moved to L.A., Maggie had insisted on going out with her to help move her in and also to take one of those ridiculous “Star Bus Tours” that left from Grauman’s. Maggie had also paid over $1,000 to see ‘Nsync in concert on numerous occasions and had met Joey and Chris once at a bar. Now married to Jon, a contractor in Cincinatti, Maggie had three kids but was still just as much of a pop junkie as she’d ever been. When Annie’s oldest niece, Cecily, turned 8, Maggie had taken her to see The Wanted in concert. Annie often wondered if Maggie had been more excited than her daughter.

“It’s not that big of a deal, Mags,” Annie chuckled, relaxing on her couch.

“Oh. My. God. Annie, seriously, you are nannying for my college celebrity crush and you weren’t going to tell me?!”

“I figured you’d respond like this or come out here and try to stalk him,” Annie teased her sister. “And anyway, he’s just a normal, down to earth guy.”

“Just a normal, down to earth guy. Yeah, well, that normal down to earth guy had me fantasizing about him all the time with my sorority sisters!”

“Ew, Mags. Too much info, there.”

“Tell me, is he still as gorgeous as he was?”

Annie pulled a face. She’d never looked at JC that way. Sure, he was handsome, but she’d never looked at him as anything other than her boss nowadays. “He’s older. I don’t know, Mags. You know I was more of a Justin girl.”

“So have you met any of the other guys in the band?”

“Yeah, you know they come out here all the time and do concerts together in front of JC’s fireplace,” Annie replied, sarcastically.

“You’re such a bitch sometimes,”

“No, I haven’t. Lance was out here on Saturday –“

“Shut up! And?”

“And I didn’t talk to him. I just saw him when I was in the house,”

“You are doing this celebrity nanny thing all wrong,” Maggie sighed. There was commotion in the background. “Just a minute, Graham!”

“What’s wrong with Graham?” Annie asked, referring to her 3-year-old nephew.

“Oh, he went potty and I need to go wipe him now,” Maggie sighed. “So, other than nannying for Mr. Hottie Chasez, what else is going on?”

“Nothing much,” Annie checked the time and saw she had an hour before she needed to retrieve Emma-Claire. “Just taking care of an adorable little girl.”

“No dates?”

“Nope.” Dating had been the last thing on her mind as of late.

“Well, I hope you’re at least flirting with him somewhat,”

“Flirting with who? JC?!”

“Yes!”

“You clearly have no idea how this nanny thing works do you? He’s my boss, Maggie. And even if he wasn’t, he’s definitely not my type,”

“Whatever. You kill me, Ann. I’d be all over him if I were you,”
“Then it’s a good thing you’re married with three kids and live a thousand miles away,”

Maggie chuckled. “I’ll talk to you later, sis. Love you,”
“Love you, Mags.”

Annie hung up the phone and shook her head. Her sister always made her laugh, whether she meant to or not. She stood from the couch and decided to go back to JC’s house and start lunch. It was rainy today and it was a good day for tomato soup and grilled cheese. Emma-Claire had had the sniffles that morning and this was just the cure. She’d actually been quite surprised at JC in the last few days. Since she’d told him about the Star cover, he’d been a lot more attentive to Emma-Claire. He’d gotten home in time to kiss her goodnight, had read her a few stories, and this morning he’d even been downstairs before Annie had come over and had started breakfast for both her and Emma-Claire. She didn’t really know what had snapped in him, but she didn’t care. Emma-Claire had been over the moon that her father was finally giving her the attention she had craved from him. He’d even been a lot nicer to Annie and it had made the job much more pleasant on many accounts.

As she began to take out the large pan to make the soup, her phone rang once more. She looked down to see Megan’s name flashing across the screen.

“Hey, Megan,” Annie greeted her, pouring water into the pot.

“Tell JC you need off on Saturday. For real this time,” Megan forwent any salutations. “Remember my cousin Doug I told you about? The one who lives in Dallas? He’s coming out here this weekend and I just know you guys would hit it off. Anyway, since you have the nicest place, I thought a few of us could come over and hang out on Saturday,”

Annie had to register everything that Megan had just spewed. She was talking a mile a minute and Annie had been preoccupied trying to find the ingredients for tomato soup. “Okay, well, he already knows I have Saturday off. We’ve talked about that again. And I guess it’s fine if you guys want to come over. But I don’t know if I want to be set up with your cousin Doug,”

Megan huffed, “Oh, Annie, live a little. He’s only in town for a week. You never know. And besides, when is the last time you went on a date?”

“August,” Annie replied. “With that friend of the McGriffin’s. He took me to Koi and then tried to suck off my face at the end of the night.”

“Well, Doug’s a gentlemen. He won’t try to suck off your face unless you let him. Okay, so I can tell Jamie and Carey that we can come over?”

“Sure,” Annie shrugged, feeling somewhat excited. She’d never been able to have anyone over at the McGriffin’s because her place had been so small. Her other friends that were nannies either shared an apartment or, like Megan, had a very tiny studio. When they’d gone over to have a party, it had been very cramped. The pool house wasn’t huge, but it was at least big enough to host a few people without feeling like they were sardines. It was a good thing she’d already spoken to JC about Saturdays. She finished her conversation and put the soup on, letting it simmer as she left to pick up Emma-Claire.

 

“So you scheduled the interview?” Jimmy asked JC that afternoon. They were sitting outside at a café in Brentwood enjoying a beer. Everything seemed to be running smoothly and they’d let the girls have the rest of the afternoon off.

“Yep. Sunday at 4. Which reminds me. I need to let Annie know,” JC took a swig of his beer. “I need to make sure I get the photographer to take pictures of me and Emma-Claire at some of her favorite spots. I should probably ask Annie where those are.”

Jimmy shook his head at his friend. “You sound like you’re using your kid so you don’t come off like a jerk,”

JC shot him a glare. “That’s not it at all. I’m never home so how the hell am I supposed to know where they go in the afternoon?!”

“Well, it’s 1:30 right now. You could probably go home and take her on a walk or something,” Jimmy offered. “I bet Annie would appreciate extra time off. You know, since you blew it last Saturday.”

“You love giving me a hard time,” JC griped and rested his elbows on the table, propping his chin in his hands.

“I just don’t want this to backfire on you. You can’t suddenly decide to be close to your kid and then after the interview go back to being an idiot,” Jimmy said. “And it just seems like that’s what you’re doing.”

JC didn’t know how to respond to that. It was true, the interview had made him realize he needed to get to know Emma-Claire better because he knew how those types of interviews worked. He’d seen the spreads of pages of pictures with celebrities and their kids. He knew he had to be on top of his game if he wanted to come across as an adoring father. But he also knew what Jimmy was talking about. Would he still want to be as loving after the interview was over? Annie was right – Emma-Claire was the least complicated child he’d ever been around and there had been times in the last two days that he’d felt something different towards her other than resentment or bitterness. His heart had warmed when she’d wrapped her little arms around his neck and kissed his cheek the night before, after he’d tucked her in bed. And that morning, she’d climbed into his lap while he read the paper and she ate her oatmeal. Fatherhood was starting to agree with him, but he was still uncertain about a lot of things. Which was why he needed to talk to Annie about Emma-Claire’s favorite places. Surely she’d understand. After the interview, he’d invest more time and take her there, but right now it was more or less an emergency for his ego boost with People.

 

“Daddy’s home, Annie!” Emma-Claire burst into her bedroom where Annie was putting away clothes.

Annie looked at the child curiously, then at the time. It was right at 2:30 and he’d never gotten home that early before. “Are you sure?” she asked Emma-Claire, who nodded fervidly.

“Yeah! He’s downstairs. He said to tell you you could have the rest of the day off!”

Before Annie could say anything else, Emma-Claire had dashed out of the room. She finished putting away the last of the clothes and went down the hall and to the stairs. She saw him at the bottom of the staircase with Emma-Claire in his arms and looked up and smiled at Annie.

“Hey, Annie. We got done early today. I thought you might enjoy some time off. I was gonna take Emma-Claire to the park today,” JC told her as Annie started to walk downstairs. She had to admit, she was quite impressed with him lately. Especially after today.
“Sure, yeah that’s great,” Annie replied. “She just woke up, too, so that’s perfect. I was going to make stir fry for dinner tonight-“

JC shook his head. “I’ll pick up dinner for all of us. My treat,” he looked at Emma-Claire. “Ready to go and swing?”

“Yeah!” Emma-Claire squealed as her father put her on his shoulders and began to walk towards the front door. He turned before he opened it.

“Oh and Annie, I need to tell you about an interview I’m having on Sunday and ask you a few questions. But we can do that at dinner tonight. See you later,” he waved at her before he left and Annie was in a bit of a shock when the door closed. She looked around the now empty house and had to smile. She had the rest of the afternoon off and she didn’t have to cook dinner. With a slight kick in her step, she took advantage and went back to the pool house and took a long nap.

 

JC picked up Chinese food and had it all set on the table when Annie came back to the house later that evening. Emma-Claire was dancing around in the living room to a mix of songs JC had on his iPod. Annie smiled at her as she watched the little girl jumping and twirling and at one point jumping off from the couch and trying to do a split.

“I think she’s having a good time,” Annie mused, watching her from the kitchen.

“Definitely,” JC agreed. “We had a great time at the park today.”

“I’m really glad,” Annie turned and smiled at him. “Thanks again for the spontaneous day off.”

JC shrugged and began to set the table. “No problem. Today was one of a few that I had the time to take off.”

“Can I help with anything?” Annie asked, walking away from the entrance to the kitchen.

“Sure. Do you mind getting her a drink? Oh and do you want a beer? There’s an extra Budweiser in the refrigerator,” JC motioned with his head toward the refrigerator.

“I’m really not much of a beer drinker,” Annie said, going over to retrieve a glass for Emma-Claire. She reached into the refrigerator and pulled out the pitcher of lemonade and the beer for JC.

“What do you drink when you go out?” JC eyed her, going over and pulling out three plates from the cabinet beneath the island.

“Wine mostly. I’ll have a beer now and then but I’d much rather have wine,” she poured the lemonade into two glasses – one for her and one for Emma-Claire.

“I have a wine cellar downstairs. You can always help yourself to a bottle,” JC said to her. “I signed up for some wine of the month club years ago and never canceled it.”

“Thanks. I’m actually having a few people over on Saturday so I might take you up on that,” she brought the glasses of lemonade to the table and set them down.

“Oh yeah? Having a party?” JC said with a twinkle in his eye.

“Not as much of a party as just people over,” Annie shrugged. “My friend’s cousin is in town and she wants to set us up or whatever.”

“You don’t sound too thrilled,” JC noted, scooping out the steamed rice onto the plates.

“I hate being set up,” Annie told him. “I’d rather just meet someone and have it done my own way. When you’re set up then you’re always at the mercy of the person who set you up, you know? It’s like they think they’re responsible for how the date ends up.” She was surprised at herself for how much she was talking to him. They’d never had a conversation that amounted to much.

“Well, just let her introduce you. You don’t have to do anything about it if you don’t want to.” JC was enjoying this. She was good to talk to and he felt like for once he was handing out decent advice. “You never know what could happen.”

Annie just shrugged and went to call Emma-Claire to dinner. The little girl bounced into the kitchen still humming a Demi Lovato song as she climbed into her seat. Throughout the meal, Emma-Claire went on and on about her day at the park, telling Annie about climbing to the top of the jungle gym and about JC pulling the swing back so high that she could see a bird’s nest.

“I don’t think it was that high,” JC laughed at her. “Daddy’s not that tall.”

“It was almost that high!” Emma-Claire exclaimed. “And then there was a man selling sno-cones and cotton candy so we got both!”

Annie raised her eyes at JC when she’d heard that and he bit his lower lip, trying to suffice another laugh. “So, no dessert, remember?” he finally put in and Emma-Claire started to object. “No, Emma-Claire. Remember I told you if you had both you couldn’t have dessert.”

“No, you didn’t,” Emma-Claire looked at her father as though he were crazy.

“Oh, whatever, it’s fine if you didn’t say anything,” Annie chimed in, seeing where this was leading. “But he’s right, girl. No dessert tonight.”

Emma-Claire stuck her lower lip out and pouted for a minute until Annie reminded her that tomorrow was Friday and that meant they were going to go to the mall. Annie needed to get a few things for Saturday and even though it wasn’t ideal, she was going to take Emma-Claire with her. It would at least be entertaining for the child.

“I’m done,” Emma-Claire stated, putting her fork on her plate. Without being told, she grabbed her plate and went and placed it next to the sink. “Can I go watch tv?” she was looking back from Annie to JC, not really knowing who to ask when they were both in the room now.

“Yes,” Annie replied, noticing that JC stayed out of it. Emma-Claire ran out of the room and Annie looked at JC. “You can answer if you want. You’re her dad.”

“I know but you spend a lot more time with her,” JC poked at his sweet and sour chicken. “Actually, that’s what I wanted to talk to you about.”

“Oh?” Annie put her fork down and sat back, waiting for him to continue.

“Yeah. I have an interview with People magazine on Sunday. It’s about refuting the article that Star put out and telling the truth. So I was just wondering about some of Emma-Claire’s favorite things and stuff to do. I guess I need a crash course on my kid,” he took a bite of food. “So any tips would be great.”

Annie furrowed her brow. “So, you want me to tell you all of Emma-Claire’s favorite stuff so you can look like a star father to a magazine?” Suddenly, it was beginning to make sense. He had been spending time with her to prepare for an interview. Did he even want to spend time with her once it was over? “Is this why you gave me the afternoon off? So you could take her to the park and find out what she likes doing?”

JC sighed. “Look, I’m not around. You know that, Annie. And I haven’t had time to really take her to any of these places. All I’m asking is for input. I know what it looks like but I promise you when the interview is done, I’m still going to be a good dad,”

Annie felt somewhat perplexed. She didn’t know him well enough to know if he was being honest with her. Nor did she know if he meant what he said about what would happen after the interview. But she conceded and went ahead and told him all about Emma-Claire’s favorites. Her favorite color, her favorite television show, her favorite park, her favorite foods. She listed off the three parks they visited frequently and even the Safeway that Emma-Claire preferred over others in the city.

“Thanks, Annie,” JC had typed it all in his phone. “This means a lot. Really. And I promise it won’t be for my gain only. I’ll be sure to mention you in the article.”

“JC, I don’t care about being mentioned in some stupid article. All I care about is that you’re not taking this opportunity to exploit her or your relationship with her.”

“I would never do that,” JC tried to be reassuring, but he didn’t think he was getting across that well due to the look on Annie’s face. “I promise.”

Annie let out a long sigh. “Okay. Well, good luck then. I’ll look forward to reading it when it’s published,” she stood and looked into the living room, then back at JC. “Are you good for tucking her in tonight or do you need me to?”

JC smiled. “No, I think I’m good. See you tomorrow, Annie,”

Annie just nodded and went into the living room. She came behind Emma-Claire and hugged her. “Goodnight, Emma-Claire. See you tomorrow!”

“Nite, Annie!” Emma-Claire turned away from the television to give Annie a hug. As Annie held her, her stomach was in knots. She knew she should trust JC, but it still felt like something was off. She ignored it, rose from the floor, and walked back to her apartment for the rest of the evening.

 

 

 

 

“That’s not how Annie does it,” Emma-Claire pouted at JC, who was trying his best to braid her hair. He was going to take her out that evening for dinner at a new bistro in the neighborhood that he’d wanted to try. She was hungry by 6:00, which was much earlier than JC had eaten in years, but he knew that the sooner she ate, the sooner they could come home and she could be in bed. The day had gone smoothly for the most part. They’d spent the morning watching Mulan and from there had gone on a walk around the neighborhood. Emma-Claire took a short nap after lunch –which was a can of Spaghetti-Os- and then entertained herself in her room for a while so that JC had an hour or so of quiet. It was only now that they were getting ready for dinner that she’d begun to fuss.

“Sorry, I’m not a hairdresser,” he was trying his best not to snap, but he was getting frustrated with how this was going. How hard was it to put three pieces of hair into a braid? Finally he sighed and put the hair tie and hairbrush on the counter of Emma-Claire’s bathroom. He knew it was Annie’s day off, but he also knew she was at home and how long would it take to braid hair? Not long, he imagined. “Let’s go see if Annie can fix this.” Upon hearing her name, Emma-Claire squealed and raced past JC out of the bathroom and down the stairs. She was like an anxious puppy waiting by the sliding glass doors of the kitchen. When he opened the door, she skipped over to the pool house. JC knocked and heard Adele crooning from inside. Annie came to the door, dressed in short denim shorts and a white tank top. JC had never seen her in anything other than jeans and a t-shirt and couldn’t help but look her up and down as discreetly as possible. He quickly came to again and smiled apologetically.

“We have a hair crisis,” he told her, resting his hands on Emma-Claire’s shoulders.

“Daddy can’t do my hair,” Emma-Claire giggled.

“Do you have time? I know you’re getting ready for your party and all –“

Annie smiled down at Emma-Claire. “Absolutely,” she cut JC off. “Come on in.”

“It won’t take you too long will it?” JC asked, as they came into the apartment. He was impressed with how she’d decorated it. Soft hues of blue and gray and pops of red throughout. Lots of pictures of which he assumed to be her family. Her diploma displayed proudly above the couch in the living area boasting her B.S. in Early Childhood Education and next to it, a framed picture of her at graduation with other friends. It was a cozy abode and JC was glad that she’d made it her own.

“Not at all,” Annie smiled assuredly at him and went into the bathroom. She returned with a hair tie and hairbrush and then sat down on the couch and Emma-Claire stood between her legs. “It’s easy once you get the hang of it,” she told JC. “I can teach you so you don’t have to do this on days off.”

JC stood and watched her carefully take the strands of hair on Emma-Claire’s head and soon the little girl had a ponytail braid perfectly in place. “Yeah, that’d be great,” he replied, as Annie tied the bottom of the braid with the hair tie. “Sorry again to bother you. What time are your friends coming over?”

“I think about 7 or 8. I’m just hanging out til they get here,” Annie pulled Emma-Claire into her lap. “What are you guys going to do tonight?”

“Daddy’s taking us out to eat!” Emma-Claire exclaimed.

“Nice. I hope you guys have a great time,” Annie smiled and let Emma-Claire go to JC, who was heading towards the door.

“See you tomorrow, Annie. Thanks again,” JC nodded at her and opened the door, as Emma-Claire dashed outside.

 

Music played throughout the pool house that evening. It was a chilled, relaxed night and wine and beer flowed freely. Annie hadn’t felt this tipsy in ages and on her third glass, she was careful not to step too close to Doug, who’d been eyeing her most of the night. Megan had encouraged this because Annie was her closest friend out in L.A. and what better way for her cousin to spend his time out there than to hook up with Annie? Megan had mentioned this to Annie earlier, who told her she was crazy and that there was no way she was a one-night-stand type of girl. Annie’s past relationships had gone well into three months before she’d even agreed to sleep with them. And none of the times had been exactly memorable. She’d related horror story after horror story to Jamie, Carey, and Megan over the course of the last four years and they had all just started to feel sorry for her.

“You have to have a one nighter once in your life, Ann,” Carey had told her. “Just to say you did it!”

Annie shook her head. “I couldn’t! I can barely get naked with someone I’ve known for three months, much less one night!”

It wasn’t that she wanted to avoid Doug; it was that she knew how she got when she was drunk. No one night stands had ever been had, but she’d made out and fooled around with plenty of strangers and she had a big day tomorrow having to look after Emma-Claire during the interview. She carefully sipped her glass of wine, noticing that Jamie, Carey, and Megan were all involved in a humorous conversation and Doug was standing off to the side occasionally glancing her way.

“Wanna go sit by the pool?” Doug asked, walking over to her. “I promise I don’t bite.” He held up his hands in surrender, with a twinkle in his eye. Doug was tall with blonde hair and brown eyes and a dark tan. He was a real estate agent in Dallas and came complete with a Southern accent that had Jamie and Carey flirting with him from the start of the evening.

“Sure,” Annie shrugged, taking another sip. Her head was feeling a bit fuzzy, but she liked it and started to feel her inhibitions relax. She sat down at the steps by the shallow end and dipped both feet in. Doug followed suit and joined her. They said nothing at first, just looked up at the starless sky and the only sound that could be heard was the occasional sip of wine and a cricket near the grill area.

“So, you’ve been out here four years?” Doug started the conversation. “I have to say I don’t know if I could last in Los Angeles that long.”

“You get used to it,” Annie told him, and leaned forward, crossing her arms and resting her head against the side of her wine glass. “I just know where to go and where not to go. Or when to drive and when not to drive.”

“How long are you gonna be at this job?” Doug nodded towards JC’s house.

“As long as they need me. I really love the little girl I get to watch,” Annie looked over towards the sliding glass door that led to JC’s kitchen. It was dark and she knew he was either downstairs in his studio or upstairs in his bedroom. Emma-Claire had long gone to bed by now. “I hope at least a year.”

“And then?” Doug put his wine glass next to him and Annie noticed his fingers inching towards her exposed knee.

“Then I’ll probably go back to Ohio and start grad school,” Annie sighed, and leaned back onto her elbows.

Quiet again.

“You know something? Every girl I’ve ever met form Ohio has been extremely pretty,” Doug’s Southern accent was even thicker when he was tipsy, Annie noted to herself.

“Oh really?” Annie chuckled and looked at him, biting her lower lip. Doug ran his fingers through her hair and tilted her chin towards his.

“Yeah. And they’re really good at kissing,”

Annie grinned at him and felt his lips press against hers.

 

JC stood at the window of his bedroom and looked down at the sight before him. He didn’t know why but he felt a surge of jealousy watching Annie being kissed. He hadn’t gotten the image of her out of his head from earlier that day. Her legs in those shorts looked perfect. Her breasts coming out ever so slightly from that white tank top as though they were fitted just so. He continued to watch, feeling the slightest bit like a pervert as Annie’s arms wrapped around the guy’s neck, pulling him on top of her. This was stupid. He was just aroused easily now. It had been a while since he’d slept with anyone and he was going to take it out on his nanny? No. No. He turned away from the window and went to lie on his bed, trying desperately to rid his thoughts of Annie.

 

Annie woke up the next morning feeling sick to her stomach and somewhat disgusting. Megan, Jamie, and Carey had ended up sleeping downstairs because they’d been too drunk to go home. And Doug had ended up in her bed. They’d not had sex, but Annie knew that if he hadn’t forgotten to bring a condom, it would’ve been a different story. She looked at him lying next to her and made a face. The wine had done much of the talking, the kissing, and the fooling around. He was a nice guy, but she wasn’t about to start a relationship with him. Though, she had to admit, it had been nice to feel wanted and to at least experience a few moments of pleasure.

 

She slowly walked down the stairs from the loft and went into the kitchen, starting a pot of coffee. She would certainly need it today after the night she’d had. Her head pounded and the four Advil she downed with a glass of water could not start to work fast enough for her.  She showered and dressed in the bathroom, left a note for her friends that she’d be in touch later, and took her thermos of coffee and walked across the back patio to the entrance of JC’s kitchen. He and Emma-Claire were sitting at the breakfast nook. He’d already made her scrambled eggs and was letting her play a game on his iPad.

“Morning,” she greeted them, trying to look as unassuming as possible.

“Annie!” Emma-Claire reached out to hug her and Annie walked over to sit next to the child.

JC looked up and saw her hung over state, wondering if the guy she’d been kissing was still in her apartment. “Well, looks like you had a fun night,”

Annie blushed. “Um, yeah, we had too much wine. That’s for sure.”

“Did a lot of people come by?”

“Just a few friends. There were five of us,”

JC wanted to pry, but in hindsight, he really didn’t know her that well at all. And he’d realized how uncanny he’d come off if he did say something. “Sounds like a good time,” he finally said. “So, today should be like any other day. They’re not getting here till this afternoon, but I need to run out and check some venues around town for the girls. You and Emma-Claire just need to stay nearby so incase they come early I don’t have to hunt you down.”

“I’m pretty sure driving is out of the question,” Annie smirked. “At least for the first few hours.”

JC had to laugh at that. “I understand. We all have those nights,” He watched Annie’s face turn from amusement to surprise and noticed she was looking behind him. JC turned and saw the guy from the night before standing at the glass door. “Oh, is that for you?”

“Yeah. Sorry,” Annie quickly got up from the booth and hurriedly walked to the backdoor. “Um, hi.” She was trying to whisper and not make a huge scene.

“Sorry. Hi. Just wanted to tell you goodbye and thanks again for last night,” Doug looked over at JC and acknowledged him. “Sorry. I didn’t want to leave and not say bye or whatever.”

“It’s okay. See you later,” Annie wanted to shut the door on him but she also couldn’t be rude. They’d pretty much done as much as one could do without having sex last night and pushing him out wasn’t what she had wanted to look like she was doing. But she was at work now and he was awkwardly standing there as though he expected something else.

“Oh. Okay. Yeah. See you,” Doug ran a hand through his hair and turned, walking back towards the exit of the back patio.

Annie felt her face flush and tried to compose herself before she turned around, but both JC and Emma-Claire were staring at her now.

“Who’s that, Annie?” Emma-Claire asked before Annie had had a chance to shut the door. “Is that your boyfriend?”

“No!” Annie replied quickly. “No. He’s um, he’s just a friend.”

JC looked at her and then it dawned on him. “Hey, is that the guy you said you didn’t want to be set up with?!” his eyes had a twinkle in them and Annie could sense he was trying not to laugh at her when she nodded. “Ah, ok. So, uh, did you….”

Annie knew her face was bright red and couldn’t shake it. “No. I mean, well…no.” She couldn’t lie very well but she certainly wasn’t going to tell of her exploit with her boss and the child she watched.

“So, anyway, about today?” She desperately wanted to change the subject and JC knew it.

“Yeah, so basically I think you’ll just walk around with us during the interview. We’re going to the park I took her to the other day to get a few photos. Then after the interview, I’ve got to meet with Jimmy about some dates next month with the girls,” JC pushed his coffee aside. “I should be back in time to tuck her in.”

“Okay, that sounds fine,” Annie said and was relieved that the attention had been taken off her. She also wondered if Megan would be upset once she found out that Annie wasn’t going to pursue Doug any further, but that would have to wait. Today, she had to make sure Emma-Claire looked her best for the interview and was on her best behavior.

 

“So, tell us how you spend your days with Emma-Claire?” Cade Watson, one of the main writer’s at People was giving the interview to JC outside on the patio later that afternoon. Emma-Claire was inside with Annie watching a movie until it was time for her to go and get her picture taken with her father.

“Well, we go to the park a lot down the street,” JC answered, hoping that it wasn’t too far-fetched from the truth, since he’d technically been with her twice now. “And I love taking her out to eat.” Not a lie, either. They’d gone out to eat the night before. “She’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me. I can’t imagine life without her.” That part was partially true. As of late, life had gotten more normal with her around.

“And do you find that you can get your work done with producing Girl Radical and having a child?”

“That part is tricky but I manage. I have outside help a few days a week and it’s been a great thing. Emma-Claire is also in preschool twice a week so that’s also helpful,” JC knew he wasn’t giving the full truth but at this point as long as everyone knew that he wasn’t hiding his kid or that he’d ever hidden her from the public, that was all that mattered. Twisting the truth just enough so that he didn’t come off as a jerk was what he had to do.

 

Annie watched as JC knelt down in the grass with Emma-Claire looking at the photographer. He wrapped his arms around her waist and they made silly faces at the camera. Then he threw her up in the air and Emma-Claire giggled with delight as the photographer shot her in midair. Annie relaxed and smiled. All of that stuff she’d felt earlier towards JC was melting away. He did want to be a good father and he did want Emma-Claire to be a part of his life. She couldn’t wait to read the interview in a few weeks.

 

“Daddy, can you and Annie tuck me in tonight?” Emma-Claire asked JC later that evening. They’d been outside and Emma-Claire had been blowing bubbles with a bubble set that Karen had bought for her the week before. Annie smiled at the question and looked over at JC. After the interview and the pictures, JC had gone off with Jimmy but had come back just as Annie was about to bring Emma-Claire inside.

“Um,” he looked over at Annie. “Sure. Is that okay?”

“I don’t mind,” Annie assured him. “C’mon, girl, let’s go inside and get ready for bed.”

Emma-Claire followed Annie upstairs and immediately went into the bathroom. JC stood at the doorway and watched Annie expertly brush the little girls’ teeth, not once flinching as he always did because he always felt like Emma-Claire would slip and her teeth would bite into his finger. Then, Annie changed her out of the outfit she’d been wearing for the photo shoot and into her favorite Jasmine pajamas. Emma-Claire crawled into bed and JC stood on one side and Annie, the other. Annie sat down and picked up a Madeline book she’d been reading to Emma-Claire every night. JC watched as his daughter moved her lips as Annie read to her. Then, he found himself looking at Annie, who made different voices with each of the characters she would read. He scolded himself inwardly for acting the way he was acting today. It was Annie. Annie the Nanny. That was all she was.

Annie put the book down and leaned over to peck Emma-Claire’s forehead. “Goodnight. Sleep tight,” she winked at the child.

“Don’t let the bed bugs bite!” Emma-Claire finished. “Goodnight, Daddy.”

“Goodnight,” JC kissed her cheek and followed Annie out of the room. JC stood there watching her come out of the room. She turned to close the door and when she turned back, he was right behind her. He was so close that they caught each other’s breath. Annie felt herself tingling all over her skin from such close contact and her heart began to beat faster. JC knew he should move but he didn’t want to. He’d been thinking about her all day and….

“Um, JC, you’re kind of in my way,” Annie tried to make light of it. What the hell was he pulling?

“Sorry,” JC cleared his throat and slowly moved out of her way. “Goodnight, Annie.”
“Goodnight,” Annie didn’t look at him, only made her way down the hall and downstairs. She didn’t look back until she’d reached the pool house. Her heart was racing. He’d been so close that he could’ve kissed her. Was that was he was trying to do? No. Certainly not. He was her boss. And they barely knew each other. No, it was just a case of being too close to that door with each other. She felt her cheeks and they were flushed. Shaking herself out of whatever it was that had just ensued, Annie went upstairs and got ready for bed.

JC groaned and threw a pillow across the floor. What had he tried to do last night? It was dumb. He had acted like a hormone-induced teenager thinking about her like he had. And then standing so close to her by Emma-Claire’s door? What was that? He rolled out of bed and still tried to get the image out of his head of her standing there, completely confused and looking at him like he was crazy. But he couldn’t shake her scent. It was clean and fresh, with a hint of something fruit-induced. He shook himself from thoughts of her once more before stepping into the shower. It was just because he hadn’t been out on a date. He hadn’t had sex in a good two months and this is what happened to him. He just fantasized about whoever was readily available to him. But he would not fantasize about Annie. She wasn’t even his type. And she probably was pretty innocent when it came to the bedroom. No. He would find some way to get her out of his head and not ever relive whatever that was from the night before.

His phone was buzzing as soon as he stepped out of the shower and JC grabbed a towel and wrapped it around his waist, reaching for the phone next to the sink. It was Jimmy.

“Good news. Good Morning, America wants to feature the girls on a new segment for their show. Something about presenting new and upcoming bands for the winter line-up. The Today Show got wind and they want them to appear on Friday. I just got the call today. We’re leaving for New York tomorrow,”

“Are you serious?” JC felt almost giddy. This was the call he’d been waiting for. The girls had been getting recognized on the Internet and social media, but putting them on television would make their fan base double in size.

“Yeah, man. And Seventeen agreed to go ahead and do the interview while we’re in town,” Jimmy continued. “I got my manager to book us a whole floor at the Waldorf.”

“Awesome,” JC grinned. Good. A few days in New York City. Just what he needed. “I’ll see you later today. Wait till I get there before you tell the girls.”

“You got it,”

JC hung up and ran a hand through his wet hair, tousling it. He walked into his bedroom, excited about what all this was going to mean. Publicity for his band. It wasn’t going to take as long as he thought. They were actually going to be on two of the major morning shows across the nation. He sat down on his bed and sent out a Tweet: @GirlRadical is gonna make headlines soon. Stay tuned. #goodmorningamerica #thetodayshow

He knew his feed would blow up within a matter of seconds and he couldn’t help but sit there and watch as fans began to retweet and respond.

“Emma-Claire! No, come back here!”

JC jumped when he heard Annie’s voice frantically calling for Emma-Claire. Suddenly, his bedroom door was thrown open and Emma-Claire stood on the other side giggling and running towards him, Annie fast on her heels. JC stood abruptly as Emma-Claire’s arms were thrown around his waist. He held onto the towel for dear life.

“Emma-Claire! Stop!” He scolded her and moved away, causing Emma-Claire to stumble and fall backwards.  She gasped and looked up at him. Her eyes filled with tears and she sucked in her breath, suppressing a sob that eventually was let out. Annie stood in the doorway, immediately coming to her aid and doing her best to avert her eyes from the sight of JC in nothing but a towel.

“I told you to knock, sweetie,” Annie consoled the child, then let herself look up at JC, doing her best not to look anywhere but his face.

“Sorry. I was, um, just startled and getting dressed,” JC muttered, and pulled the towel more tightly around him. Annie couldn’t help but notice how chiseled his chest and his arms were. She was only getting a peripheral view, but she wasn’t blind by any means, either.

“She just wanted to see you,” Annie stood from her kneeling position on the floor. “C’mon, Emma-Claire. Let Daddy get dressed and we’ll get breakfast.”

JC cursed under his breath after his door was closed and laid back on his bed, rubbing his eyes and feeling those thoughts of Annie creep into his head once more. Her skinny jeans had outlined her legs and the shirt she was wearing today was a V-neck, letting her cleavage creep out ever so slightly.

He needed to get laid and not by the nanny.

Annie had just finished scooping out the last portion of oatmeal into Emma-Claire’s bowl when JC sauntered into the kitchen. He nodded at both of them and poured a cup of coffee. Annie looked away from him and focused on Emma-Claire. She tried not to think about what she’d seen, not to mention what she’d almost seen. The images of last night were still fresh in her head. JC breathing her in. JC so close to her that…

“Annie?”

Annie shook herself from the thought she was about to have and forced a smile at Emma-Claire. “Yes, sweetie?”

“What are we doing today?” Emma-Claire shoved a bite of oatmeal into her mouth and looked at her beloved nanny.

“Well, I thought we’d go to the library and check out a few books. Then we can go to the park and play for a while. How does that sound?” Annie felt JC’s eyes on her and refused to look up.

“Yeah!” Emma-Claire nodded with enthusiasm.

“I need to talk to you really quick,” JC interrupted the conversation and Annie was forced to look up at him. He was dressed in a red button down shirt that fit him perfectly around the chest. She ignored that and focused on his face instead and what he was saying to her.

“Okay,” Annie said, expecting him to apologize for his outburst earlier.

“I’m leaving for New York tomorrow. My band is appearing on Good Morning America and The Today Show,” he told her, standing next to Emma-Claire. “We’ll be back on Friday. I might need you on Saturday morning in case we get in late.”

“Why can’t we go with you, Daddy?” Emma-Claire looked up at him, her blue eyes looking into his. JC wondered how the kid was so forgiving after he’d just made her cry minutes before that.

“Because it’s a short trip and you’d be bored,” JC turned away and dumped the remainder of his coffee in the sink. “I gotta go. I’ll try and be back in time to get her in bed,” he told Annie.

“Daddy, I’m sorry I didn’t knock and came into your room,” Emma-Claire hopped out of the booth and walked over to him. “I didn’t mean to make you mad.”

JC sighed and rubbed the back of his neck, a smile escaping his lips. “It’s okay. It just surprised me is all,”

Annie sat there waiting for him to apologize for yelling but he didn’t.

“Anyway, you guys have a good day. Bye, Annie,” he waved as he left the kitchen and Annie tried her best not to let out a huff of annoyance. Emma-Claire walked over and stood in front of her. “I said I was sorry, Annie. He still likes me!”

Annie couldn’t help but pull the child into her arms and hug her because she knew she wasn’t getting hugged on much from her own father. “Of course he likes you, baby. He’s your daddy,” she let out a shaky sigh and pulled away from the hug. “Why do you think he wouldn’t like you?”

“He doesn’t tuck me in like you do, Annie,” Emma-Claire replied. “When he tucks me in he does it real fast and won’t read me a book.”

Annie wanted to believe that after yesterday he would change. She didn’t want to succumb to the thoughts she had had about him reverting back to the way he’d acted two weeks ago when she’d first started. Yesterday he’d seemed different to her. Or maybe that was just her way of thinking because of that dumb interaction after they’d tucked in Emma-Claire. She had to get that out of her head and fast.

“Let’s go to the library,” Annie stood decidedly and wanted to change the subject for Emma-Claire’s sake. She desperately wanted to tell JC something but she knew it wasn’t her place. She dumped the dishes in the sink and followed Emma-Claire upstairs to get her ready.

 

“I thought you forgot my number,” Lauren cooed into the phone.

JC grinned at her response. Lauren was his “go to” when he didn’t have anyone else. They’d known each other for years and she hadn’t minded being his friend with benefits. She just got a little agitated that he sometimes waited so long in between trysts.

“I’ve been busy, mama, you know that,” his voice was soft and husky. He looked into the next room of the rehearsal hall where the girls were practicing a few dance moves.

“Save that little pet name for the bedroom. Hey, is it true you’ve got a kid now?”

“Yeah. That’s another story,” JC shook his head. “What are you doing tonight?”

“I have dinner plans with a few friends,” Lauren replied, pausing before she continued just to make him anxious. “But I bet I can meet up with you afterwards.”

“I gotta leave early in the morning. Meet me at that bar we always go to. What’s it called again?”

“Shots. Yeah. I’ll be there. What time?”

“Eight,” JC didn’t think about tucking Emma-Claire in that night. He was only thinking about one thing and that was getting Lauren into his bed and forgetting about all of the thoughts he’d had earlier about Annie.

“Perfect. See you then, Jace,”

He hung up the phone and shifted a little so that the tightness in his pants wouldn’t be obvious when he walked back into the rehearsal hall. The thought of being with Lauren again made him hot all over and he tried not to concentrate on how it was going to feel to be with a woman again.

 

“But I want to see Daddy before he leaves!” Emma-Claire sniffled as Annie pulled the covers over her later that night.

Annie sighed and didn’t know what to tell her. She was beyond annoyed at JC right now. He’d told her that he’d be back to get Emma-Claire into bed and now it was past 9:00. “I know, honey. I know,” Annie bent down to peck her forehead. “I’ll tell him to go upstairs as soon as he gets home. Okay?”

Emma-Claire wiped her nose with the back of her hand and nodded, completely defeated. “Goodnight, Annie.”

“Goodnight, sweet girl,” Annie stood from the bed and went to walk out into the hall.

“Annie?”

“Yeah, honey?” Annie turned and Emma-Claire beckoned her with her finger. Annie went back to her and knelt down next to the bed.

“Can I tell you a secret?” Emma-Claire asked softly.

“Of course. You can tell me anything, Emma-Claire,” Annie smoothed out the brown hair next to the little girl’s face.

“I love you. You and Mimi. ‘Cept you’re like my new mommy now,” Emma-Claire whispered.

Annie felt a surge of emotion rise within her. Ruby and Henry had both said they loved her before but they were certain they knew they had a mother who loved them even more than Annie did. Emma-Claire had nobody and it was obvious by how JC had acted this morning. All of that he’d pulled before was just for the interview yesterday.

“I love you, too,” Annie leaned over and kissed the little girl’s cheek. She rose once more and left the room. Her heart hurt for the child. She wanted to take JC Chasez and punch him in the gut until he knew what it felt like to be hurt like his child was hurting.

As she sat down on the couch in the living room and aimed the remote at the television, her phone buzzed. She looked at the unfamiliar number and answered.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Annie, it’s Doug,”

Annie grimaced. The last time she’d seen him had been yesterday when he’d met her at the back door of the kitchen. They’d both been hung over. Megan had texted her earlier that afternoon and told her that Doug was really into her and that he might call. Annie had ignored it because she’d been busy coloring with chalk on the back patio with Emma-Claire and wasn’t paying it much attention.

“Hi,” she sat back against the couch. “How are you?”

“I’m good. What are you up to right now?”

“I’m watching television and waiting for my boss to get home,”

“Oh. Never mind, then. I was going to see if you wanted to go for a drink tonight,”

“Sorry. I’m still working,”

“Yeah. Um, so I guess you’re working tomorrow then?”

Obviously. She was a nanny.

“Mmhm. In fact I’m on every day and night because my boss is going out of town till Friday,”

“Ok. Well, then, I guess I’ll talk to you later,”

“Sorry, Doug,”

“Yeah. Me, too,”

Annie hung up and immediately felt guilty. Doug hadn’t been awful. In fact, it had just been nice to be intimate with someone because she hadn’t been so in a long time. She stared at her phone for a minute and hit redial.

“Hey, Doug. It’s Annie. If you want, you could come over tomorrow night around 9. Emma-Claire will be in bed and we could watch a movie,”

“That sounds great. I’m leaving on Friday to go back to Dallas so tomorrow night is perfect,”

Annie smiled. “Great. See you then.”

She hung up and relaxed on the couch finding a movie on Lifetime to keep her occupied until JC finally decided to return home.

 

At eleven, Annie heard the garage door open and in a minute JC appeared in the living room with a woman behind him. She was dressed in tight fitting jeans and a top that clung to her breasts. Her almost white blond hair hung down to her waist and she occasionally flipped it off of her shoulders while she waited for JC to talk to Annie.

“So, I’m leaving tomorrow morning. I’ll check in throughout the week but I’m only gone till Friday. Any emergencies just let me know. Did she do okay today?” JC was standing by the stairs and Annie could tell he was only going through formalities so that he could get this woman upstairs to his bed.

“She was really sad that you weren’t here to tuck her into bed,” Annie turned the television off and stood to face him. “I told her you’d tell her goodnight when you came in.”

JC looked at the top of the stairs towards Emma-Claire’s room and sighed. “Yeah. I’m still trying to figure-“

“It is what it is, JC. But she’s really sad,” Annie hadn’t cared that she cut him off.

“Yeah, I got that Annie,” his voice was harsher now. “Like I was trying to say. I’m still trying to figure this all out.” He turned to Lauren. “Go on upstairs. I’ll be there in a minute.”

Lauren pulled JC to her lips and kissed him hungrily in front of Annie, then walked up the stairs, sashaying her hips so that JC could enjoy every minute of them. Annie rolled her eyes and folded her arms across her chest, still glaring at JC.

“She also told me that she doesn’t think you like her,” Annie knew she was saying too much. She would have never spoken this way to the McGriffin’s or most likely anyone else she would have nannied for. But JC was hardly being professional, either.

“I’m trying,” JC muttered. “I’ll…I’ll get her something in New York. She likes to color, right? I’ll get her a dozen coloring books.”

“Awesome. Buy her love,” Annie said under her breath, but JC heard her loud and clear.

“I don’t know what else to do!” he finally snapped. “I’m sorry that this seems to come easy for you but I have no fucking clue what I’m doing!”

“You seemed to be fine before the interview. You knew what to do then!” Annie had crossed the line and she knew it by the look on his face.

“I think you should go back to the pool house. I’ll see you when I get back, Annie,” JC veered away from her and went upstairs. Annie stood there and watched, biting her lip so hard that she almost tasted blood. She wanted to make sure he stopped in Emma-Claire’s room before he went and spent all night in bed with that woman. When she saw him open Emma-Claire’s door and poke his head in, she sighed and walked through the kitchen and out to the pool house. He could have fired her for being mouthy and she knew it.

But she wasn’t stupid;  he needed her a lot more than she needed this job.

 

JC tried to forget the fight he’d just encountered with Annie. He tried to forget that he’d admitted trying to buy Emma-Claire’s love with coloring books instead of being a real father. He tried to forget that he was being the one man that he swore he’d never be and that was his birth father. He tried to concentrate on Lauren and began to vigorously pump in and out of her. She tangled her fingers in his hair and he began to go faster, feeling her clamp down on him and releasing into her with a loud groan. “Stop waiting so long to call,” Lauren gasped, catching her breath as JC rolled off of her. “Baby, that was amazing. God, you really gave it your all just then.”

JC brought his arm across his forehead and closed his eyes willing his breathing to return to normal. He felt Lauren roll over and he was grateful. Sometimes she wanted to go again and normally he would have as well. But tonight was different. Tonight he hadn’t enjoyed it nearly as much. He’d been distracted because he was starting to feel like the world’s biggest jerk for leaving his daughter the next day. Especially after she’d told Annie that she thought her father didn’t like her.

But did he?
He thought of the child, always greeting him with a hug and recounting everything she’d done with Annie so far that day. Asking him when he would tuck her in became a ritual and he knew he was awful at it. He wondered how long it had taken his own father to realize that he didn’t want to be a dad. Not long, he guessed, since JC had never heard from him and his birth mother hadn’t really mentioned him unless he was asked about. He didn’t want to become that person. He’d always said he would be a good dad whenever the time had come. Well, the time was here. He knew that. He’d known it for two weeks. He rolled over on his side and continued to process. When he got back from New York, things would change. They would have to or else he saw himself slipping away from the reality of the child that lived right down the hall. The child that, whenever he looked at her, he saw a piece of himself. 

“Daddy?” the voice was a loud whisper.

 

JC ignored it and tried to sleep.

 

“Daddy?” the voice was louder now, almost panicked.

 

He opened his eyes and turned his head to the side. There was Emma-Claire standing next to him, her blue eyes piercing his in the dark. Her pajama top was swathed in something he couldn’t detect until he took a whiff of what was most definitely vomit. His stomach churned and he sat up, looking next to him at a sleeping Lauren. The sheet had fallen off of her and her breast was exposed. Quickly and deftly, JC pulled the covers on top of her, then turned on the lamp next to his bed. Emma-Claire was covered in vomit and her face was flushed a bright pink.

 

“Daddy, I threw up,” her lower lip quivered and she began to cry. Lauren stirred next to him, rolled over and let out a sigh in her sleep. JC glanced at Lauren and then back at Emma-Claire.

“Um. Yeah. Ok. Let’s, um, let’s go find Annie,” JC was thankful he’d pulled on his boxers again so that he didn’t get out of bed naked in front of his daughter. As he pulled on the closest pair of jeans he could find, he reasoned with himself that going to get Annie made the most sense. After all, he was leaving early in the morning. He had to be up in three hours. Emma-Claire could just go and sleep over at Annie’s and they could worry about cleaning everything up the next day. He grabbed a t-shirt hanging off of the plush chair next to the door and threw it on, as Emma-Claire followed him out of the bedroom.

“Who was that lady?” Emma-Claire asked, as they walked into her room.

“Nobody,” he muttered. Her bed was covered in her sickness and JC felt his stomach toss back and forth. He sequestered it as best he could, found a clean pair of pajamas, then walked back to the door. “C’mon. Let’s go get you to Annie’s.”

“Am I gonna stay at Annie’s?” Emma-Claire followed her father downstairs as fast as her little legs could carry her. “Daddy, do you have pink medicine? Mommy always gives me pink medicine when I’m sick.”

JC paused and sighed. He was exhausted and he wanted to get back in his bed before his alarm would go off, signaling a long day of travel. “No, I don’t. Sorry,” he told her, his tone short and to the point. “Maybe Annie does.” Truth was, JC had no idea what he had in the medicine cabinet. There could have been Pepto Bismol, which was the medicine he assumed Emma-Claire had been talking about. He opened the sliding glass doors and walked outside with Emma-Claire behind him. The night air was cool but felt nice to JC as he’d felt somewhat queasy smelling the vomit on his daughter. The pool house was dark and JC almost felt bad about what he was going to do. Nonetheless, he had an early morning and it just made the most sense.

 

Annie had been sound asleep in her bed when she heard a pounding on the door. Her eyelids flew open and her heart began to race. There wasn’t anyway an intruder had gotten past the security gate at the entrance of the neighborhood, was there? She gulped and tried to get her heart rate back to normal. She wasn’t about to go answer that door in the middle of the night. The pounding continued, this time with a familiar voice on the other end.

“Annie! Open up. It’s JC!”

She grabbed her phone that rested on the nightstand by her bed and tapped on the touch screen. It illuminated the small loft space and the time was nearing three in the morning. What could he want at this hour of the night? Throwing the covers off of her, Annie came down the set of stairs as fast as she could. Maybe there’d been a fire in the main house? No. Maybe he’d been up most of the night and wanted to apologize to her? A fire was more likely to have happened then for him to apologize and she knew it. She walked to the French doors and saw JC and Emma-Claire, covered in something she couldn’t detect. The little girl looked absolutely miserable and Annie couldn’t blame her. It was three in the morning and her father had her outside in the middle of the night!

“What’s going on?” Annie asked as soon as she opened the door.

“Emma-Claire threw up all over her bed. I’ve got to be up in three hours so it just made sense to bring her to you and let her stay here tonight,” JC said this as he and Emma-Claire walked into the pool house. “I’ve got her a pair of extra pajamas.” He held them up and smiled as though he had just won the award for Father of the Year.

“You brought her to me because you didn’t want to take care of this yourself?” Annie had already lost her cool with him earlier that night and in her tired state, she certainly didn’t care how she was coming off right then. “JC, all you had to do was change her pajamas, change her sheets, and put her back to bed.”

“Annie, I’ve got to be up early! I don’t have time for cleaning up puke!” JC looked at her as though she were clueless. “I’ve got her clean clothes. What more do you want?”

Annie rubbed her eyes and groaned. That was a loaded question and she knew she must tread carefully. Nannies were a dime a dozen in L.A. and although he needed her more than she needed him, she would not let herself get fired and make Emma-Claire lose someone else she loved yet again. “What more do I want?” she repeated his question. “I want you to realize that I’m a nanny, not a parent substitute.”

So much for treading lightly.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” JC glared at her.

“It means….nothing. Never mind,” she wouldn’t lose her cool. It was the middle of the night, she was exhausted, and she needed to get Emma-Claire out of her vomit -ridden pajamas. “You could have at least changed her. Was that too hard?”

“I was feeling sick,” JC admitted honestly. “I can’t really stand to be around puke. It makes me feel like I’m going to have to hurl next.”

Annie shook her head. “Well, welcome to parenthood, JC.” She turned to Emma-Claire. “Come here, honey. Let’s get you out of those clothes.”

“I need the pink medicine, Annie,” Emma-Claire rubbed her eyes and whimpered.

“I know, girl. I think I’ve got some in my bathroom,” she looked at JC. “Change her into her pajamas and I’ll go find her some medicine for her stomach.” Annie didn’t give him a chance to answer, only went into the bathroom and began to look through her medicine cabinet above the sink.

JC tried his best to take off Emma-Claire’s pajama top without getting anything on him. He made a face as he pulled it over Emma-Claire’s head and threw the shirt to the floor.

“Daddy, my stomach feels bad again,” Emma-Claire leaned in towards JC.

“I know. Annie’s getting you some medicine,” JC took the clean pair of pajamas and began to put them on her. Just as Annie walked back into the room, Emma-Claire lurched forward, opened her mouth, and threw up on JC’s shoulder.

Serves him right, Annie thought to herself and went over to Emma-Claire to begin cleaning her up. JC made a face and closed his eyes, breathing in and out slowly. He stood to his feet and went over to the kitchen. He threw the t-shirt off of him and into the sink.

“Okay, girl, I want you to take your medicine and then Daddy’s going to help me make a bed on the couch for you,” Annie said, directing everything at JC.

JC turned and shook his head. “What part of ‘I have to get up early’ did you not understand? No, I can’t help you. I’m going back to my house and-“

“Daddy has a lady spending the night,” Emma-Claire said as Annie wiped off her face and bare stomach.

Annie caught JC’s eye then went back to Emma-Claire. She didn’t want to draw attention to what the little girl had said so went back to JC’s comment. “You can help me make her a bed on the couch since you woke me up in the middle of the night. I’ll wash your t-shirt for you. I think it’s the least you can do. I’m pretty sure I’ll be tending to your sick child the entire week.”

Well, she had him there. He sighed and quickly washed his hands and went back into the foyer where Annie was just finishing dressing Emma-Claire. “There are some extra sheets in the linen closet in the bathroom,” she told JC. She looked up and caught a glimpse of him shirtless for the second time in less than a week. Jerk or not, he had a nice physique and there was no denying that. She ignored it and went into the living area with Emma-Claire. JC walked in carrying a stack of sheets and set them down on the coffee table. He watched as Annie went into the kitchen, took a spoon from the cutlery drawer and came back to give Emma-Claire her medicine.

“Two big spoonful’s, okay?” Annie coaxed the child, smiling at her.

Emma-Claire nodded and opened her mouth, taking in the spoon.

“Good. Go sit over there while Daddy and me make your bed, okay?” she turned to JC and he sighed, handing her the sheets. Though it really only took one person, Annie didn’t want to let him off the hook so easily. He’d woken her up in the middle of the night and for something that he was quite capable of managing himself if he’d only stop being a jerk about it all. She’d seen him be completely different for People. She knew he couldn’t have just acted all of that. He had to have some sort of feeling for this adorable little girl. Annie knew it all boiled down to the fact that JC was mad that his schedule had been thrown off. His world, in fact, had been thrown off. And he wouldn’t accept it. That was the hardest part of it all.

“There,” Annie said, once the bed was made. “Come on over here and get in, Emma-Claire.” She turned to the little girl who had fallen asleep in the chair next to the couch. Annie went over to her and collected the child in her arms. JC watched as Annie expertly pulled the sheet back and laid Emma-Claire beneath it. She pulled it up to her shoulders and kissed the girl’s temple. For a split second, JC wished he’d been the one to have done it all and felt ashamed that he had dragged his daughter all the way over to the pool house.

“Um, thanks,” he cleared his throat and smiled sheepishly at Annie.

Annie said nothing, only stood to her feet and walked into the bathroom. She came out with a small trashcan and placed it next to the couch. JC followed her back towards the foyer. Annie turned to face him, her hands on her hips,  and her eyes in an icy stare.

“I hope you have fun in New York. And I hope that while you're gone, you miss your little girl so much that you will wish for her to come wake you up in the middle of the night again,” Annie spat. “This isn’t what I signed up for. I’m a nanny, I’m not supposed to be a parent!” She was on a roll and didn’t stop. “I love your little girl which is the only reason I’m not going to quit and I know you know that I’m the only stable thing she’s got right now and you’d be a fool to fire me. But this is the last straw. You’ve got to learn how to do some of this shit yourself or else I don’t know how long I can take it. I realize you have to be awake soon. I realize you’re a big music producer and you’ve got your own life to attend to. But you’ve got to realize that there’s a little girl in there who’d do anything for you to pay her some attention. You’ve got to realize that life doesn’t always turn out the way you planned it to turn out. Things change, roll with the punches!”

JC couldn’t believe everything she’d just spewed. He watched her waiting to see if she was finished and when she stood there glaring at him, he finally spoke.

“Are you finished?” his voice was soft, just above a whisper, but his tone was sharp.

“I am,” she countered. They were both in a standoff and Annie felt her heart racing. She’d not been this angry in a long time, maybe ever, in her life.

“Good. I’m sorry I brought her over here and woke you up. But I honestly had no idea what to do!” he snapped at her. His chest heaved and he was trying not to shout. “You seem to always have the answers. You seem to know what to do and how to do it and I have a long day tomorrow and just figured this once it wouldn’t be such an issue!”

“Just this once?!” Annie scoffed. “I can’t even respond to that, JC. You’ve missed tucking her in, you’ve missed taking her to preschool, you’ve missed out on so much with her. She’s going to become a stranger to you and she’s your daughter!”

JC felt his heart and stomach switch places. A stranger. Like his own birth father was to him. A stranger. And here he was, living down the hall from her. He shook his head. No. He wouldn’t think about it. He didn’t want to think that he was turning into the one person he’d despised since he could remember.

“I’ll call you tomorrow when we get settled,” was his cold response. “I need to go.” He left without looking back and shivered as he stepped into the chilly night air. He wanted to throw something or hit someone. Her words echoed painfully in his mind. You’re becoming a stranger to her.

 

Annie had forgotten about the fact that JC was supposed to have called her that next day. She had spent the morning taking care of a sick Emma-Claire in the pool house and by the afternoon, all she’d wanted to do was sleep. Emma-Claire made that easy on her as the child only wanted to do the same. Annie found a recipe for chicken soup and tried to see if Emma-Claire could stomach it after not throwing up for a few hours. After the first bowl, her stomach seemed to settle. Annie grabbed a few overnight items and took Emma-Claire back to the main house.  By seven that evening, the little girl was out cold in her bed. Annie quickly freshened up and turned on the television to look at the movies available on JC’s Netflix account. She found a bottle of wine downstairs and grabbed two wine glasses from the cabinet in the kitchen. At nine sharp, Doug called from the front gate of the neighborhood and Annie let him through. He was at the door five minutes later.

“Hi,” he greeted her. “I brought a bottle of wine.” He held up a bottle of Pinot Noir and Annie chuckled.

“I have one as well. Come on in,” she opened the door and he stepped inside. He settled on the couch and Annie went into the kitchen to open the first bottle of wine she’d swiped from downstairs. She heard her phone ringing in the living room.

“It’s JC. Should I answer?” Doug called to her.

“Sure. Tell him I’ll be there one second,” Annie replied.

“Annie’s phone. This is Doug,” Doug said, answering the call.

JC did a double take. The guy from the other night was back? “Um, hi. This is Annie’s boss. Is she around?”

“Sure. She’ll be here in one second,” Doug replied. “Hey, Annie?”

“I’m here,” Annie came into the living room holding a glass of wine in each hand. She gave one to Doug and set the other down on the coffee table as she sat down on the couch. Taking the phone from Doug, she said, “Hey, JC.”

“Who’s that?” was his first response.

Annie made a face. “Um, a friend. I’m allowed to have friends over while you’re gone, right?” It was sarcastic but she didn’t care. After last night she was quite over being polite to him anymore.

JC grimaced. Of course she was allowed to have friends over. And after he’d had Lauren spend the night, who was he to judge. It was just the thought of what she might do later with that friend that made him…he shook the thought quickly. What was he thinking? Why did he care that Annie the Nanny had a male friend over?

“Hello? Are you there?” Annie said into the phone after a long pause.

“Oh. Yeah, I’m here and yeah, you can have whoever you want over,”

“Is that why you called?”

“I called to check on my daughter,”

“Good to hear you calling her that,” Annie couldn’t help that last remark. It was bold but again, she was beyond caring anymore.

“Wow, you’re certainly bitchy when you want to be,” JC mumbled.

“Emma-Claire is fine. She’s been asleep since seven and hasn’t thrown up since two this afternoon. I’m pretty sure it’s a 24-hour bug,”
“Good to hear,” JC let out a sigh. “Um, look. About last night.”

“You mean this morning?”

“Whatever. Fine. This morning. I’m sorry. I know I came off wrong. I really don’t want you to quit. We, I mean, she needs you. I mean, I need you too because I don’t know what to do with my own kid,”

Annie softened and couldn’t help but smile. “When you come back, maybe we can work together on a few things. It’s not hard and she’s not a difficult kid.”

“I’d like that,” JC let out a breath.

“But you have to be around more. You at least have to give yourself a few days with her if you really want this to work.”

“I want it to work.”

“Good. Then your first lesson is on Sunday,” Annie told him, as she leaned back into the couch. Doug settled next to her and draped his arm across her shoulder. She looked up and winked at him.

“Fine. Sunday. Tell Emma-Claire I said hello. And tell her I miss her.”

“Do you really?”

JC had to admit he did. Earlier that day when they’d walked past the Toys R Us on Times Square he’d immediately thought of her. That was progress wasn’t it? “I do. I’m not just saying that.”

“That’s good to hear,” Annie smiled. “And a relief if I’m honest.”

“I have to run. Thanks again, Annie. I’ll check in tomorrow. Have fun.”

“Bye, JC.”

She hung up and looked at Doug. “So, what movie did you want to watch?”

Doug shrugged his shoulders and took the remote from the coffee table, scrolling through the options. “The Breakfast Club is always a good option,” he suggested and Annie nodded as Doug hit “Play.” She felt a weight being lifted from her recalling her conversation with JC. He sounded genuine and perhaps he was turning a new leaf. Maybe what she’d said had made somewhat of a difference. Settling herself near Doug, she watched as the opening credits of the movie began to play.

 

An hour later neither Doug nor Annie were paying any attention to the movie. He was on top of her, his hands underneath her shirt and hers clinging to his neck. His lips were attached to her neck and every now and then, Annie would let out a sigh or a moan, pushing him even further.

“Annie, I could change my plane ticket,” Doug said, kissing her lips, then her jawline. “You could make me do that.”

Annie giggled beneath him. “Oh really? Do I have that much power over you?”

“You just might,” he reached behind her and unhooked her bra, then looked at Annie. “Should we take this upstairs?” His hand caressed her back as he moved them to her bra strap.

“No,” Annie shook her head. She gasped as he cupped one of her breasts in his hand. “No, Doug. Wait.” She pushed him off of her gently and bit her lower lip. She’d wanted to continue with every fiber in her being, but she couldn’t bring herself to carry on. “I’m sorry. I know you probably think I’m a prude, but I just don’t think we should do anything else until we go on a date first.”

Doug’s face was flushed and he wiped his brow, then smiled assuredly at her. “No. It’s fine. I totally understand,” he buttoned his shirt up quickly. “So, how about Saturday night?”

“You’re leaving on Friday,” Annie reminded him, fastening her bra.

“I already told you could make me change my ticket,” he winked at her and she smiled at him.
“Saturday is a date,” she replied and cuddled next to him.

By the time he left, Annie was already feeling much better about everything. Before she fell asleep that night in the guest bedroom, she’d texted Megan to let her know that she had a date with Doug. Megan had only texted back a lot of exclamation points and happy face emoticons, which Annie took as a positive response. She fell back against the pillow, glad that the day was finally done.

 

By Thursday, Emma-Claire was back to her normal self and went to preschool. Annie had talked to Doug almost non-stop for the last two days and Annie was enjoying herself very much. He’d come over a few times and even played with Emma-Claire, who relished the time with anyone new.

“What are these?” Annie pulled out a box of Lucky Charms from the shopping cart. The threesome had gone to Safeway to get a few items for dinner that evening. While Annie had gone to pick up some fresh produce, Doug and Emma-Claire had ventured over to the cereal aisle.

“She said it’s her favorite,” Doug looked down at Emma-Claire.

“Emma-Claire, we have a whole box of these at home, silly,” Annie tousled Emma-Claire’s hair and placed the box back on the shelf where it belonged.

“But it’s out of marshmallows!” Emma-Claire whined, her lower lip protruding into a pout.

“That’s because you take them all out when you eat a bowl of it!” Annie rolled her eyes. “Let’s go. Unless you’ve got other items in here I need to know about.”

“Sorry,” Doug apologized to Annie.

“Oh, it’s fine. She’s got to learn to finish a box of cereal before we buy a new one,” Annie pulled the cart into the Ten Items or Less lane and stood with Doug behind her and Emma-Claire staring at the gum and magazines. Suddenly, Emma-Claire gasped and pointed to the latest issue of People.

“It’s me and Daddy!” she squealed, causing a few people to turn around and stare. Annie smiled nervously and took the magazine from the shelf. There was a small picture of JC in the right hand corner with Emma-Claire on his shoulders. The caption of the article read The Real Story of My Daughter. She threw it in the cart and made a point to read it before he came home.

“Can I see it, Annie?” Emma-Claire begged as they pulled out of the parking lot. Annie nodded and turned to Doug, who was in the passenger seat.

“It’s in the bag with the produce,” she said and Doug reached down to take the magazine from the bag of groceries. “Actually, why don’t you read it to us. Is that okay, Emma-Claire? And then you can look at your picture.”

Doug opened the magazine and began to read aloud. The article started off with a small sequence about JC’s home, the toys that were now strewn across the back patio and the living room, the guest room that had been turned into a bedroom, and that JC was smiling about all of the changes in his life now.

“That’s a lie,” Annie muttered to herself. “Sorry. Go on.”

Doug continued and the article went into a short interview whereupon JC was talking about how much time he spent with his daughter and that he had hired outside help for a few days a week. Annie nearly slammed on the brakes when she heard that line.

“A few days a week?! When does six out of seven days constitute a few days a week?” she groaned and shook her head.

“Should I go on?” Doug asked, looking from her to the article.

“Sure. Let’s see what other bull he’s spewing,” she sighed loudly and rolled her eyes when Doug read that he and Emma-Claire spent many a day at the park.

“Really? That’s interesting. He’s been maybe once with her,” Annie glanced at Doug. “That’s enough. Really. I can’t take that anymore. Emma-Claire, you can look at the pictures.”

“You know those magazines make up half that shit,” Doug said quietly, when Annie pulled into the driveway of JC’s house.

“Unfortunately, I’m pretty sure all of that was JC,” Annie replied and got out of the car, helping Emma-Claire out of the backseat.

“Annie, look! It’s me and Daddy at the park!” Emma-Claire thrust the magazine in Annie’s hands. Annie looked down to see a grinning JC pushing Emma-Claire on the swings. Emma-Claire was laughing heartily.

Too bad that doesn’t really happen, Annie thought to herself. She forced a smile and looked down at her charge. “That’s a cute picture of you, sweetie,” she managed to say and walked towards the house.

JC called later that evening to let Annie know he’d be back around eleven the next night. Annie didn’t say much, only agreed to staying in the house that night and watching Emma-Claire on Saturday while JC slept. Besides, she was going to give him a good lesson on Sunday and that was the lesson of doing it all on his own for the whole day.

“Oh by the way, your magazine article is out,” Annie said nonchalantly.

JC cringed. He’d read the article earlier that day. “Um, yeah. About that. I know some of it came across a little exaggerated-“

“Some of it?” Annie scoffed. “Yeah, some of it did come across that way.”

“Fine. All of it. I wasn’t prepared. I should’ve waited a few more weeks.”

“It is what it is,” she sighed.

“I’m really sorry. I know you already think I’m a horrible father,” he said, in hopes that she’d disagree, but she didn’t. “So, yeah, I’m really sorry about that. I know it was all exaggerated and-“

“It was lies, JC,” Annie said softly. “Just admit it. You lied in that entire article. And saying that you had outside help a few days a week? That’s kind of insulting to the person who’s your outside help!”

“I know, Annie. I was, I was caught off guard and I just said the first thing that came to my mind,” JC was sitting on his hotel bed and looking out at the New York skyline slowly lighting up the evening. “Look, I can get my publicist to call them and schedule another interview and-“

“No. It is what it is. You can’t take it back. It’s in print. And maybe one day you’ll be the father you claimed to be in that article,” Annie yawned and looked at the time. “It’s almost midnight here, okay? I have to get up early with Emma-Claire tomorrow. Oh and by the way, I was hoping you’d be okay to take over Saturday around eight PM?”

“Yeah. Why?”

“Because I’ve got a date and the guy I’m going out with is leaving on Sunday afternoon to get back to Texas,” Annie felt as though she were divulging too much information about her personal life to him lately but she didn’t care. Their employer to employee relationship had been different from the beginning.

He didn’t know why he felt chills going up and down his spine when she told him what she’d told him but he did and JC wanted to tell his emotions to halt.

“Oh. Um. Well, that’s great,” he finally said. “Yeah. That’s fine. No problem. Okay, I have to go. Tell Emma-Claire I’ll see her on Saturday morning, then.”

Annie took the phone away from her ear and looked at it as though it were JC and made a face. He had ended the call abruptly and hung up. She rolled her eyes and placed it next to her, immediately falling asleep.

JC looked at his phone after he’d hung up and felt that familiar feeling of jealousy returning to him. Why did he seem to feel like that towards her lately? He still really didn’t know her and yet whenever she’d mentioned the guy her friend had set her up with, he felt himself filling up with envy and jealousy towards this stranger. He could call Lauren. Maybe a bit of phone sex would do him good. He went to find her number in his phone and then decided against it.  He laid back on the bed, knowing that he had to meet the girls and Jimmy downstairs for a late dinner in a half hour but for some reason, not feeling hungry or excited at all about it. His thoughts were jumbled and he wanted to forget how he’d felt when Annie had mentioned she was going on a date.

He stood to his feet and walked over to the dresser staring at himself in the mirror. It suddenly dawned on him and he wanted to hit the reflection he was staring at.

“I’m an idiot,” he said aloud. “I’m not going to have a crush on my daughter’s nanny!” At that instant, his phone buzzed with a text message from Jimmy telling him that the dinner had been moved and they were leaving in fifteen minutes. JC was thankful for the distraction. He needed a few beers and he needed to have fun tonight.

And he needed to get over the fact that he was falling for Annie Leighton.

“I have nothing to wear,” Annie sighed into the phone. It was Saturday afternoon and JC had taken over earlier than expected. He’d woken up at ten and had been awfully cheerful towards Annie and Emma-Claire and after lunch, he’d told Annie to go ahead and take the rest of the day off. Annie reminded him once more that tomorrow he was on all day and JC just nodded and grinned. Annie ignored it and had gone back to the pool house to get ready for the evening. Now, she was talking to Megan and pulling clothes out of her closet and throwing them on the bed. “How do I have so many clothes and nothing to wear?”

“Where’s he taking you?” Megan asked.

“Nobu.”

“Ooh fancy shmancy.”

“He says he heard they have good sushi.”

“So I hear. What do I know, though? I’m just a poor nanny,” Megan teased.

“Shut up. Seriously, what do I wear tonight?”

“Being that my cousin has seen you in next to nothing, I’m pretty sure it won’t matter,” Megan couldn’t help but take a jab at her.

“I’m going to hang up on you,” Annie warned her friend.

“Fine. What about that strapless red dress you got at Express a few months ago?”

Annie thought for a moment and reached into the back of her closet, pulling out a cherry red strapless dress that she’d forgotten about. It hit her just above the knee and she could put a black blazer with it and her black pumps.

“Perfect. Thanks,” Annie began to put the other clothes back into her closet.

“You’re welcome. Call me if he spends the night!”

“Bye, Megan,” Annie hung up and put the phone down on the bed. It was almost five and she had three hours to get ready. She decided to soak in the tub for a bit and do a bit of pampering. After all, she hadn’t been on a date in quite some time and she deserved it. She poured bath salts into the water and put on an Ingrid Michaelson station on Pandora. She sunk into the warm water and thought about the other night with Doug on the couch. Annie smirked and wondered if he’d end up in her bed after all.

 

 

For the last four hours, JC had done nothing but spend time with his daughter. At first, he hadn’t known what to do with her. He’d really only had one or two days alone with her and that had been before the trip to New York and before he’d come to the realization of how much he was behaving like his biological father. At first, Emma-Claire was distant with him. She only agreed to playing a game after JC got her laughing by telling her a few “knock-knock” jokes and then he’d won her over. They began by taking a short walk together around the block, playing four games of Candyland in a row, and Emma-Claire showing him her favorite show, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. She’d fallen asleep for an hour – in JC’s lap nonetheless – and when she’d woken up, she immediately wanted to play Memory. JC had to admit – it wasn’t as hard or as scary as he’d thought it would be and more and more he was beginning to enjoy this time with his daughter.

“Okay, your turn, Daddy!” Emma-Claire pointed to the Memory cards on the kitchen table. JC yawned and smiled at her as he flipped over a card. It was the butterfly that Emma-Claire had been trying to match. Her eyes got big and she gasped and put her hands over her mouth. “I know where it is! I know where it is!” she squealed. JC put his finger on top of a card and flipped it revealing the other butterfly.

“So that’s two matches for Daddy and five for you,” he told Emma-Claire. “You’re good at this game.”

“Annie plays it with me all the time. And I play it at school, too,” Emma-Claire went to turn over a new card but stopped and looked at JC. “Daddy, do you like Annie?”

JC felt his face turn red. He’d thought of her the whole plane ride back and he was ashamed to admit that he’d woken up this morning hard as a rock after having somewhat of an explicit dream about her. He’d managed to push it from his mind and tried to tell himself it was nothing. He’d had plenty of dreams before about women in his life. He was still too embarrassed to ever tell his best friend Autumn about the one he’d had of her getting him off a few months ago.

He cleared his throat. “What do you mean, Emma?”

“You always are mean to her,” Emma-Claire said bluntly. “You always get upset with her.”

That was true. He’d not been as professional as he’d liked to be with Annie in front of his daughter. “We’re just getting to know each other,” was his quick response. “I like her. She’s a nice person and she takes good care of you.”

“Do you like me?” Emma-Claire rested her chin in her little hand and looked right at her father.

“Of course I like you, Emma!” JC stood and walked over to the other side of the table. He pulled her up from her seat and settled her in his lap. “Look, I know I probably haven’t been the best dad to you. But you were a big surprise and I’m still trying to get used to having a little girl.”

“How come you left me here and I couldn’t go to New York?” Emma-Claire looked up at him, those blue eyes penetrating into his.

“You would have been bored,” JC assured her. “I was in meetings all day long.”

Emma-Claire said nothing, only leaned into JC and rested her head against his chest. She was quiet and JC found himself stroking her long, brown hair with his fingers. It had come suddenly, but naturally. Ever since Annie had told him he was becoming a stranger to his daughter, he’d thought of nothing but wanting to be better. Better at everything. He cringed when he thought of that article that was out in print, but remembered what Annie had said on the phone – he could become that father he’d been in the interview. He wanted to become that father in that interview.

“Daddy?”

“Huh?”

“I miss Mommy.”

It was the first time she’d ever said it. Of course she’d mentioned her mother every so often, especially when JC or Annie would try something new with her. But she’d never come out and told either of them –that he knew of anyway- that she missed her mother. It was only appropriate that she’d confessed it to him, her father.

“I know you do,” JC kissed the top of her forehead and squeezed her closer. It was easy. He liked this moment he was having with her. It wasn’t as terrifying or as uncomfortable as he’d felt it might be and he was ashamed at himself for not letting it happen sooner. And it was then that he realized that had Shayna never gotten sick, he might have never known he had a daughter. “I know you do, Emma. But I promise I am going to take good care of you from now on,” JC looked down at her.

“You and Annie, right?” Emma-Claire grinned.

JC looked out at the pool house and then back at his child. “Right.”

 

Annie double-checked herself in the full -length mirror in the bathroom before she left the pool house. She’d told Doug to pick her up at the main house because she’d also promised Emma-Claire she’d tell her goodnight before she went out with him. The dress worked perfectly well and Annie couldn’t help but notice how it accentuated her breasts and made them look bigger than they were. She adjusted the blazer and touched up her lipstick before walking out of the pool house and over to the sliding glass door that led into the kitchen. JC was standing at the refrigerator with the door open and blocked her way from going into the living room.

“Um, sorry, JC, I need to get by,” she tapped his arm.

JC had been looking for the chocolate sauce for Emma-Claire’s ice cream and poked his head back, nearly gawking at the sight of Annie before him. She was wearing a red dress that exposed the top part of her cleavage, showed off her long legs, and to top it off, her normally curly locks were straightened and fell around her face. She looked like a different woman than the woman who was in jeans and a t-shirt ninety percent of the time he was with her. He did his best not to stare, only moved out of the way and said something about Emma-Claire sitting on the couch waiting for her. He watched her leave and noticed that the dress also did something for her butt and he couldn’t help but stare after her.

“You look like a princess!” he heard Emma-Claire gasp when she saw Annie.

“Thanks, Emma-Claire!” Annie replied and JC soon followed her trail to the living room. She was sitting on the couch next to the little girl and trying to pull her dress down as far as it would go to cover her exposed thigh. JC’s eyes had already landed there and his mind wandered into a million different places at once. Doug was a lucky man. A very lucky man.

“So, um, where are you headed?” he finally spoke, doing his best not to gaze at her cleavage and trying to look straight at her facial features.

“Nobu. That fancy sushi place. He says it’s really good,” Annie replied. “Then I think we might go to a wine bar.”

“Nobu is great,” JC nodded. “I hope you have fun.”

“Thanks,” Annie smiled warmly at him and JC smiled back, careful not to stare at her too long. “I’ll come back through the pool entrance. No need to leave the door unlocked.”

“Sure. Yeah. That’s fine,” JC nodded and wondered if Doug would also be using the pool entrance with her. Or what else he’d be doing with her. Stop it. Stop it. Stop it, he kept telling himself. He needed to be set up with someone. He needed a relationship. Or just sex. Either one. Anything to get his mind off of the woman that he’d hired to be his daughter’s nanny.

“Are you okay?” Annie ventured to ask. “You’ve been acting a little off all day.”

“Huh? Have I? It’s jet lag,” JC answered quickly. So, she’d noticed he’d been different. It was probably because he’d never been so cordial to her as he’d been that day. But she’d made him think about his actions and it had made him want to be different. “Hey, Emma, do you want your ice cream?” He needed to go back into the kitchen. Lusting after Annie right now was not helping matters, especially since she was wearing a dress that made her stand out even more to him. At that moment the doorbell rang.

“That’s for me,” Annie stood to her feet. “Be good for your daddy. I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?” She bent down to kiss Emma-Claire’s cheek.

“I will,” Emma-Claire nodded. “Daddy, did you find the chocolate sauce?”

JC had been watching the interaction between Annie and Emma-Claire and barely heard the question. “Huh? What?”

Annie looked at him as though he were crazy. “JC, did you drink too much at dinner?” she teased him, walking to the front door. “The chocolate sauce is in the pantry, by the way. It’s not opened yet so I didn’t put it in the refrigerator.”

“Pantry. Yep. Thanks,” JC smiled at her and watched her open the door. Doug stood on the other side dressed in jeans and a white button down shirt. He smiled at her and leaned over to peck her cheek. JC watched as Annie returned the kiss, turned to wave at Emma-Claire and shut the door behind her.

 

Nobu was loud and swanky and everything Annie had imagined an upscale L.A. restaurant to be. She’d been to Koi, which was much like Nobu in her opinion, and although the food was delicious, Annie had decided it was much too overpriced. She and Doug sat at the bar while they waited for their table and watched the A-listers trickle in with their dates. Neil Patrick Harris and his husband walked past them holding hands, George Clooney and a blonde that Annie assumed would become his next dating victim ordered martinis and were then whisked away to a private room, and Emma Stone and Andrew Garfield were next waiting with a few friends. Annie never got star struck anymore. She’d been in LA long enough to know that it didn’t matter. People were people. And now she was living at the home of a celebrity and he’d certainly shown his ass enough for Annie to know that people didn’t change just because they were famous. Though she had to give him credit. He’d certainly been different since he’d come back from New York the night before. She wondered what could have possibly changed.

“Deep in thought?” Doug tapped her knee with his finger and Annie turned to face him and smiled.

“No, just people watching,” Annie sipped her wine. She didn’t feel like going into it with Doug discussing work. “So, when are you coming back?” She got straight to the point. No sense in wondering if this was a relationship worth working at if he was going to be all the way in Texas and not ever come out to California.

Doug reached over to peck her lips, his forehead resting against hers. “I’ll come back every weekend if I can,” his kiss deepened. “You’re amazing, Annie.”

“You hardly know me. In fact, you probably know more about what’s underneath this dress than anything else,” she winked at him and rested the palm of her hand on his cheek.

“Is that so bad?” he was teasing her, and draped his fingers on her thigh. “From what I know, I think you’re pretty great. Megan’s told me a lot about you to begin with. I trust my cousin.”

Annie pressed her lips to his and then they were interrupted by the hostess, telling them that their table was ready. Doug helped Annie off of the stool she’d been sitting on and they followed their waitress to a table in the middle of the restaurant.

“So, if I come back next weekend, could you go on another date?” Doug asked her after they’d finished ordering.

Annie nodded. “I have Saturdays off. And I’m sure you could come over and hang out with me and Emma-Claire during the day if you wanted to.”

“Megan might get tired of me staying over as much as I might start doing,” Doug raised an eyebrow.

Annie bit her lip and looked at him, her eyes twinkling flirtatiously. “Who says you’re gonna be at Megan’s all the time?”

 

They’d barely made it back to JC’s driveway before Doug had whisked Annie’s blazer away from her shoulders. He wrapped both arms around her and nipped at her shoulder while Annie tried to quietly open the gate to the pool. The main house was dark except for a light on in JC’s room and she knew that the outside echoed and didn’t want to wake Emma-Claire. He followed her to the pool house and Annie quickly unlocked it before they nearly tripped walking inside together. Their kisses were frenzied and passionate and Annie was walking backwards upstairs to the loft while Doug was practically crawling on top of her before they reached the bed.

“You’re on the pill?” Doug gasped between kisses. He unzipped the back of her dress and Annie shimmied out of it, kicking it to the floor.

“Yeah,” she pulled him on top of her, tugging at the buttons on his shirt. “And you’ve got something?”

“Two of them,” Doug chuckled. Annie knew even though she was on the pill that condoms weren’t really all that necessary, but she wanted to be safe and not sorry and certainly not pregnant.

She leaned back on her elbows and propped up her legs, throwing her head back seductively while Doug kissed his way down her body. She didn’t care that she had to be up early tomorrow. All she wanted was this and she wanted it now.

 

JC had heard the car pull into the driveway. He’d heard the gate click when Annie had unlocked it to get to the pool house. He’d gone over to the window that overlooked the pool and had seen them groping each other as she fought to open the door to get inside. Jealousy coursed through him once more and he wanted to throw something at Doug. Doug, that lucky, lucky son of a bitch. He was tired of fighting with himself about this any longer. He knew it was a stupid crush of convenience. Annie was there, she knew how to take care of his kid, and she was cute. No, she was beautiful. He’d have to be careful now and he knew it. And obviously, from the looks of it, she was taken and he’d have to sequester his feelings – or whatever this was – and not say a word. He laid down on the bed and picked up his phone, texting Lauren a dirty message. He could at least get off and get his mind off of the girl who had taken up space in his thoughts lately.

The problem with texting Lauren was that when she responded back to him about what she was doing to herself, JC wasn’t picturing her. He was picturing Annie. It unnerved him because he’d texted her to get his mind off of Annie and it wasn’t working. All he could visualize was Annie in that sexy red dress and her hair falling onto his chest and her lips…..JC threw a pillow across the room. It was going to be a long day working with her tomorrow.

JC watched Annie as she walked across from the pool house to the main house the next morning. She had that glow about her. That sickening, stupid, happy glow that people who’d just had sex had about them. There was even some sort of skip in her step as she made her way around the pool. He’d seen Doug leave fifteen minutes before and saw them share an intimate embrace before he walked through the back gate. Although JC had had a decent texting conversation with Lauren, he’d been frustrated the entire time and even getting off didn’t seem to do the trick.

“Good morning,” he greeted her when she came into the kitchen. “I made coffee and Emma-Claire made me wait for you until we made pancakes.”

“Thanks,” Annie replied, going over to the coffee pot. She wore jeans and a black and white striped sweater with a yellow scarf and JC suddenly felt a little embarrassed to still be in his pajama bottoms and t-shirt.

“How was your date?” he dared to ask, already knowing what had transpired. Even if Annie wanted to hide it, she still had that morning-after look about her.

“It was…okay,” she reached into the refrigerator to grab the milk.

“Just okay?”

“I mean, we had a great date,” Annie stirred the milk into her coffee with a spoon.

“Just a date?” JC couldn’t help but prod with a knowing grin.

Annie blushed. She wasn’t about to divulge anything else to her boss about what had transpired between her and Doug last night. The sex hadn’t been mind-blowing. It had been nice and Annie had enjoyed waking up next to someone. But it certainly hadn’t been anything to get excited over and certainly not in front of JC. He saw her blush and knew he’d probably crossed the line with her. It was becoming familiar territory for both of them to go too far and push that employer to employee line as much as they could.

“That’s none of your business,” Annie replied softly, looking away.

“Sorry. I shouldn’t have asked,” he changed the subject. “Well, anyway, what’s up for today? What are you gonna teach me?” he stood to his feet with his coffee mug in hand and called into the living room for Emma-Claire. The little girl came bounding into the kitchen and threw her arms around Annie.

“Seems like you know what you’re doing or it looked that way yesterday,” Annie told him, thankful that JC had moved on to another topic besides her sex life. “But I thought we could go to the park. You know. Like that dad in the article did with his daughter?” Annie was smirking and JC couldn’t help but shake his head and let out a small chuckle.

“You’re hilarious,” he mused sarcastically. “But I deserve it.”

“You’re right. You do,” Annie walked over to the breakfast nook with Emma-Claire. “So, pancakes, huh?” she looked down at her. “Blueberry or chocolate chip?”

“Both!” Emma-Claire replied ecstatically.

“Okay,” Annie shrugged. It was the weekend and she was pretty sure that JC had probably broken every single nutrition rule the night before that Karen had put into place before she’d left a few weeks ago. She looked at JC. “Do you know how to cook pancakes?”

JC snorted. “I can barely make toast.”

Annie rolled her eyes. “Perfect. Our first lesson is showing you the wonders of Bisquick.” She went to the pantry and began to get everything out for the pancakes. JC stood and went over to the island and hopped up on the side of it to watch her in action. Emma-Claire didn’t leave Annie’s side, asking to pour the blueberries and chocolate chips into each separate pancake mix.

“So it’s just a box recipe?” JC observed. “That’s it?”

“You can make them from scratch. You can make anything from scratch,” Annie said as she began to mix the batter together. “But today we’re doing a box recipe because that’ll be easier for you to learn first.”

“Have you made them from scratch before?” JC asked as though it was a foreign concept to him. Then again, before Emma-Claire, making homemade pizza had been a foreign concept to him.

“Sure,” Annie shrugged. “It’s not that hard.” She poured the batter onto the hot griddle and Emma-Claire gasped in awe at how fast it turned into an edible pancake.

“Will you teach me sometime?” JC hopped off the counter and walked over to where Annie and Emma-Claire were standing at the stove. He stood behind her and couldn’t help but inhale her scent. Flowery. Fresh. Clean. He stepped back somewhat so that there wouldn’t be a repeat of the other night when he’d nearly been close enough to kiss her. Looking back, he wished he would’ve done it, but it was too late now. Especially since she’d had sex last night. It was almost some sort of deal with women and he knew it. Not women like Lauren, of course, who had several men she saw on the side. But he knew women like Annie weren’t that easy and it was something he wished he’d taken into consideration a long time ago before he’d started to date the first woman who’d jump into bed with him.

“Of course,” Annie turned and smiled at him, then went back to the pancakes. “I mean, I’m not a chef or cook by any means. But my mother was raised on a farm in Ohio and she taught me and my sister to do a lot of stuff in the kitchen that didn’t involve a box recipe.” She put the first two pancakes on a plate and handed it to Emma-Claire. “Ok. One blueberry and one chocolate chip. Be careful taking it to the table, girl.”

“I will,” Emma-Claire nodded and walked slowly back to the breakfast nook, with both of her hands clutching each side of the plate.

Annie glanced at JC. “Can you get the whipped cream out of the refrigerator?”

“On it,” JC went over to the refrigerator and took out the bottle of Mrs. Butterworth and the small plate of butter. He set them on the table and without being asked, began to spray a little whipped cream onto Emma-Claire’s pancakes. She thanked him and just to be funny, JC sprayed a tiny bit on the tip of his finger, then tapped Emma-Claire’s nose.

“Daddy!” Emma-Claire giggled and wiped her nose off with the back of her hand.

“What? My finger slipped,” he teased her and handed her a napkin.

Annie turned and smiled at the picture before her. If someone had asked her last week if JC was a good father, she would’ve told them ‘no’ without hesitation. But it looked like he was catching on and the nervous expression that had wrought his face in the weeks before was gone. She laid the rest of the pancakes on two large plates and walked over to the table, setting them down in the middle. The smell was a mixture of chocolate and blueberries and made the kitchen warm and cozy. Annie sat next to Emma-Claire who was jabbing a fork into a piece of her pancake and heartily digging in. JC smiled at Annie while he took a chocolate chip pancake and began to cover it in whipped cream.

 “Are you and Daddy taking me to the park today?” Emma-Claire inquired, with a mouthful of pancakes.

“Swallow your food and ask me again,” Annie replied, giving her a knowing look. Emma-Claire chewed the rest of her food then asked Annie the same question once more. “Yes, we are. Is that okay?” Annie cut into her pancakes and waited for Emma-Claire’s response. The child’s face was jubilant as though Annie had told her they were going to spend all day at Disneyland and not just the local community park.

“Yeah!” Emma-Claire nodded excitedly. She looked at JC. “Daddy, you’re really coming, too?”

JC knew she was asking him because he never went anywhere with Annie and Emma-Claire. And up until 24 hours ago, his role in his daughter’s life had been pretty much non-existent. “I really am,” he replied and winked at her, going back to his pancake.

 

“So, how did it go?” Megan asked Annie later that day. JC was pushing Emma-Claire on the swings and Annie had gone over to a nearby bench to take the call from her friend.

“With Doug? It went well,” Annie wasn’t going to divulge too much. If Megan wanted to know the juicy details of what had happened last night, she might share but she wasn’t speaking first.

“Well, he didn’t come back to my place last night so I’m assuming it went really well,” Megan cackled on the other end.

“Yeah, I guess you could say that.”

“Oh stop being vague!”

“You know I don’t kiss and tell.”

“More like fuck and tell.”

“Megan!” Annie couldn’t help but giggle. “It was nice. He’s coming back to see me next weekend.”

“Really?”

“Uh huh. So I guess I should be thanking you.”

“Yes, you can just put me as a bridesmaid in your wedding.”

“Well, let’s not rush that, please,” Annie looked over to see Emma-Claire waving to her from the swings. Annie grinned and waved back.

“So, what are you doing today? Busy with Emma-Claire?”

“Actually with her and JC. He’s coming around with us today to get a feel for how to interact with her.”

“Did you tell him it’s about time?” Megan scoffed.

“No, I think he gets that. He’s been like a different person since he got back from New York. It’s kind of strange,” Annie flicked off a bug that was crawling on her jeans. “But maybe he finally got around to realizing she’s not going anywhere and in order to not look like an ass he had to take initiative.”

“I hope so. God, I’m glad he’s not being such an ass though. I hope it’s not a phase.”

Annie looked up to see JC pulling Emma-Claire off of the swing and grabbing her in a tight hug, giving her waist a tickle. The little girl let out an exuberant laugh and threw her head back.

“I don’t think it is,” she assured her friend. “I don’t know, I think he’s going to be a great dad.”

JC looked up from his embrace with Emma-Claire and over at Annie who was on her phone and looking towards them. Her legs were crossed; her head tilted to the side, and a wide smile was spread across her face. The whole morning he’d stolen glances at her and wondered if she’d caught him. He couldn’t help it and he didn’t know why. She’d literally invaded his thoughts over the last three weeks and he wished he knew how to get her out of his head. He couldn’t date her. She was the nanny. It would only cause confusion for Emma-Claire, especially if they broke up and JC knew himself too well-he wasn’t one for long-term commitments and if it ended up going past four months, he would ultimately end it for fear that something would eventually go wrong.

“Annie’s pretty,” Emma-Claire interrupted his thoughts.

JC shook himself out of his gaze and looked down at Emma-Claire who was leading him towards the slide.

“Don’t you think she’s pretty, Daddy?” Emma-Claire continued. “I like her laugh.”

JC didn’t know how to answer. He wasn’t that dumb to think that Emma-Claire could blurt out later that Daddy thought Annie was pretty and then what would he say? His face would turn red and he’d clear his throat and it would be obvious that he was trying to cover up something.

“Yeah, her laugh is nice,” was all JC said. “So, how about you go down the slide and I’ll catch you on the other end.”

“No, come with me,” Emma-Claire tugged at him and JC looked at the yellow structure in front of him. It was a twisty-tube-type of a slide and although it was the perfect size for Emma-Claire, JC didn’t see how in the world he’d slide through it without getting stuck. But she was pleading with him with those beautiful blues and JC was a sucker for it, already letting her wrap herself around his finger.

“Sure. Okay,” he followed her up the small ladder and watched as she sat at the opening of the slide.

“Ok. I go first and I’ll wait for you down there, okay?” Emma-Claire said before letting herself off.

JC heard her laughing the whole way down and then it was his turn. He awkwardly put his feet through the opening already feeling extremely stupid looking on this little tube slide. He scooted towards it and pushed himself off, only he didn’t move very far. He lifted his feet up to see if he could gain momentum and that helped some, but it looked like he was going to have to scoot himself all the way down to the bottom.

Annie had finished her conversation with Megan and had joined Emma-Claire at the bottom of the slide. She heard scuffling of feet and had to suppress a laugh when she realized JC was stuck and was having to maneuver another way down other than freely sliding. At one point his shoe must have caught because the sound of rubber on rubber echoed throughout the structure and Annie had to turn her head so that Emma-Claire wouldn’t see her laughing.

“Daddy? Are you okay?” Emma-Claire put her body inside the bottom of the opening.

“Uh huh,” JC was out of breath but was almost there. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and saw sunlight peering in from below. “Here I come!” He gave one last push with his hand, lifted his feet up as far as he could, and was able to slide down the rest of the way. He lost his balance at the end and fell off, landing right on his bottom. Annie couldn’t help it and lost it right then and there.

“Thanks,” JC looked up at her, a smirk on his face. “I appreciate the support.”

“I’m really sorry,” Annie said through her laughter. “But that was the funniest thing I’ve seen in a while.”

“Are you okay, Daddy?” Emma-Claire bent down, her face right at his.

“Yep,” JC stood to his feet and brushed off the sand that had collected on his jeans. “Well that was a fun day at the park. What else do you two do while I’m at work?”

“Wow, you’re a baby when you get embarrassed, huh?” Annie couldn’t help but jab at him.

JC turned to face her, crossing his arms and playfully making a face. “Well, Annie the Nanny, let’s see you do it!”

“Annie the Nanny? Wow. Is that what you call me? That’s super creative, JC,” she looked down at Emma-Claire. “Your dad is making you millions with his songwriting skills. Especially if they rhyme.” Emma-Claire only giggled, not really understanding the joke, but enjoying the banter between her father and her nanny. “And you want me to go down the slide? No problem.” Annie went to climb the ladder around the other end of the structure and JC and Emma-Claire planted their feet by the bottom of the opening. In two seconds, Annie had slid down and was just standing to her feet when she lost her balance and fell backwards. JC reached behind her and caught her in one arm. She put her arms around his neck to balance herself but then JC was the one to lose his balance next and they both fell onto the ground, JC landing on top of her.

“Oh my god are you okay?” he immediately asked, looking right into her eyes.

Annie’s breath was taken away, not from the fall but from the man who’d tried to break it. His face was inches from hers and Annie gulped, quickly pushing him off and rolling to her side to stand up.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” she smiled confidently and brushed the dirt from her jeans. “Are you okay?”

JC had wanted to hold her down a little longer if he’d been honest with himself. That was the only thing that wasn’t okay. Not to mention they were both embarrassed to have been caught in that position. “Yeah. Uh huh,” he nodded quickly, then turned to Emma-Claire who was staring at both of them with wide eyes.

 “I think we should go get lunch. And then maybe to a movie and before we head back, I need to stop by the studio just really quick to check on something,” JC began to walk to the car, with Emma-Claire running to catch up to him.

“You mean where you took me when I first got here?” Emma-Claire asked, following her father and holding onto his hand. Annie lagged behind, giving them some space and doing everything in her power to clear her fuzzy head. Her sister would die when she heard the story of JC falling on top of Annie. It was then that Annie understood why her sister used to think he was so attractive.

“Yeah. You remember that?” JC looked down at her and grinned as though it were a fond memory for her.

“Yeah. I was really bored,” Emma-Claire made a face. JC remembered that for the most part, Emma-Claire hadn’t spoken that day and had spent most of it curled up in a chair.

“You won’t be this time. I promise. And it will only be for a few minutes,” JC assured her, then turned back to Annie. “Are you okay with that?”

Annie chuckled, “What am I? Your nanny? I don’t care what you’ve got planned for us.”

“Well, it is your day to show me stuff and all that,” JC reminded her as they came to his car. He unlocked it and began to help Emma-Claire into her booster seat.

“Honestly,” she spoke and smiled at him, “you’re doing a great job. I kind of have half a mind to let you do it on your own today. In fact, before you got back from New York, that’s what I was planning on doing. But yesterday you took over in a good way and it showed me that I didn’t have to stick it to you.”

JC nodded taking in all of what she’d just said. “Wow. Thanks. I guess New York made me think about a lot of stuff.”

“Good,” Annie realized she and JC were sort of gazing at each other over the car and quickly shook herself out of it. “So, yeah, lunch. Emma-Claire, where should we go for lunch?”

Had she just been gaping at him? Was it his imagination? Or was he that worked up over her that he’d wanted it to be that way? She was now involved in a conversation with Emma-Claire about why they shouldn’t eat at McDonalds and go somewhere different and wasn’t really paying him any attention now, but for that split second she’d looked at him differently. Possibly. Maybe. He couldn’t think too long and hard about it because just the night before she’d shared her bed with another man who was more or less her steady boyfriend now and JC wasn’t going to touch that with a ten-foot pole. He would resign himself to be her boss and that was all. Which is why he felt slightly creepy about occasionally glancing over at her breasts or resting his eyes on her legs when she would cross them next to him in the passenger seat. He could stare, he just wouldn’t touch and he’d have to be okay with that.

 

The rest of the afternoon was spent getting lunch at a pizza place JC claimed was the best in West Hollywood, then a movie, and dinner at a Mexican restaurant. Afterwards, they drove on the other side of town to the studio. It was small and cramped inside and Annie wondered how JC ever managed to fit eleven girls in it along with himself and his friend Jimmy. Jimmy was an older man and was married with kids. He wasn’t as talkative with Annie or Emma-Claire, only interested in telling JC about their latest project, the eleven girl group they were producing. Annie settled herself on a couch with Emma-Claire in her lap. She pulled out her iPad and let Emma-Claire play games on it while they waited. She watched JC as he talked enthusiastically with Jimmy and a few times they looked over in her direction. Annie figured they were talking about Emma-Claire and looked down at the little girl nestled comfortably in her lap. It was almost eight and she knew soon enough that the child would be getting sleepy. She hoped JC wouldn’t be too long.

 

“She’s cute,” Jimmy gestured towards Annie.

JC, assuming Jimmy meant Emma-Claire, responded with, “Thanks.”

Jimmy looked at him as if he were crazy. “I meant your nanny.”

“Oh,” JC rubbed the back of his neck with his hand and looked over at Annie and Emma-Claire. “Yeah. I guess.”

“Wow, you’re full of it,” Jimmy shook his head at JC. “You can’t tell me you haven’t thought she was pretty.”

JC shrugged. He didn’t want to give anything away, so he tried changing the subject. “Yeah, anyway, so we have the girls on Lance’s show and then –“

“You’re blushing,” Jimmy pointed and slapped JC’s shoulder. “Wow, you have thought about her in another way, haven’t you?”

JC shook Jimmy’s hand off of his shoulder. “Anyway, did you get the gig at the Galleria?”

“So, you’re not going to talk about it are you?” Jimmy sat down across from him and swiveled back and forth in the chair. “Since when have you been Mr. Private in front of me?”

“Since now,” JC walked over to where the girls’ schedule was and began to thumb through it.

“What’s the big deal? She’s cute. You’re single and we all know how much happier you are when you’re getting sex,” Jimmy was relentless. For being older than JC, he more or less acted like he was still a teenager.

“The big deal is that she’s my daughter’s nanny. How unprofessional is that?” JC pulled out his phone and checked the schedule with his calendar to make sure he had all the date’s right. “And I’m not getting involved in that.”

“Are you kidding me? Unprofessional? This is L.A. That’s how the best love stories start. Hooking up with the hired help,” Jimmy looked through the window again. Annie was reading something to Emma-Claire from her iPad. “She’s got a nice motherly touch, too.”

“I’m quite aware of that. And as for hooking up with the hired help, I would never do that. And Annie’s not just hired help. She’s…she’s..” What was she? She was the nanny, but the way they’d acted towards each other at the park felt more like they were friends than anything else. “She’s a friend. Or she’s becoming a friend. And you know my dating record. I get bored too easily and I wouldn’t want to dump her and then it be weird for Emma. I can’t put my kid through something else. Besides, her new boyfriend slept over last night. I’m pretty sure she’s not interested.”

Jimmy shook his head. “I see no ring, C.”

JC ignored him. “I need to get them home. I just came by to see what all was coming up for the girls so I could let Annie know some of the weekend dates when I might need her.”

Jimmy followed him out of the recording area and back into the lobby where Emma-Claire had nearly fallen asleep on Annie’s lap. She was leaning against Annie and her eyes fluttered open when she heard JC approaching.

“Can we go home now, Daddy?” she asked groggily. Annie smiled at Jimmy and then looked at JC, hoping he was finished.

“Yep. I’m all done,” he reached down to pick her up and Emma-Claire wrapped her arms around his neck and immediately fell asleep on his shoulder.

“Nice to meet you,” Jimmy shook Annie’s hand before they left. “Make sure he’s not working you too hard.”

Annie smiled at Jimmy. “Nice to meet you, too.” She stood to her feet and followed JC out of the building.

“Hey, C, remember what we talked about!” Jimmy called after him and JC waved him off as he unlocked the car.

The drive back to the house was quiet. Annie occasionally checked her phone to see if Doug had texted her about arriving back in Dallas but there was nothing yet. JC turned on the radio and sang along softly with the music. Annie rested her head against the passenger seat and closed her eyes as he drove along the freeway. It had been a long day but Annie had enjoyed every minute of it. She thought of their dinner at the Mexican restaurant where JC had talked the waiter into letting them all wear sombreros even though it wasn’t anyone’s birthday. Emma-Claire had loved that and Annie snapped several pictures of her posing in the hat with her dad. Everything from the park to the movie to both meals had run smoothly and Annie had almost forgotten that it was supposed to have been for JC to learn what to do with Emma-Claire when she wasn’t around. As far as she was concerned, he had it covered.

“I can tuck her in,” JC whispered, after he’d pulled the car into the garage. “You can go on back to the pool house if you want.”

Annie looked back at Emma-Claire. Her little head was turned to the side and she was out for the night for sure. “Okay,” she turned and smiled at JC before getting out of the car and shutting the door as quietly as she could. JC came around to the other side where she was standing and Annie helped him lift Emma-Claire out of the booster seat. Emma-Claire opened her eyes and yawned, then, confused as to where she was, began to whimper.

“Shh, it’s okay,” JC kissed her cheek. “We’re gonna go inside and go to bed now.”

Annie smiled at that and felt her heart jump somewhat. She watched JC turn and shut the door, then look at her. “See you tomorrow. I don’t have to be in until eleven so you can sleep in.”

Annie just nodded. “Sure. Sounds good,” she followed him into the house and walked through the kitchen to the sliding glass doors. “Hey, by the way, JC?”

JC turned and was about to walk into the living room to head upstairs. “Yeah?”

“You did awesome today. I think you’re better at parenting than you think you are.”

“I couldn’t have done it without you,” he replied. “Really, Annie, you’re so good with her.”

“You’re good with her too, JC,” Annie smiled. “I’m not just saying that either.”

JC wanted to walk over and hug her or kiss her goodnight, but he maintained his position a few feet away from her. The moonlight reflecting through the glass doors showed off her silhouette perfectly and JC had to turn around so as not to gawk at her.

“See you tomorrow,” he spoke before leaving the kitchen with Emma-Claire still in his arms.

Annie watched him disappear and then walked outside. It was chilly and she was looking forward to changing into her pajamas, perhaps having a glass of wine, and watching television before she fell asleep. She did her best to keep up with a rerun of The Office but her thoughts were jumbled with the events of the day. Falling on the ground with JC, especially. He’d been so close and his eyes were looking so intensely into hers that she almost closed her eyes and….and she was practically with Doug now and didn’t need to think about that anymore. That brought her back to attention and she rolled her eyes at herself for nearly forgetting that nearly 24 hours ago she’d been having sex with Doug. That fall today had just been a fluke, clumsy thing and JC was cute, she’d give him that. And when a strong, cute, older man looked at her with those beautiful, sharp eyes, what else was she supposed to do? Ignore that? She’d be blind to have ignored that. No. It was a fluke. It was done. And in less than a week, Doug would be back in her bed again.

I played with your heart

Got lost in the game

Oh baby baby….

 

Annie had been blasting old school Britney Spears from the living room with Emma-Claire a few days later. It had happened two evenings in a row now, starting when Annie had put on her iPod while she was doing the dishes.  Emma-Claire had stayed in the kitchen and watched as Annie began to playfully dance around while emptying the dishwasher. Watching her every move, Emma-Claire began to copy her and soon Annie was spinning Emma-Claire around in a circle. Emma-Claire had no idea what the song was and Annie assumed she was too young to know Britney Spears’ music anyway, but it was certainly fun watching the little girl jump from couch to couch and at one point stand up on the coffee table with a fake microphone. It wasn’t surprising. Her mother had been in show business and then there was JC who’d been in the most popular boy band in the world at one time.

On this particular night, Annie felt more giddy than before because tomorrow Doug would be arriving and JC had given her permission to get off work early on Friday and pick him up. She hadn’t planned much for his visit, figuring it would work itself out, but she’d also promised Megan that she’d see her cousin at least for brunch on Saturday. Tomorrow she would take Emma-Claire to a junior ballet class before noon, pick her up, eat lunch, and JC promised he’d be home before the child woke from her nap. She had ignored those feelings when she’d seen him earlier that week. Those feelings that brought her back to the park and oddly enough, that night that was weeks ago now when he’d nearly cornered her in the hallway. Instead, she replaced them with thoughts of Doug and reminded herself that everyone’s first time together never ended in fireworks. In fact, if Annie were honest with herself, she much preferred foreplay than sex. She’d never been with anyone who made her toes curl. But it didn’t matter because she and Doug were good at the other stuff and they’d eventually make it work.

She laughed as Emma-Claire bounced onto the couch again and put her hand in the air, then tried to twist in a circle as she spun off. Annie grabbed her little hands and began to dance around the room. The music was so loud that she didn’t hear the garage door open from the kitchen and in a minute they’d spun right into JC, who was laughing at the entrance to living room.

“Oh my god!” Annie couldn’t help but shriek from fright and embarrassment at what he’d seen.

“You’ve got moves,” he winked at Annie and went over to the stereo system to turn down the volume. “And you’ve got good genes.” He looked down at Emma-Claire, picking her up in his arms.

“I’m not wearing jeans, Daddy,” Emma-Claire told him with a straight face. “Shorts. See?” she pulled on the purple denim fabric.

“Right. Never mind,” JC kissed her cheek and put her down. “So, Britney huh? And not just Britney, old school Britney.”

“Well, I figured she should be introduced to the music I used to listen to,” Annie was still red in the face. Just how much had he seen? Not that it was a huge deal. It wasn’t as though she was doing anything provocative or even being serious about her lack of dancing skills. But being that free and loose and goofy in front of her boss made her suddenly feel vulnerable.

JC couldn’t help but laugh at that. He’d seen her dancing like she was a child all over again and before he’d interrupted she hadn’t seemed to have a care in the world about how she looked. He could tell she was embarrassed but couldn’t let it go.

“Nice. You’ll have to teach me your moves sometime,” he smirked at her.

“Shut up,” she rolled her eyes and looked at Emma-Claire. “Ok, time for your bath, girl.”

“I’ll give it to her,” JC offered, picking his daughter up once more. “You’ve got a big day tomorrow, right?” He was trying to be the bigger person here. He knew what tomorrow was and he knew that all week he’d been struggling with jealousy knowing that Annie would be with her boyfriend in the pool house most of the weekend. He’d even been generous enough to let her have Friday evening and Sunday morning off. But it still made his insides churn and he’d finally confessed to Jimmy what he’d been feeling.

“I’ll set you up with someone,” Jimmy had proposed.

“No, it’s fine. I’ll get over her,” JC hadn’t wasted time in responding.

Jimmy grabbed him by the shoulders and looked right into his friend’s eyes. “No, I’m going to set you up. You practically live with the girl you’re fantasizing about and-“

“I am not fantasizing!” JC lied. He’d definitely had visions of him and Annie in some precarious situations as of late. It was only getting worse and he wished he could shake it.

“Ok, fine, but I’m setting you up,” Jimmy replied.

“Yeah, I guess,” Annie shook JC from the flashback he’d had to earlier that day.

“You got any big plans with him?” he asked her, as she turned off the iPod and unplugged it from the speakers. Besides the obvious, he’d wanted to add but held his tongue.

“Um, not really. We’re meeting up with my friend Megan on Saturday for brunch,” Annie leaned against the wall as JC stood by the stairs, holding Emma-Claire. She loved watching his interactions with her now and he was even more attractive to her than he’d been before. She quickly transferred her thoughts to Doug and cleared her throat. “Megan likes this place around the corner called Dimitri’s so we’ll probably go there. Then I might take him to the Santa Monica pier.”

“Sounds like you’ve got a few good ideas,” JC nodded. She seemed nervous for some reason and he figured it was from his sneaking up on her. “Hey, don’t be embarrassed about tonight, okay? I’m glad you were dancing with my kid.”

Annie rolled her eyes. “Whatever. I wasn’t embarrassed,” she lied.

“You’re a good actress, too,” JC mused, then looked at Emma-Claire. “Tell Annie goodnight.”

Emma-Claire crawled out of JC’s arms and ran to Annie, hugging her around her legs. “Night, Annie. I love you.”

“How much?” Annie bent down and looked at her in the eyes. They’d recently read the book I Love You to the Moon and Back and it had been their way of saying goodnight to each other for the last few evenings.

“To the moon and back!” Emma-Claire giggled and kissed Annie’s cheek.

JC collected Emma-Claire once more, said goodnight to Annie, and headed up the stairs. Annie turned off the light in the kitchen before she went back to the pool house, suddenly not feeling as giddy as she’d been before JC had walked in on her and Emma-Claire dancing. Lately that week, she’d felt her heart and her stomach switch places whenever he’d walk into a room. She’d seen the glances he’d given her, the smiles he gave when he didn’t think she was looking, and there were several times that he’d say something to her that made her giggle with laughter when normally it wouldn’t have been nearly as funny. This was dumb. She hated being so “girly” around cute men and JC was most definitely cute. Doug was cute but in a different way. There had been several times when Annie had wanted to call her sister and ask her advice but when she remembered what she would be asking about, she immediately declined because her sister wouldn’t care about Doug. Maggie would tell her without hesitation to keep this little crush of hers with JC and see what happened. Annie was the more realistic one and knew there would be nothing on his end, even if he were stealing glances at her. She was enjoying being JC’s friend and getting to know him but above all else, he was her boss. That alone was reason enough to snap her back to reality and start to prepare her for seeing her boyfriend tomorrow.

 

“Did you have fun today with Annie?” JC asked Emma-Claire as he finished bathing her in the tub. He squeezed out the washcloth and hung it over the faucet. Emma-Claire stood up as the water began to swirl into the drain and JC grabbed her towel, wrapping her in it. He picked her up and placed her on the floor in front of the bathroom mirror.

“Yeah. We played five games of Candyland!” Emma-Claire exclaimed and held up five fingers to show her father. “And then we had macaroni and cheese and green beans for dinner and then we danced. Oh and Daddy I get to go to dance tomorrow!”

“I know,” JC grinned at her, as he began to brush out her wet hair. He grabbed her hair dryer from underneath the sink and turned it on low. Annie had given him a small lesson on drying her hair because at one point he’d turned it on much too high and it had made Emma-Claire cry from how hot the heat had been on her scalp. Now he felt like an expert at her bedtime. It was the little things that made him proud of himself for knowing what to do with this child who had showed up on his doorstep a mere three weeks ago. “You’ll have to show me what you learned in dance class tomorrow night. Remember, Annie’s friend is coming into town so I get to have you all to myself.”

“Annie’s friend Doug?” Emma-Claire looked at her father through the mirror.

“Uh huh,” JC turned the hair dryer off and brushed her hair back from her face. He took the toothbrush from the medicine cabinet and Emma-Claire squeezed the pink Disney Princess toothpaste onto it.

“Are they gonna get married?” Emma-Claire asked, as JC began to brush her teeth.

“I don’t know. I think they’re just really good friends right now,” JC didn’t want to think about that. “Open wider, babe. I need to get to your back teeth.”

Emma-Claire opened her mouth as wide as she could and JC gently brushed the back of her mouth. She spit into the sink, took a gulp of water, then jumped down from the step stool she’d been standing on and followed JC into her bedroom.

“What book?” he asked her, kneeling in front of the small bookcase. “You want I Love You to the Moon and Back?”

Emma-Claire vehemently shook her head. “No. That’s me and Annie’s book.”

JC winced. He didn’t want to admit that a four-year-old had hurt his feelings. “Oh. Okay. Um. Well, what about a book for Daddy and you?”

Emma-Claire looked thoughtful for a moment then said, “Cinderella.”

“Why that one?” he took out the book of fairy tales and walked over to her bed.

“Cause I watched it when I first got here,” she told him in a matter-of-fact tone. “Remember?”

Emma-Claire had a great memory of that first week with JC. It had been a blur for him and she’d continually bring up things from those first few days that she was sure her father had remembered her doing. But JC had been in a crisis mode and hadn’t really paid much attention until long after Emma-Claire had moved in.

“Um, sure,” JC didn’t want to disappoint her and so he pretended to remember what she had been talking about. He walked over to the bed and sat down next to her. She rested her head on his shoulder and JC began to read her the story that she’d deemed the story for her and her father. When he finished, he closed the book and leaned down to kiss her goodnight.

“I love you, Daddy,” she whispered and rolled over to her side.

“I love you, too, baby,” JC kissed her once more and Emma-Claire clutched onto the picture of her mother like she’d done every single night since she’d been with him. He pulled the covers over her and then walked out of the room, cracking the door as he left. Walking back downstairs he plopped down on the couch and turned on the television, chuckling to himself that it wasn’t even nine o’clock and he was already in for the night. Times had certainly changed.

His phone began to buzz and JC grabbed it from his pocket, smiling when he saw it was his mother.

“Did I already miss telling my granddaughter goodnight?” Karen asked, as JC lay back on the couch.

“Unfortunately. I just tucked her in,” he replied. “You want me to go wake her?”

“Heavens no, you’ll never get her to sleep again!” Karen chuckled. “So, how’s it going?”

“Really well. Annie’s been a great help around here. Emma-Claire really likes her.”

“I’m so glad you’re finally coming around to her, JC. I knew once you let go of your pride and let everything settle you’d see what a precious little girl she is.”

“Yeah. It was all Annie. She was the one who pretty much told me off and got me to see how awesome it was to have a kid.”

Karen detected a note of affection in his voice when he’d mentioned Annie’s name. She didn’t say anything, only continued to talk to her son as though she’d heard nothing. She could always tell when he was starting to find interest in the opposite sex. She’d seen it with all of his serious girlfriends. And although she’d worried about him with all of those flings he seemed to have, she knew he’d eventually find someone that he wanted to be with for longer than a few months. Karen had taken to Annie in the few days they’d spent together and it had crossed her mind once or twice that perhaps JC might find her attractive. She hadn’t said anything. He’d come to find it on his own if, in fact, that was what she’d heard in his voice. But it delighted her to know that he was at least getting along with his daughter and her nanny and there wasn’t that tension that had been there in the previous weeks.

“I’m glad to hear that,” Karen told him. “Now, when are you all coming out to see the grandparents?”

“Oh, geez, Mom, I have no idea. I’m really busy with the group and Emma-Claire loves her preschool and she starts dance tomorrow. Maybe on a weekend in the spring or something,” JC felt bad for making his mother wait that long. Just in the three weeks that she’d been gone, Emma-Claire had become a different child or at least had been more of herself than before. He wanted his parents to know the child he knew and he wanted his child to meet her grandfather and aunts and uncle.

“Well, maybe your dad and I can get out there first,” she suggested. “I don’t know if I can wait much longer to see her.”

“That would be great,” JC answered. “I know Emma-Claire would love that.”

Karen smiled through the phone. “Perfect. I’ll talk to your dad and see when we can make that happen. Tell her we love her and I’ll try to call over the weekend and talk to her. And tell Annie I said thank-you.”

“For?”

“For finally making you see the light!”

“Yeah,” he answered. “She really has.”

Karen bit her lip and heard his voice change once more at the mention of her name. She knew her son and she knew he was more stubborn than most and that if he did have something for Annie, then he’d possibly talk himself out of it until it was too late or he’d jump on it immediately. She was praying for the latter.

“I’ll talk to you later, honey,” Karen finally said. “Goodnight.”

“Night, Mom.”

 

Karen hung up and looked over at her husband who was still up in bed reading, even though it was nearing midnight. “I think our son might be falling in love with his nanny.”

Roy snorted. “Now don’t get carried away. You know how he is when it comes to women and I certainly don’t want him getting involved with a woman that he’s employed to take care of our granddaughter.”

Karen sighed and shook her head. “No, I don’t either,” she turned off the lamp next to her bed. “But I also know she’d be perfect for him if he’d be willing to actually stay in a relationship.”

 

“I’ve been waiting for this day since Sunday,” Doug whispered in Annie’s ear after they’d made love. “You’re so amazing, baby.”

Annie smiled and gently dragged her nails up and down his chest. This time had been a little better than their first, but she still felt as though he had gotten more pleasure from it than she had. It didn’t matter. Here they were curled up in her bed and locked away from the outside world. Dinner had been at a hole in the wall Italian place near the beach and they’d both been so anxious to get back to Annie’s that they’d scarfed down a pizza and wine and now Annie was hungry again.

“Me too,” she said, kissing his arm that was draped around her front. “I thought about you all week.”

Doug turned on his side and pulled her to him. “What did you think about?”

“This,” she grinned at him and leaned in for a lingering kiss.

“Yeah? Was it this good?” he mumbled against her lips.

Annie tried not to show her disappointment. Clearly it really had been better for him. “Uh huh,” she answered, glad that his eyes were still closed and he couldn’t see the uncertainty written all over her face.

“Let’s not leave your apartment all weekend,” Doug pulled her on top of him. “Let’s just be like this okay?”

Annie giggled. “You know we’re meeting up with Megan tomorrow.”

“Fine. Then after that, we’ll come back here,” his hands rested on her backside and he gazed into her eyes. “I want you so bad, Annie.”

She looked down at him and grinned, leaning in so that his lips met hers. “I want you, too.”

“Please me, baby,” he grunted, his hand gently pushing her down towards his pelvis.

Annie tried to suppress her disappointment. He’d barely given her anything a few minutes ago. But she’d chalked it up to the fact that he was tired and jet lagged and tomorrow she’d get her turn. Forgetting her frustration, she forced a grin and began to kiss her way down his body.

 

“We’re going out to breakfast,” JC announced to Emma-Claire the next morning. He didn’t tell her it was because he didn’t feel like making pancakes, no matter how easy they seemed. He also didn’t tell her that it was because there was a possibility that he could spy on Annie and Doug at Dimitri’s. Partly because he didn’t want to admit to himself that that’s what he was doing.

“Really?” Emma-Claire asked. “Where are we gonna go?” She was grabbing onto his hands and climbing up his legs with her little feet. JC flipped her over and she giggled with delight. He’d decided it was fun being a human jungle gym for his daughter.

“Oh, I don’t know. It’ll be a surprise,” he winked at her. “Let’s go get dressed.”

A half hour later they were both in JC’s Mercedes convertible and JC had put the top down especially for Emma-Claire. The temperature was a warm and balmy 75 degrees, perfect for a January day in California. JC had to admit that he felt a little guilty for what he was doing. Spying on a girl that he knew was with another man and possibly seeing things he didn’t want to see, but he had to eat, Emma-Claire had to eat, and Dimitri’s was pretty close to the house anyway. He saw Annie’s car in a parking spot down from the restaurant and parked across the street. Emma-Claire was already bounding across the street, her hand in her father’s, excited to be going out for a meal, especially at breakfast. Upon entering the restaurant, JC looked over and immediately spotted Annie, Doug, and Megan. Annie was sitting next to Doug, his arm draped around her shoulder and her hand on his thigh. They were laughing heartily about something Megan had said to them and occasionally, Doug would lean over and peck Annie’s cheek. JC pretended not to notice them and waited for the hostess to come to the hostess stand and seat him and Emma-Claire.

“Daddy, look! It’s Annie!” Emma-Claire pointed and before JC could stop her, she’d run over to the threesome’s table. “Hi Annie!”

Annie looked up from her scrambled eggs and did a double take at Emma-Claire standing in front of her. She looked over to see JC guiltily waving, coming to retrieve her.

“Hi! What are you guys doing here?” Annie held her arms out to Emma-Claire, who ran into them and jumped in Annie’s lap.

“Didn’t feel like cooking,” JC shrugged. He looked at Megan and then at Doug. “Hi, guys. I’m JC. Sorry for interrupting your breakfast.”

“No problem. I’m Doug,” Doug stood to his feet and gave JC a firm handshake. JC eyed him and the jealousy he felt only grew. He managed to give a tight smile, then turned to Megan.

“And you must be Megan,” he stretched out his hand and Megan shook it, smiling at him.

“Ok, I know I am going to sound like a complete idiot but I went to about four of your concerts in 2001!” Megan blurted and Annie rolled her eyes at her friend.

“Really, Megan?” she scoffed and caught JC’s eye. “So, you didn’t feel like cooking? Even though I gave you a lesson last weekend?” Her eyes were dancing and he chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck.

“I know, I know,” he grinned. “I’m a lazy ass.”

Annie looked down at Emma-Claire. “So, what else are you and Daddy doing today?”

“Daddy says we’re gonna go to the park and then we might get ice cream,” Emma-Claire began to play with one of Annie’s curls. “When are you coming back home, Annie?”

“I get to play with you tomorrow night,” Annie promised her. “But remember my friend is in town so I’m playing with him right now.”

“Oh is that what you’re calling it?” Megan taunted Annie. She looked over at Doug. “Bet all that playtime’s gonna make you really tired, huh?”

“I don’t care,” Doug squeezed Annie’s shoulder. “She can tire me out all she wants.”

Annie was blushing, especially because JC seemed to be hanging onto every word of the conversation.

“Okay, drop it!” she looked from Megan to Doug, then back at JC. “I hope you guys have fun today. And thanks again for giving me off tomorrow morning.”

“Yeah, thanks,” Doug looked up at JC and smiled. “Don’t know if I’ll be able to move after tonight but-“

“Oh my god, shut up!” Annie groaned, and buried her face in her hands.

“No problem,” JC ignored Doug’s comment and looked at Emma-Claire. “Come on, honey. Let’s go get breakfast.”

Emma-Claire kissed Annie’s cheek before hopping off of her lap and running to her father. JC said goodbye once more and he and Emma-Claire were seated at a booth on the other side of the restaurant. He could only catch a small glimpse of Annie from where they were sitting and he realized that was fine with him. After hearing the suggestive conversation, he wished he’d never decided to come to Dimitri’s in the first place. It served him right. He should’ve thought twice before deciding to spy on Annie and her boyfriend. He was thankful that Jimmy was setting him up with someone because the desire he had for his nanny was only getting stronger.

 

Annie crawled out of bed later that night and walked down the steps from the loft to the kitchen. She and Doug had had sex once that evening after spending most of the day at the Santa Monica Pier and then going for dinner at a seafood restaurant nearby. The sex had been great for Doug, but mediocre for Annie. He hadn’t seemed to care at all that she wasn’t enjoying herself. She’d tried to tell him what turned her on, where to touch her, how to touch her, but he was more interested in her pleasing him. In fact, most of the day had been about what he wanted and where he wanted to go. Granted, he’d only been out to LA a few times, but when Annie suggested going to the Guggenheim, he’d looked at her as though she were crazy and then told her museums made him tired. Instead, they’d gone to the pier, ridden the Ferris wheel, and he’d tried to convince her to go down on him in the photo booth. She’d declined and told him she would save it for when they got home and he hadn’t forgotten. In fact, it was all he’d wanted from her. Finally, she’d coerced him into having sex but she’d barely gotten into it when he decided he was tired and rolled over and went to sleep.

She looked outside across the pool to the main house. She saw the kitchen light on and the light from the living room reflecting against the water. It was just 10:30 and she was bored and wide-awake. She glanced up to the loft and heard Doug snoring, then went into the bathroom and grabbed her bra that was hanging on the back of the door. Before she knew it, she was passing the pool and walking to the sliding glass doors, wondering if they’d still be unlocked. When she yanked on the door, it easily opened and she walked into the kitchen.

“Annie?” she heard JC calling from the living room.

“Hi,” Annie replied softly, walking quietly from the kitchen to the entrance of the living room.

JC was laying on the couch, a rerun of The Simpsons on the television, and was texting on his phone. He looked up and gave her a quizzical look. “What are you doing here?”

Annie shrugged and went over to the couch that faced JC. She sat down and played with her hands before looking at him. “I was, um, not tired and Doug’s asleep and I saw your light on so I figured I’d just come over here and see what was up.”

JC couldn’t help but smile at her, then raised an eyebrow. “I’m surprised you don’t want to spend every last second with him. Isn’t he leaving tomorrow?”

“Yeah,” Annie sighed and crossed her arms across her chest, leaning against the couch. “But he was tired so he didn’t really feel like staying up I guess.”

“Huh,” JC nodded slowly. “Well, can I get you anything? I’m not doing much. Just watching TV and catching up on some email,” he showed her his phone and then gestured towards the television with his head.

“No, I can go back if I’m keeping you awake,” Annie suddenly felt as though she were imposing. Imposing on what she had no idea, since JC was doing a lot of nothing right then and there.

“Don’t be silly, you’re fine,” he assured her. “Hey, I’ve got a bottle of wine in the frig. Wanna pop it open?”

Annie smiled. “Sure, why not?” she replied and followed him into the kitchen.

“So my mom called last night. She was really excited to hear how well you’re working out with Emma-Claire,” JC said as he put the corkscrew into the bottle. “She and my dad might be coming out here sooner or later. Since I can’t really get Emma out to Orlando to see them, they decided they would just come out here and see her themselves.”

“Cool,” Annie replied, taking a seat at the breakfast nook. “I bet your dad will be excited to finally meet his granddaughter.”

JC popped the cork and pulled down two wine glasses. “Yeah. I think my mom will be pleasantly surprised at what Emma-Claire’s like now.”

“Mmhm,” Annie agreed. “She’s certainly coming into her own.”

JC smiled at her and then poured two glasses of Pinot Gris. He walked over to the table where Annie was sitting and handed her a glass. “Cheers,” he clinked his glass with hers and sat across from her. “So, what did you and Doug today? No kinky details, please.” He was teasing but also somewhat serious. He didn’t want to know the dirt on what had gone on behind closed doors. It would only make him even crazier for her.

Annie giggled and sipped on her wine. “Um, we went to the Pier in Santa Monica and then had seafood for dinner at Gladstone’s.”

“Can’t go wrong with Gladstone’s. I should take Emma to the Pier sometime. I bet she’d love it,” JC said thoughtfully. “So then what?”

Annie sighed and looked down at her glass of wine. “So then we came back here. And hung out…” she trailed off, thinking of how Doug hadn’t wanted to do anything else but hop into bed and have her please him.

“Gotcha,” JC replied, trying to gauge the expression on her face. She looked almost forlorn and in some aspects, a little angry. “You okay?”

Annie looked up from her wine and forced a smile. “Yeah.”

“Really?” JC leaned toward her. “Look, I’m not a complete idiot. I know what you and Doug spent most of the weekend doing. Are you sad that he’s leaving tomorrow?”

Annie exhaled a sigh and wondered if she should confide in him. She couldn’t really confide in Megan and after Megan she guessed she could call Carey or Jamie, but JC was right in front of her and she was supremely frustrated about her weekend with Doug. It was supposed to have been great and she had really been looking forward to seeing him, but all it had turned into was Doug seeing how many times Annie could get him off or so it seemed to her.

“I didn’t have such a great time,” she admitted, biting on her lower lip.

JC tried his best not to smile at that revelation. He almost wondered if he’d heard her wrong. “What do you mean?”

Annie sighed again and shifted in her seat. “I mean that I don’t want to be with someone who’s only out for himself.” The words were out before she could stop them. “Sorry, I probably just gave you more than you wanted to hear.”

“Wait, out for himself…you mean in bed?” JC ventured. Annie nodded slowly, looking up to meet the surprised expression on his face. “Oh damn. That sucks.”

“Tell me about it,” Annie groaned. “I mean, would it be too much to ask if I were pleased for once? Or if I was even given a chance for that to happen? It’s all about him and what he wants and I never once-“ she stopped herself before she finished that sentence. “Well, let’s just say, I didn’t get mine if you know what I mean.”

JC sat there trying not to let his mouth hang open. He watched as Annie circled the rim of her wine glass with her finger, noting the frustration on her face. Doug sounded like a self-centered ass and JC felt sorry for Annie because she’d only been used to get him off.

“You know not all guys are like that, right?” he said softly. He wanted to reach across and put his hand on top of Annie’s but refrained. “I’m sure you know that. You just happened to end up with an egotistical jerk.”

Annie nodded her head slowly. “Yeah, well, sex isn’t all it’s cracked up to be anyway,” she muttered. “I don’t know why people make such a big deal out of it.”

JC was quite aware that if he wasn’t careful his mouth might hang open from shock and he’d look like he was catching flies. “Um, Annie, sex is awesome.”

“Sex is overrated,” she countered. “It’s fine for guys because you can get off whenever you want. For women it’s different. Like how hard is it to do what someone tells you that they like?”

“It’s not,” he answered her.

“Well, it is for him,” she cocked her head towards the pool house. “It’s just stupid. People make such a big deal about sex and how awesome and amazing it is.”

JC cleared his throat and looked down at his wine glass then up at Annie. “So, you’ve not had good experiences with sex I take it? Like, ever?”

Annie blushed, realizing she’d probably said enough but it was too late now. He knew she’d spent the majority of the weekend lying in bed with a man who had no idea how to make her want him again. “No,” she nearly whispered. “I mean, ok, there’ve been times that were good but I’ve never been with anyone who made me, I mean…you know..” she trailed off  and took a sip of wine. “Let’s just say no one’s ever made me scream.” There. She’d said it. She took another sip of wine, this time gulping it down.

JC chuckled softly and ran a hand through his hair. “Wow. Poor you. That’s a shame, Annie. How many if you don’t mind me asking?”

“Four,” she sighed. “I guess I thought by now I’d have found someone that would make me get what all my friends were talking about.”

“That really sucks, Annie. Cause sex is great. I mean, it’s really, really great. And to hear you talking about it like this is sad,” JC looked at her. “Are you gonna stay with him?”

Annie snorted. “Are you kidding me? I gave him all weekend to see if he’d turn it around. I’m about done with giving head.” She realized what she’d just said and put her hand over her mouth. “Oh shit. Sorry, JC!” she giggled into her hand and took another swig of wine.

JC laughed out loud. “You don’t have to apologize. I mean, did you….you know…get it in return?”

“Nope,” Annie tipped back her wine glass and finished her drink. She stood to go over to the island and retrieve the bottle of wine, bringing it back to the table. “I tried to tell him but he refused.”

“He refused?!” JC was flabbergasted.

“Yeah. He said he was too tired from the flight on the first night he was here. And then tonight he said he wanted to wait until tomorrow morning before he left to give me something to remember him by when he was back in Dallas.”

“You know that’s a line, right?” JC took the bottle of wine from her and poured more of it into his glass.

“Of course I knew it was a line,” Annie scoffed. “But whatever. I’m gonna break up with him tomorrow and maybe see if Megan will take him back to the airport or I can drop him at the Fly Away station.”

“I’m really sorry, Annie,” JC grimaced and shook his head. “I know you were looking forward to this.”

“I’m just tired of being with guys who have no clue how to please a woman. How hard is it to just do what someone asks of you?”

JC looked at her and wished he wasn’t her boss. If he wasn’t her boss, he’d tell her in very explicit terms exactly what he’d do to her and where and when and if she wanted to, he’d take her upstairs to show her just how much he could make her scream his name. He shook himself out of that thought and smiled at her. “It’s not,” he told her softly. “Trust me. It’s really easy and it’s a lot of fun to please someone who makes you crazy.”

Annie felt tingly all over and wondered if it was the wine or JC that was making her feel this way. She’d only had one glass and although she was working on her second one, she knew she could hold her alcohol better than that. No, it was most definitely JC and she knew she was crazy to think he was looking at her the way she wanted him to look at her. “Well, good, then. I guess there’s still hope for me,” she sipped her wine quickly and then stood to her feet. “Thanks for the wine. I’m gonna go back to bed now.”

JC almost asked her to stay a little longer. He’d wanted to move into the living room and continue this conversation. It was making him want her even more and he was beyond caring now that he had it bad for this woman. He held his tongue and simply nodded his head, walking her to the sliding glass doors.

“Sleep well,” he said above a whisper. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Annie tried her best not to gaze into his eyes and was quite aware of just how fast her heart was beating right then. “Yeah. See you,” she smiled and turned away, walking out onto the patio. He watched her cross by the pool and slip into the pool house, shutting the door behind her. Turning around he looked at the two wine glasses still sitting on the table and regretted not asking her to stay longer. He dumped the glasses into the sink, shut off the kitchen light, and decided it was probably best if he went straight to sleep. No sense in thinking about something that would never be.

“..so we have Lance’s show tomorrow and then on Tuesday we’ve got them playing at the Galleria at four,” Jimmy was telling JC over the phone the next day. There was a long silence. “C? You there? Hello?”

JC had been busying himself watching the pool house and waiting for Doug’s exit. It was almost nine and the light in the loft had been on for a good hour. He didn’t know what he was hoping for. A dramatic exit, whereupon Annie threw him out, clothes and all? Or her shoving him out the door and slamming it on him, thus leaving him finding his own way to the airport? He cleared his throat and went back to Jimmy’s call.

“Huh? Yeah. Sorry. I was um, yeah that sounds fine,” he muttered. “Lance’s show tomorrow. Galleria on Wednesday.”

“Tuesday!”

“Right.”

“Oh and you can thank me later but I think I found someone you might be interested in. Her name’s Layne and I have her phone number. She’s a friend of a friend.”

JC saw movement at the door to the pool house and walked over, nearly pressing his face against the pane of the sliding glass door. “Perfect,” he told Jimmy. “Sure, you can give me her number.” He watched the door open and, to his dismay, both Doug and Annie walked out looking perfectly fine. Nobody was angry or yelling. Doug carried an overnight bag and Annie followed him with her purse on her shoulder and keys in her hand.

“You okay?” Jimmy asked, noting the distance in JC’s voice.

“Uh huh. Late night,” he replied, which was true. After his conversation with Annie he’d gone upstairs and as much as he’d tried to fall asleep right away, his thoughts had been on Annie and all she’d confessed to him. How in the world had she never experienced sex the way it was supposed to be?

“Okay. Well, are you coming in today?”

“Maybe later. Annie’s got the morning off and when she comes in I might go in for a little while.”

“Okay. Maybe I’ll see you there,” Jimmy said.

“Yeah. Sounds good.”

Jimmy hung up and JC stayed by the sliding glass door, even though by now Annie and Doug had already left through the back gate. He sighed and turned around to find Emma-Claire standing in the kitchen entryway with two Barbie dolls.

“Hey, honey,” JC greeted her. “You slept in late. You want some breakfast?”

“Yeah,” Emma-Claire nodded and climbed into the booth of the breakfast nook. “When’s Annie coming to play with me?”

“In a little bit. What do you want for breakfast?” JC went over to the pantry and took out a box of Lucky Charms and a box of Cheerios. He could at least pretend to offer her the healthier option and not be scolded by Annie.

“Eggs,” Emma-Claire yawned and began to play with her Barbie dolls on the table.

JC nodded and put the boxes of cereal away, going over to the refrigerator and taking out a carton of eggs. He whipped four of them in a bowl until they were ready to be placed in the pan to be scrambled.

“When you’re finished with breakfast, we’re gonna call Mimi. She called to talk to you last night but you were already asleep,” JC said as he brought two plates of eggs over to the table.

“Yay! I can’t wait to talk to my Mimi,” Emma-Claire dug into her food right away. “And when we’re done talking to her will Annie be back?”

“What’s wrong? You don’t wanna play with Daddy today?” JC was starting to wonder if she was meaning to make him feel bad about himself. Last night with the book and then today with asking about Annie twice in less than ten minutes.

“No, Daddy. But I played with you yesterday,” Emma-Claire told him as though he should already know that. “And Annie said next time we played we could play Barbie’s,” she pointed to the two dolls on the table next to her.

“Well, what if Daddy wanted to play Barbie’s with you?” JC rested his elbow on the table and propped his chin in his hand.

Emma-Claire looked at him questioningly. “Really? You will?”

JC nodded. “Sure. It’ll be fun. Daddy used to play Barbie’s with your Aunt Heather.” This was partially true. By playing Barbie’s with his younger sister it had usually meant that he would kidnap a Barbie doll on behalf of He-Man and GI Joe and Heather would usually find Barbie propped up in Greyskull Castle.

“Okay,” Emma-Claire smiled. “Then we can play Barbie’s together and then when Annie gets back she can play with us, too.”

JC nodded thoughtfully and decided he could take a day off from the studio. The girls had a rehearsal early tomorrow morning before they went on Lance’s Dirty Pop show and after his conversation with Annie the night before, he was quite curious as to what had gone down that morning between her and Doug.

 

“You’re sure I can’t change your mind?” Doug asked Annie when she was dropping him off at the Fly-Away station. She’d wanted to break it off first thing that morning, but Doug hadn’t given her that opportunity. He’d immediately wanted sex first thing and as much as Annie tried to get into it and give him one more chance, it just hadn’t worked. Once again, he was all about his needs and her needs were pushed aside.

“No,” Annie grimaced. “I’m sorry, Doug. I just, I don’t think we’re a good fit.”

“But what about last night? And this morning? And all those other times?” he reached over to touch her hand with his.

Annie pulled a face and looked at him as though he were crazy. “You mean all the times you got yours and I was left hanging?”

“You were enjoying yourself! Don’t lie!” Doug snapped, pulling his hand away.

“Um, how would you know? You were too busy telling me to give you head and when I told you what I wanted you were suddenly too tired!” She was glad they were in the confines of a car and nobody could hear this conversation.

“Whatever,” Doug snorted and shook his head. “Fine. Well, then, have a nice life, Annie. And I hope you find someone who’ll give into your selfishness!” He went to get out of the car.

“My selfishness? Are you fucking kidding me? You’re about the most selfish person I’ve ever slept with!” she retorted and Doug glared at her before grabbing the overnight bag at his feet and slamming the door. “Ugh!” she hit the steering wheel and hastily started the car again. She was thankful it was Sunday and the traffic wasn’t as bad as it normally would be on the drive back to West Hollywood. She was furious and blasted the radio as loud as it would go in order to vent her frustration. By the time she pulled into JC’s driveway, her anger had subsided and she was much calmer when she walked inside the front of the house. The sight in front of her made her forget why she’d been angry in the first place. JC and Emma-Claire on the floor playing with two Barbie dolls and the Barbie convertible. JC was making “vroom-vroom” noises and Emma-Claire was giggling as he talked in a high-pitched voice as Barbie.

“But if we don’t go shopping today what will I wear to the movies with Ken?” he said, his voice sounding like a small child.

“You don’t have a date with Ken,” Emma-Claire was talking for her Barbie doll now. “You and me are going to the movies, remember?”

Annie walked into the living room and JC looked up and it was his turn to blush. “Um, hey,” he cleared his throat and put the Barbie down on the floor. “Um, she wanted me to play Barbie’s with her till you got here.”

“That was an Oscar worthy performance,” Annie teased him and plopped down on the couch. Emma-Claire immediately ran to her and jumped in her arms.

“Are you gonna play with me and Daddy now? Daddy says he will play with us today,” Emma-Claire informed her.

Annie looked over at JC. “I thought you were going to work today?” she questioned him.

“I was but it’s kind of pointless. The girls have a rehearsal early tomorrow morning and there’s not much I can do right now,” he replied. “If you want to take today off, too-“

“No, I need to keep my mind occupied,” Annie sighed and looked down at Emma-Claire. “Do you have a third Barbie for me?”

“Yeah! I’ll go get her!” Emma-Claire climbed out of Annie’s lap and darted up the stairs.

“So, I’m assuming it didn’t go well?” JC cautiously asked. “You don’t have to tell me anything, by the way. I was just asking after our conversation last night.”

Annie felt her heart flutter. That conversation had stuck with her most of the night. Especially when JC had said, It’s really easy and a lot of fun to please someone who makes you crazy. That line alone had gotten her through the awful sex with Doug that morning. “He has no idea how selfish he is,” Annie started. “And he told me I was selfish for wanting to be pleased.”

JC raised an eyebrow. “Whoa. You got out of that in time. So he was pissed?”

“Yeah. Slammed the door in my face and everything. God only knows what he’ll tell Megan,” she sighed and leaned back against the couch.

“Well, if she’s your friend she’ll believe you. I’m sure she has to know that he’s a loser,” JC put in. “When did you break up?”

“I wanted to do it this morning but, um, he had other ideas,” she cringed at the thought of that terrible last time between them. “So I broke up with him in the car at the bus station. I know, I’m a horrible person. But the way he handled it, I’m glad that’s where I did it.”

JC felt relieved to hear all of this. A part of him had wondered if she’d gone through with it at all when she’d seen them leave so peacefully earlier that morning. He was about to say something else when Emma-Claire came downstairs holding three more Barbie dolls in her little hands.

“Good grief how many Barbie’s did Mimi buy for you?” JC asked her, when she’d settled on the floor. Annie stood from the couch and went over to them, sitting down between JC and Emma-Claire.

“Five,” Emma-Claire said without batting an eye. She handed one to JC and one to Annie.

“If any of my friends could see me now..” JC mused quietly and caught Annie’s eye. Annie chuckled and bit her lip. “I’m sure they’d think you were super tough,” she told him. They shared a smirk together and Annie went back to pretending that her Barbie and Emma-Claire’s Barbie were going shopping together. It was exactly what she needed after the weekend she’d had.

 

“How would you feel about going back to the Pier today?” JC asked Annie while Emma-Claire was napping later that afternoon. “I mean, is it too soon or do you have horrible memories?” he was partly teasing, but he didn’t want her to associate Doug with something that was pretty common in that part of LA.

“It’s not like it was traumatic,” Annie giggled. She was sitting on the couch in the living room texting back and forth with Megan about Doug. Megan had been embarrassed that Doug had treated Annie the way he had, but then confessed to Annie that he hadn’t really been able to be in a long -term relationship and that his longest relationship had been about three months. “Just don’t judge me if I gag when we pass the photo booth.”

JC laughed softly. “No worries there. Anyway, I was thinking it was such a nice day out that when Emma wakes up we could take her there.”

“I bet she’d love it,” Annie smiled at him and then looked down at her phone, seeing another message from Megan coming through.

Does this mean you’ll never trust me with setting you up again?

Annie snickered and couldn’t help but roll her eyes at that.

“What?” JC asked, coming towards her and sitting across from her on the other couch.

“Nothing. Megan’s all paranoid now that I won’t ever trust her again to set me up with someone,” she answered as she typed back:

Maybe ;) You’re funny.

“Why? Does she have someone else for you already?” JC was trying to make sure his voice didn’t sound paranoid but it cracked at the end of his question and Annie looked up at him with a curious expression on her face.

“No…” she trailed off and shook her head, then went back to her text message. “I think she just feels bad. Of course had she told me in the first place that he wasn’t such a great relationship person to begin with then I think it all could have been avoided.”

“What do you mean?” JC asked.

“Apparently he hasn’t had a relationship that’s lasted longer than three months. I can see why now. Who wants to be with someone who is all about themselves?” she put her phone down on the coffee table and crossed her arms in front of her chest. “Maybe it’s me,” she said softly. “Maybe I just don’t know how to do it right.”

JC felt that feeling he’d felt from the night before. That feeling of wanting to prove to her how good she really was, of making her scream, of making her toes curl. He had to sequester it once more and let out a slow breath. “Annie, that’s dumb. You’re not doing it wrong. “

She shrugged and then stood up to go into the kitchen and get a glass of water. JC heard her opening the cabinet and then filling up a glass on the refrigerator door. They needed to change the subject or else he might cross all the boundary lines that were ever created for a nanny and her boss.

“So, um, about the Pier. Did you want to go?” he called to her before she walked back into the living room.

“Sure,” Annie replied, feeling her heart skip again at the thought of spending yet another day with JC. She hadn’t expected this and even though she knew it was wrong, she decided she didn’t care. She would let herself have a little crush on her boss. She wouldn’t pursue it, she wouldn’t even tell anyone. It would be her little secret with herself. Crushes were innocent and fun and knowing that nothing could ever happen between her and JC, it was just going to be something to occupy her mind until the next eligible bachelor came along.

 

JC had to remind himself that this trip to the Santa Monica Pier was nothing more than a random little outing with the nanny and his daughter. Because if he didn’t he would let his mind wander to how much it felt like he and Annie were together and sharing Emma-Claire. At one point he’d felt himself reaching for her hand as they walked from the Ferris wheel to a cotton candy stand. It just seemed so natural for some reason and he didn’t know why. The most physical thing that had happened was that stupid fall in the park and that was just humiliating to think about. Watching Annie with Emma-Claire made him wish that he could erase the boundary line. Annie adored Emma-Claire and it was obvious to him now more than ever before. The way she joked and teased with her, the way they had their little inside jokes, the occasional scolding from Annie to the little girl for running ahead of her and JC. It felt like they were joint parents in this crazy world that JC had stepped into barely a month ago. And yet, he couldn’t imagine life any other way now. The Pier had plenty of kiddie rides for Emma-Claire and by the time they were through, she’d ridden each one twice and was walking out with a large, stuffed pink bear. JC had won it for her in a shooting game he’d played.

“What do you want for dinner?” he turned to Annie as they pulled out of the parking lot.

“I don’t care,” she answered. She looked out the window at the Pier all lit up for the evening and yawned. It had been a long day but she’d enjoyed every single second of her time with JC and Emma-Claire. It was almost as though they were pretending to be a family and a few times she’d let her mind wander to that place and wished that JC was her boyfriend and they were there together with their daughter. It was a dangerous thought and it only lasted a few seconds because Annie knew her heart was on the line and letting him have that much power over her when there was nothing but a platonic relationship would only cause her even more heartache in the end.

“In-N-Out?” he asked her and Annie nodded without hesitation. “Good. And then, Emma-Claire, how about you pick out a movie and we can all watch it downstairs in the theater room?”

“Yeah!” Emma-Claire squealed from the backseat, hugging her new toy.

“I hope you don’t mind if she stays up a little later tonight,” JC said softly to Annie as they drove along the freeway. “I’m having a lot of fun with her. And today was great. I’m glad you came along.”

Annie didn’t want to blush but it was too late. She was glad it was getting dark and he couldn’t see the red that was splotched on her face. “Me too. It made today a whole lot better,” she told him. It was quiet and she looked down to see JC’s hand resting on the console. She studied his fingers and wondered how it would feel to link hers through them. She wanted more than anything to rest her hand on top of his but instead crossed her arms in front of her chest and looked out the window as the suburbs of LA passed them by.

Emma-Claire was ecstatic to be staying up past her bedtime. As soon as they were home, Annie went upstairs with her and helped her change into her pajamas before they went down to the basement. JC had made a small picnic on the floor of the theater room, complete with the bottle of wine from the night before. Annie sat down on the floor and leaned back against the large sofa while JC and Emma-Claire decided on a movie. She smiled at father and daughter next to her. Emma-Claire was nestled in his lap, JC’s head was resting on top of hers, and he held the remote out towards the large movie screen. When it landed on The Sound of Music, Emma-Claire gleefully stated that this was the movie she wanted.

“Perfect,” JC muttered to Annie. “She’ll be out before it’s over.”

Annie chuckled softly. “I know. “

“Is this one okay with you?” he asked, hitting PLAY on the remote and Annie nodded in agreement, picking up her hamburger and taking a bite. JC moved Emma-Claire to the floor and poured a glass of wine each for him and Annie, then handed it to her. Annie looked at her surroundings. It certainly couldn’t get much better than this. And it only made the fantasy in her head of JC and her together even easier to visualize.

After they’d finished eating, the threesome moved to the couch. Emma-Claire took the liberty of laying her head in JC’s lap and her feet in Annie’s. This made both adults have to sit extremely close to one another and Annie was doing her best not to inch her arm any closer to JC’s. What she didn’t know was that JC was trying not to do the same. Annie felt her eyes growing heavier and Maria hadn’t even gotten to the Captain’s house yet to meet the children. She looked down at Emma-Claire who was still awake and glued to the movie. She glanced at JC who was nodding off himself and trying to keep his eyes open. Annie sunk down into the plush sofa and closed her eyes. I’ll just rest for a minute, were her last thoughts before she drifted off to sleep.

The next thing she knew, the room was dark and somehow her head had ended up on JC’s chest. His arm was resting on her back, his hand barely touching her backside. Emma-Claire was nestled between them. She looked around for any sign of the time but her phone was upstairs and the room was windowless. Annie didn’t want to move. It felt too good to be like this with him but she knew it was only feeding that stupid fantasy from earlier. Still, it wasn’t as though she’d done this on purpose. They’d all fallen asleep together at some point. She was still curious as to how she’d leaned right into him. She closed her eyes again and reveled in the moment.

JC felt her stir beneath him but he didn’t dare make a sound. When her head had bobbed down to her chest earlier in the evening, he couldn’t help but pull her into his arms like this. He wouldn’t ever tell her because what would she think? He looked down at her nuzzled beneath him and then at Emma-Claire who hadn’t moved at all since she’d taken that position at the start of the movie. He closed his eyes again and pulled Annie tighter against him. He was just about to doze off when Emma-Claire sat up, causing Annie to quickly move away.

“I want to go to my bed, Daddy,” she whimpered groggily.

Annie let out a tired sigh and stretched as she stood to her feet. JC followed suit and picked up his daughter.

“Sorry about that,” Annie mumbled, rubbing her eyes.

“I didn’t mind,” JC replied, not caring at all what it might have sounded like. “Let’s get her to bed.”

They stumbled up the stairs and then up one more flight to the third floor. JC held Emma-Claire while Annie pulled back the covers. Emma-Claire reached for her pillow and Annie covered her up, kissing her cheek.

“Night baby girl,” JC whispered and kissed the top of her head. He followed Annie out, remembering what had transpired before when they’d been in this situation.

“Today was fun,” he told her when they were out in the hallway.

“Yeah. Thanks for inviting me along,” she smiled in the dark. She realized just how close they were standing and she could feel his breath on her face. Something in her told her to stay and not move towards the stairs.

“Anytime,” JC moved even closer, not thinking twice about it. He inched his way towards her until his face was right above hers. “Tired?”

“Uh huh,” Annie could barely get it out. He was there. He was so close. Was she imagining this?

“You should go to sleep,” his lips were nearly on her forehead and Annie was sure he could hear her heart beating inside of her chest.

“JC,” she almost whimpered.

“What?” he looked down at her and they were standing so close together that Annie wasn’t sure where he began and she ended. She gulped and opened her mouth slightly to answer him. Her lips were dry and she licked them, a shaky sigh escaping her.

“Annie?”

“Huh?” she looked right into his eyes. They were like fluorescent blue bulbs in the darkness.

He didn’t answer, only bent down and kissed her gently on the lips. Annie’s heart raced and she soon found herself wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him in for more. The kiss was soft and wet and delicious and everything that Annie had thought it might be with JC. And it was happening. It was really happening. When he pulled away she looked at him with uncertainty but he reassured her with a smile, moved his hands down her body and took her hand in his. She was following him down the hall to his bedroom and her heart began to pound in her chest. He opened the door and the only light in the room was from the moon and the light on the patio that automatically came on after nine.

“Come here,” pulled her to him again, his arms resting on her backside, their bodies so close together that Annie swore she could feel his heartbeat. His forehead rested on hers and she didn’t know whether to look at him or look away. “I’m not gonna lie, Annie. I’ve been thinking about you. A lot. You kind of make me crazy.” He kissed her cheek and her jawline and then his lips met her neck and found a spot that made Annie literally collapse. She gasped and held him tightly around his neck. His hands draped down to the hem of her shirt and he held it between his fingers. His lips still on her neck, he pushed the fabric up to her bra and Annie broke away from him, lifting her arms above her head as he lifted the shirt over her head. Pulling her back to him, he rubbed her back and she felt his fingers toying with the clasp on her bra. “I don’t want to do anything you don’t want to do. But Annie, I can’t get you out of my mind. You’re all I think about.”

She was all he thought about. She kept repeating it in her head. How was she all he thought about? She was Annie the Nanny. He’d even said it himself. He tugged at her clasp, holding it between his fingers and looked at her. “I kind of get that you’ve been feeling the same way?”

Annie could barely muster a, “Uh huh,” because she felt like she might keel over from how he was making her feel.  She placed hear hands on his chest and studied the buttons on his shirt. One by one she undid them and when she reached the last one, she slowly pushed it from his body. She remembered when she’d first been hired how she’d seen him twice without a shirt and both times she’d been quite impressed. And now here he was and that body was hers to kiss and to lick and to do whatever he wanted her to do. She leaned in and placed soft kisses on his chest. A low moan escaped his lips and she felt his fingers unhook her bra. She continued to kiss him, her hands gently rubbing his stomach and landing on the buckle of his jeans. Her bra landed in a puddle between them and JC pulled her closer so that they were now chest to chest. Moving away from him, she went over to the bed and leaned back on her elbows daring him to come to her.

JC sauntered over slowly and crawled next to her, one hand cupping her breast and massaging it ever so carefully and the other unzipping her jeans and yanking them down to her knees. She kicked them away and looked at him hungrily as his hand made circles around her nipple and his other rested on her thigh. She leaned back and pulled him on top of her, thrusting against him and letting him know that she wanted him to continue this assault on her body. She’d never before been so turned on in her life and after what he’d said to her just the night before, she knew it would be more than she’d ever imagined. The tiredness they’d felt only minutes before had dissipated and the fear of being together this way, of crossing that boundary, was no more, at least for now.

His lips kissed hers ravenously and Annie didn’t care that she was moaning and gasping as his fingers tore away at her panties. She didn’t care that she was lying there naked and that he was exploring every single inch of her. She bucked against him when he forced two fingers inside of her and at the same time licked at her breast. Her hands tugged at his hair, moving down to his neck and back again.

“Are you almost there?” his voice was husky and low and quite sexy, Annie thought.

“Yeah. Shit, JC!” she moaned even louder and JC couldn’t help but laugh softly. “What the hell are you laughing at?”

“I made you say my name,” he kissed her and took his fingers away. Annie almost protested but then watched him move down her body and soon his tongue was where his fingers had been and Annie felt herself arch her back. She grabbed at whatever she could find to hang onto. The sheets, the headboard behind her, anything.  Whatever he was making his tongue do she’d never ever had any other man do before. Soon she felt her orgasm come over her like a wave of pleasure that she’d never before experienced. Her back arched so much that she was coming off of the bed and a noise escaped her lips that was something between a grunt and a moan and a gasp. JC was relentless and didn’t stop. She was shaking and trembling and he kept going. She felt another orgasm rip through her, this one even stronger than before, though she could hardly believe it. JC looked up at her and she was gasping for breath. He moved up to her again and pulled her to him.

“I bet you’re amazing at sex,” he whispered, kissing her once more on the mouth.

Annie suddenly felt exhausted and as much as she wanted to try out his hypothesis, she knew tonight it might backfire for as tired as she was feeling.

“Um, JC…” she didn’t know how to tell him she was too tired to have sex, especially after what he’d just done to her. He could read her facial expression and knew she was sleepy.

“It’s okay. It doesn’t have to be tonight,” he whispered. He stood up and she watched him take off his jeans and then climbed into bed. “Sleep with me tonight.”

Annie bit her lip uncertainly. “But what if Emma-Claire-“

He stood up and went to his door and locked it. “That takes care of her wandering in tomorrow morning.” He crawled back into bed and Annie shivered as she pulled the covers on top of her. “Do you want a t-shirt?”

“Yeah,” she nodded and watched as he once more left the bed and went over to his dresser drawer to pull out an oversized t-shirt for her. He walked over to her side of the bed and handed it to her but not before leaning over her and kissing her again. Annie put the t-shirt over her head and lay down against the pillows. JC edged in next to her and took her in his arms.

“Goodnight,” he whispered, his lips on her forehead.

“Goodnight,” she moved so that her arm rested on his. She couldn’t fall asleep right away. Her brain was on overdrive after what had just happened. And what would happen tomorrow when they woke up? She looked at JC who was already asleep and decided she’d just have to wait and instead of worrying about it, she fell asleep, too.

 

The alarm went off at 6:30 the next morning. JC groaned and rolled over. He’d slept nearly most of the night with Annie in his arms but at some point she’d rolled away from him and was curled into a ball still facing him. He wanted to wake her and kiss her and tell her how much he had enjoyed last night. He loved pleasing her like he had and watching her tremble as she experienced what he’d given her was better than anything he’d shared with a woman in a long time. He reached over and rubbed her shoulder gently but Annie didn’t stir. She was completely out of it. Slowly he rose from the bed and stretched his arms, his neck cracking as he stood to his feet. He had to be at the rehearsal hall in two hours but all he really wanted to do was wake up Annie and talk to her about what had happened between them. He didn’t want her to wake up and him not be there and think that he’d abandoned her. He wasn’t stupid. He was pretty sure all women felt that way when they woke up to find the guy they’d shared a bed with had left in the middle of the night. JC went into the bathroom to take a shower, hoping she’d wake up before he left.

Annie heard the shower running when she finally opened her eyes. She had forgotten where she was at first until she looked over and saw the empty spot next to her. She snuggled beneath the sheets again and sighed contentedly, reveling in all that had happened the night before. She’d wanted to do more, she’d wanted for JC to receive just as much pleasure as he’d given her, but her exhaustion had won instead. Looking at the time, she knew that Emma-Claire might be up fairly soon but Annie didn’t want to move. She wanted to see him before he left and perhaps be assured that last night hadn’t been just a one-time deal. He’d told her, hadn’t he, that she made him crazy? She didn’t just dream that. Then again, Annie wasn’t stupid and she knew plenty of guys –even friends of hers- that had used lines even worse than that to get women into bed. But it had felt so good. So good.

Her thoughts drifted to Emma-Claire and she tried to ignore the negative feelings welling inside of her. The feelings telling her to be cautious. The feelings telling her that just because they’d shared that intimate moment together, JC could be like every other guy and walk away now. The feeling of knowing that Emma-Claire loved both Annie and JC and that if they started something, it would devastate the child if it went sour. She closed her eyes and tried to fall asleep again, knowing that she had to be up soon anyway, but wanting to forget the thoughts of regret that could be there if, in the end, they decided it wasn’t worth it. No matter, Annie knew they connected. They were so in tune with each other the night before that her body hadn’t quit trembling until minutes after he’d already fallen asleep. She knew it had never, ever been that good with anyone else and it filled her with excitement to think that there was plenty more to be had.

The bathroom door opened and JC walked out clad only in a towel around his waist. She rolled over and faced him and they both smiled at each other. He wandered over and sat down on the edge of the bed next to her. His arm propped next to her head, he leaned down and placed a sweet kiss on her lips. He smelled of soapy aftershave and toothpaste and, quite aware that she’d not even brushed her teeth the night before, Annie didn’t open her mouth when he tried to pry it with his tongue. It didn’t seem to stop him from kissing her elsewhere. Her cheek, her jawline, and when his teeth nibbled at her ear, Annie moved so that he was on top of her.

“Good morning,” he mumbled, pulling the sheet away from her. He lifted the t-shirt that covered her top half and smiled when he looked down to see her bottom half completely exposed. His lips met her stomach, and Annie saw the towel that had draped his body, fall to the floor. He lifted his head and chuckled. “Guess you get to see all of me now, huh?”

Annie still hadn’t said a word and he had maneuvered his way back into bed with her. His hand cupped her face, his other hand was moving down the side of her body and Annie trembled at his touch. Nothing was between them except the shirt Annie was wearing.

“JC,” she whispered, finally speaking. He was still kissing on her, moving from her stomach to her thigh. “JC, wait.” She’d wanted him to continue but she also knew they needed to talk and she didn’t want her cloudy, hormone-induced brain taking over just yet. He looked up at her and kissed her thigh again, dragging his tongue right where her thigh met her pelvis.

“You want me to stop?” he asked, and propped himself up on his elbow. He rested his hand on her leg and circled his fingers in some sort of a pattern.

“Yes. I mean, no, I don’t want you to stop but I just…” she trailed off and didn’t know how to finish her thought. She turned over on her side and reached down to stroke his face. He kissed her palm as it brushed past his lips and smiled at her, waiting for her to continue. “I don’t want to do anything else until we talk. And I know that’s a cliché thing to say, but we’ve got a little girl that we both love and if this isn’t going to be anything other than just sex with each other, then I don’t know if I want to pursue it.” She couldn’t help but run her fingers through his hair and stroked his cheek as she spoke. “I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t thought about you. But there’s just a lot to consider. How’s it going to look for you to be sleeping with your nanny?”

“Define sleeping,” JC teased her. “Because technically, we’ve only slept together once and that was without sex. But-“

“I’m serious,” Annie sighed and sat up pulling the sheets back over her legs. “I care about your reputation and I don’t want people thinking that you’re some sleazy Hollywood-ite who’s shacking up with a woman who’s hired to care for his daughter.”

JC knew she had a point. He lifted himself up and moved next to her. “I know, Annie. We can talk about it. I promise. I don’t want you to get the wrong idea that I only wanted you for a night. I think you’re amazing. I really do. And I was going to say that when I got back tonight we could talk more about it. But seeing you in my bed, something came over me and I just wanted to be with you again.” He caught her looking down at his exposed erection and snorted. “See something you like?”

Annie bit her lip and laughed softly. “Maybe,” she leaned in closer to him, their cheeks touching slightly.

“Do you want it now?” his breath was right in her ear and it made Annie quiver slightly.

“Are you gonna be late?” she whispered, her breath tickling his face.

“I’m the boss. So it doesn’t matter,” he pulled her to him and Annie pushed him down so that she could straddle him.

“I don’t want to have sex,” she looked in his eyes, realizing just how hard that would be since neither of them had anything on. “But I’ll give you a little treat before you go to work.”

“That’s fine,” JC breathed, lowering himself so that she could have complete access to his body. “Because I’ll rock your world later and show you what a real man does when he makes love.”
Annie dragged her tongue down his taut stomach and glanced up at him to see his eyes half-opened and looking at her with pure lust. She was just about to take him in, when the door rattled and Emma-Claire’s little voice called out for her father. Annie’s eyes flew open and she looked up at JC. There was evidence of her everywhere in the room. Her clothes strewn about, her bra and panties in a puddle by the bed. JC kissed her quickly, stood up and grabbed his towel and threw her clothes under his bed.

“Go hide in the bathroom,” he whispered and Annie obeyed, jumping off the bed and literally flying into the bathroom and shutting the door.

“Hang on, honey. Daddy’s changing,” JC called to her.

“When’s Annie coming over?” she asked.

“Soon. Why don’t you go watch TV until she gets here,” JC was trying to put on his jeans but kept tripping over his feet from nerves.

“Okay,” Emma-Claire replied and JC heard her run down the hallway. He opened the door to the bathroom and Annie was standing there smirking at him.

“How am I supposed to get to the kitchen without coming downstairs first?” she bypassed him and went to retrieve her clothes from underneath the bed. JC watched as she took off her t-shirt and fastened her bra and wanted to kick himself for scheduling an early morning rehearsal. “JC, seriously, what do we do?” He snapped to attention and shook his head.

“Tell her you spent the night in the guest bedroom,” JC suggested, as he took a shirt from the closet and threw the hanger on the ground. “Just tell her you were too tired to go back to the pool house after the movie.”

Annie nodded and zipped her jeans. She walked over to him and he smiled at her as she pressed her lips to his. “We still have to talk about stuff.”

“I know,” his forehead met hers and he brought her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles. “We’ll talk when I get home. I should be back pretty early. We can put Emma to bed and if it’s nice outside, we’ll go out by the pool with some wine.”

Annie nodded and looked down at their hands intertwined together, then back up at him. “This is really fast, you know that right? I mean, I normally don’t ever do what I did with you last night until the third date.”

“What can I say? I have that effect on women, I guess,” he teased her and she pushed him away, walking over to the door.

“Hey, wait,” he followed her.

“What?” she turned around and he immediately cupped her face in both of his hands and kissed her lips.

“Okay, now you can go,” he kissed her forehead.

Annie slipped out the door and quietly down the hall. She snuck into the guest bedroom and looked at herself in the mirror, running her hand through her matted hair and smoothing out the wrinkles in her shirt. If anything, she could go over to the pool house and take a shower before JC left. She walked downstairs and Emma-Claire was sitting on the couch watching television. She looked up at Annie and grinned in surprise.

“You slept at my house last night?” Emma-Claire asked.

“Uh huh,” Annie replied. “I was so tired after the movie that I went to bed here. I’m going to go back to my house and take a shower and I’ll be over in a few minutes, okay?”

“Okay. Then can I have oatmeal?” Emma-Claire wanted to know.

“Of course, sweetie,” Annie went over to her and pecked the top of her head before leaving the house.

JC came downstairs minutes later and went over to Emma-Claire, kissing her cheek and tickling her neck. Emma-Claire turned around and giggled, then stood to throw her arms around her father’s neck.

“Hi, Daddy,” she kissed his cheek and followed him into the kitchen. JC started the coffee pot as Emma-Claire settled into the breakfast nook. “Annie’s coming back to make me oatmeal.”

“Good,” JC smiled, as he waited for the coffee to brew. He looked outside waiting for Annie to appear and begin her trek across the patio to the back door. His mind was still filled with images from the night before and this morning. If she had agreed to continue and if Emma-Claire hadn’t interrupted, he would have gladly been late today. He looked up just as Annie was opening the door. They shared a knowing glance at each other before Annie went to the pantry to get the oatmeal for Emma-Claire.

“Daddy has a radio show today and it should be over early,” JC turned to Emma-Claire as he was pouring his coffee into a thermos. “So, I’ll come home and have dinner with you and Annie.”

“Again?” Emma-Claire’s eyes widened. “And can we watch a movie and can Annie spend the night again?”

JC looked at Annie and she was smirking at him. “If Annie wants to, she can,” he answered, winking at her.

“I might,” Annie shrugged as nonchalantly as she possibly could and walked over to the stove to boil the water for the oatmeal. JC made sure Emma-Claire was looking away and rubbed up against Annie.

“I hope you do,” he whispered into her ear.

Annie had to ignore the feelings of desire that were coursing through her veins right then and cleared her throat. “Emma-Claire do you want bananas in your oatmeal?”

“Yeah,” Emma-Claire replied, swinging her feet back and forth.

“I’ll text you later,” JC told Annie, then turned to Emma-Claire. “Bye honey. Love you.” He reached down to kiss his daughter’s cheek and then glanced at Annie, winking at her before he walked out through the garage. He’d wanted nothing more than to kiss again, but he knew they were being careful not to show any affection right now in front of Emma-Claire.

 

“Excuse me, what did you just say?!” Megan shrieked on the other end of the phone and Annie had to pull the phone away from her ear. She’d called Megan while Emma-Claire was down for her nap because she had to talk to someone and while Megan was loud and obnoxious, she was also one of the only people Annie knew that could truly keep something like this confidential.

“I said JC and me fooled around and I ended up sleeping in his bed last night,” Annie repeated.

“So, what does this mean?”
“From what he says, I think he wants…more.”

“More what? Sex? Well, of course he does.”

“No, I mean yeah, that, but more of a, I don’t know, a relationship…” her voice trailed off because she didn’t know if it was a question or a statement.

“Oh god, Annie. Are you sure that’s what he said?”

“He said he was crazy about me. He said he wanted to talk tonight after dinner. He said he didn’t want it to be just a one time thing and that he’s thought about me a lot lately.”

Megan was quiet and Annie chewed on her lip nervously while she waited for her friend to say something again. “You know you’re on dangerous ground, don’t you? I mean, you’re sleeping with your boss-“

“We didn’t have sex,” Annie interrupted.

“Fine. You’re fooling around with your boss. You ended up spending the night with him. You already know Emma-Claire’s in a vulnerable state of mind right now. I just, I don’t know if it’s such a wise decision.”

Annie was silent. It wasn’t what she wanted to hear, but she needed to hear reality and reality was that it could all turn out to be a huge loss and Annie might lose the one little person that made her feel more whole than Ruby or Henry had ever thought about doing.

“I know,” Annie said softly.

“I’m not saying don’t go for it. Or maybe I am. I don’t know. I just think you have to be careful. It’s not like you’re just dating anyone. Forget the fact that he’s kind of famous, he’s your boss.”

“Yeah.”

“Oh, Ann, I’m sorry. I mean, talk to him, right? Just see what you can figure out. Who knows, he could be the best thing that ever happened to you. Tell me, was he at least good at what he did last night?”

Annie chuckled into the phone. “Oh, yeah. I’ve never, well, let’s just say no one’s ever made me do what I did with him last night.”

“Damn. And you haven’t even had sex. Geez, a part of me wants to tell you to just have sex with him to see what that’s like!”

“Yeah, well, I don’t know. I mean yeah, I’m already thinking that part would be amazing but if it means Emma-Claire getting hurt then I don’t want to risk it.”

“Sometimes you have to risk stuff, Annie. But at the same time, I’m not blaming you for what you’re feeling or how you’re processing it. Talk to him and maybe see how you feel after that.”

“Yeah, you’re right. I’ll let you know how it goes tomorrow. Or I’ll text you tonight if, you know…”

Megan snickered. “If you don’t end up in his bed again?”

“Exactly.”

 

JC had been in the zone all day working with the girls and then going on Lance’s show. His mind had been on and off of Annie all day but he’d learned when it came to women he was seeing that he had to turn that part of his brain off or else he’d never get anything done when it came to work. At a point where he was able to take a break, he’d texted a short message to her, telling her that he’d be home by six at the latest and couldn’t wait to see her. She’d replied with a smiley face and told him she couldn’t wait to see him, either. After that, he’d put his phone away and concentrated on the tasks at hand and that was getting their songs down for the Galleria performance the next day and then their interview on Dirty Pop. Then he could go home and turn work off and be with Annie and Emma-Claire.

“Hey, you busy on Friday?” Lance asked him, when the interview was done. The girls were gathering their things and Jimmy was trying to herd them all into the awaiting van outside.

“No plans right now,” JC replied. “Why?”

“Michael and I thought it might be fun to go out to dinner with you. Maybe hit up a club afterwards,” Lance placed his headset down and walked from around the control booth.

“Sure,” JC nodded. “Let me get back to you and see what’s going on but I don’t really think I have anything.” His mind immediately went to Annie and wondered how he could incorporate her into their plans. If he was going to start dating his nanny, it might cause a few glitches in their social life.

“Great. Glad you got to come on the show. Call me later in the week about Friday,” Lance clapped his shoulder and JC turned to leave, following Jimmy and the girls to the van. As he slid into the front, Jimmy handed him a slip of paper.

“Almost forgot. This is Layne’s number. I told her you’d call her sometime this week,” Jimmy winked at him and JC looked down at the number in his hand. He crumpled it up and slid it in his back pocket.

“Thanks,” he said absentmindedly.

“You’re welcome,” Jimmy eyed him suspiciously. “Figured you might be more excited about that.”

JC shrugged. “I don’t know if I’ll need it like I thought I would.”

“Oh? Did you already meet someone?” Jimmy was trying to talk over the chatter of the eleven girls in the back who were all gabbing to one another about the radio show.

“In a manner of speaking, yes, I guess you could say that,” JC was being coy and he knew it but he didn’t know how else to say that he’d been with Annie the night before.

“Who?” Jimmy looked at him skeptically.

“Just a girl,” JC liked his private life private, even if Jimmy was one of his good friends.

“Just a girl? You ask me to set you up and all the sudden you’ve met someone when I’ve seen you here almost everyday for the last eleven months,” Jimmy shook his head. “What? Did you get a call girl or something?”

JC rolled his eyes. “No, she’s not a call girl,” he sighed, knowing he should’ve just kept his mouth shut. He narrowed his eyes and quietly said, “It’s Annie.”

“No shit? Your nanny?!” Jimmy whispered loudly, trying to be out of earshot of the girls. “Whoa. Are you two serious now?”

“Well, it all kind of happened last night,” JC replied, “so we’re gonna talk tonight when I get home.”

“Interesting,” Jimmy looked at JC and chuckled softly to himself. “So you’re paying the woman you’re dating. You know in some cultures that’s completely acceptable.”

“Shut up,” JC rubbed his face in his hands. “We’re not dating. We’re….we’re talking about dating right now. Or something to that effect. I just know that I’ve been thinking about her for awhile now and last night something just sparked inside of me and I couldn’t hold back any longer.”

“Nice. Does she know your dating record?”

“What about my dating record?”

“You know how you date a woman for a few months, get bored, and dump them?”

JC cringed but disregarded Jimmy’s response. “Well, this time it might be different.”

“I hope so. Listen, I’m not telling you what to do but you’d essentially be dating the only other person who’s with your daughter more than you are on a day- to -day basis. And from what you’ve told me about Emma, she’s pretty crazy about Annie. I’d just hate to see you do what you’ve done in the past and hurt not only Annie but Emma, too,” Jimmy was trying to be helpful but it was only making JC angry.

“Look, I know I don’t have the best reputation when it comes to women, but people can change, Jimmy. And as far as Emma-Claire is concerned, I think we’d probably hide it from her as long as we could. I don’t know. All I know is that I acted on what I was feeling and it was reciprocated so that tells me that I’m not the only one thinking these thoughts. She was thinking the same thing about me,” JC had tried his best not to raise his voice and glanced behind him at the girls, who thankfully were either on their phones or listening to their iPods.

“C, I think it’s great, I really do. You don’t have to get upset or defensive. I’m just thinking about Emma-Claire. I’m a dad, too, and I know the worst thing in the world is seeing the look in your kid’s eyes when you’ve disappointed them. Just think about all she’s been through and how you’d handle it if you and Annie didn’t work out. How would Annie handle it? Would she quit? Because then you’ve got to deal with that, too.”

“I need to talk to Annie. We have to figure all of that out. I just want to hear what she’s feeling before I start thinking about all of the ‘what ifs’, you know?” JC leaned back against the seat and lowered the baseball cap on his head.

“Sorry, C. I hope your talk goes well tonight. I mean that,” Jimmy told him and JC only nodded and leaned forward watching the sun as it slowly dropped behind the horizon.

 

When he walked into the kitchen, Annie was taking a lasagna out of the oven and Emma-Claire was dancing around the kitchen while David Guetta sounded through the iPod dock in the living room. Annie looked up and smiled at him as he set his keys on the island and gathered Emma-Claire in his arms, throwing her in the air. She laughed cheerfully and kissed JC’s cheek, holding him around his neck. JC looked over at Annie and wanted to greet her with a long kiss on the mouth, but waited until he’d put Emma-Claire down and she’d run into the living room to retrieve a toy.

“Hi,” he came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her against him. He kissed her cheek and she turned to quickly brush her lips against his.

“Hey,” Annie grinned and then giggled as JC playfully grabbed at one of her breasts before walking back over to the island and hopping up on it. “How did the radio show go?”

“It was good. The girls were really excited to be on the air. Oh, tomorrow we’re at the Galleria in Sherman Oaks. You and Emma could come out and watch them perform. We’re on at four,” he plucked a grape from the fruit bowl next to him and popped it in his mouth.

“That would be fun. I know she’d love that,” Annie nodded and walked over to him. She stood between his legs and looked up at him with a flirtatious grin. Her hands rested on his thighs and he leaned his forehead down to rest on hers. He kissed her softly and Annie could feel everything in her want to forget about dinner, put Emma-Claire to bed, and go back to his bed with him but she resisted the urge and kissed him back, then pulled away.

“Why’d you tease me like that?” JC hopped off of the island and followed her back to the stove, where she began to cut into the lasagna.

“Because if Emma-Claire walked back in here and saw us like that we’d have a lot of explaining to do,” she put a large piece of lasagna on a plate and handed it to him. “Here. Is that enough or do you want more?”

JC smirked and leaned into her. “More.”

Annie felt her insides turning to mush and she let out a shaky breath. “Well, if our little talk tonight goes well, you may get more of what you want.”

JC was just about to say something else suggestive, when Emma-Claire walked in with a Barbie doll and climbed into the booth. He moved away and went to join his daughter for dinner, already anticipating the talk he would be having with Annie and wondering if what Jimmy said would even matter. They had to be on the same page and Emma-Claire was first and foremost the one they had to take into consideration. It couldn’t be just something JC would get bored with after a few months. Looking across at Annie as she laughed at something Emma-Claire said to her, he knew he couldn’t get bored of her. He didn’t want to.

When Emma-Claire was tucked into bed and the kitchen had been cleaned, Annie followed JC outside and they took a seat on the patio couch that overlooked the fire pit and the pool. They were careful not to sit too close to each other because they both knew that their physical attraction was strong and they were easily able to forego the talk and just start making out with each other.

“I’m just going to tell you what I’m thinking,” Annie began after JC poured her a glass of wine. “I really like you. I didn’t ever expect this to happen and to be honest, I’m violating the nanny codes all over the planet, but I don’t care. But I’m worried that we’re going to get Emma-Claire all confused and if she sees us as a couple and something were to happen….well, I just don’t know if I could handle seeing her hurt again. She’s still dealing with what happened to her mother and her grandmother and I don’t want to be the cause of something else.” Annie let out a sigh and looked at JC, who seemed to be studying her and taking in everything she said. “But I don’t want to miss out on something that could be really great, either.”

JC’s lips formed into a smile and he rested his hand on her leg. “Annie, I feel the same way. Look, I’m not perfect at relationships. And I’m scared to death of hurting my little girl. But I don’t want to not give this a shot because we’re too scared of the unknown.”

Annie nodded her head slowly. “Right. I know,” she moved closer to him. “I don’t want to make our working relationship weird if, I mean, you know if something happened and we…” she didn’t want to finish that sentence but JC could read her mind and pulled her even closer to him.

“I think we just take it one day at a time,” his voice was barely above a whisper and she felt his lips graze hers as he spoke. “And we’re just gonna have to be careful in front of Emma-Claire right now. We won’t be affectionate towards each other unless we’re alone and after a while, maybe we’ll let her in on our secret.”

“So, this, I mean, us,” Annie held his face in her hands and he kissed her again. “We’re gonna give it a try?”

JC sighed, his forehead pressed to hers, and a wide grin on his face. “Yeah. We’re gonna give it a try.”

JC was trying to keep his mind focused on his work. He was trying to give instruction and encouragement to the eleven girls that looked to him for guidance and wisdom on this, one of their first public appearances. But he was constantly distracted and his mind was on Annie since he’d left early that morning. He’d only briefly seen her when she was feeding Emma-Claire breakfast and both were guarded about how demonstrative they were towards each other. He’d grazed her hand with his fingertips as he passed by the stove where she was putting scrambled eggs onto Emma-Claire’s plate. That had been it. No kiss goodbye. Not even a hug. He’d glanced at her on his way out but her attention had been on Emma-Claire and she’d barely been able to look up at him.

After their talk the night before, they’d gone back into the house and kissed and made out for a while on the couch but Annie had opted to stay in the pool house for fear of locking out Emma-Claire again. JC knew she was right but it still didn’t make it any easier for him to know she was only a few feet away from him and he desperately wanted to wake up with her in his arms. He’d kissed her a little longer before letting her walk back to the pool house, then gone upstairs and hopped right into a cold shower.

All he could think about right now was that after the girls’ performance at the Galleria, he wanted to go home with Annie and Emma-Claire and just be with them. He couldn’t believe he was even having these kinds of feelings. Hadn’t it only been just weeks ago that the last thing he’d wanted was to do anything with his daughter? He knew it had been Annie that had changed him, and all for the better. Now all he wanted was to play with Emma-Claire and be with Annie in every way possible.

“Um, C, are you with us?” Jimmy snapped his fingers in JC’s face and JC came out of the fog he’d been in.

“Yeah. Sorry.”

“Get your head out of the clouds and back to earth,” Jimmy hissed in his ear. “They’ve got a performance today and are nervous as hell!”

“I know,” JC mumbled and did everything he could not to think about Annie. He’d see her soon enough with Emma-Claire. He pushed past Jimmy and stood up front, ready to take on the role of manager.

 

“But Daddy’s work is boring!” Emma-Claire whined as Annie helped her get ready to leave the house. It was nearing three and with traffic, Annie knew that they had to leave at least in the next fifteen minutes to ensure they’d get there in time. JC had given her instructions on where to meet him so that she wasn’t lost in the crowd. Annie had tried not to show her disappointment when he’d left that morning. They both knew just how important it was to act as though nothing had changed for Emma-Claire’s sake. Ultimately, Annie knew the child would be ecstatic if she knew, but for now, it was too much of a risk to take. However, JC leaving with just a nod of his head had not been what Annie had wanted. If they didn’t care so much for Emma-Claire, Annie would have kissed him over and over again before he left. She knew that tonight as soon as they were alone that the lost time would make up for itself in no time.

“We’re not going to his work. We’re going to a mall to watch the girls he helps. They’re going to sing on a stage. That will be fun, won’t it?” Annie pulled Emma-Claire’s brown hair back into a ponytail and tightened it. “Okay. What shoes do you want to wear today?” She observed the outfit that Emma-Claire was wearing. She’d wanted her to look good for JC and so Annie had dressed her in a blue pin tuck top and black leggings. She looked adorable even if Annie did say so herself.

“My black shoes,” Emma-Claire answered and ran into her room to pull out a pair of soft leather ballet flats. Annie was just relieved it wasn’t her purple sneakers, which was something that Emma-Claire always demanded to wear no matter what the outfit. It was an argument that Annie was glad to avoid today.

“Great. I think we’re ready,” she smiled at Emma-Claire.

“We match!” Emma-Claire pointed at the yellow blouse and black leggings that Annie was wearing. “Cause you have on black, too!”

“I guess we do, girl,” Annie grinned at her. “Ok. Let’s go see your daddy.” Annie couldn’t help but get excited about seeing JC. Even though she knew there could be absolutely no public displays of affection –especially when she was sure there would be at least one or two paparazzi lurking around – she still couldn’t wait until she was with him.

 

The Galleria was packed as usual but adding to the crowd were the families of each member of Girl Radical not to mention a few new fans and of course fans of JC. He waited next to the stage and tried to talk the girls out of the butterflies in their stomachs. He was also keeping an eye out for Annie and Emma-Claire and had made sure he had a good viewpoint of the entrance of the mall courtyard.

“Can I have a picture?” an eager fan asked as she approached him.

“Sure,” JC smiled at her and her friend and he was suddenly posing for a quick selfie. He chuckled as he heard the women scurry off, discussing how fast they could upload it to Instagram.

“Okay fifteen minutes,” Jimmy said as he walked by JC. “Girls I’ll let JC announce you and then you take the stage. Just let it flow and you’ll be fine.”

JC nodded in agreement, looking over and smiling when he saw Annie and Emma-Claire walking towards him. Emma-Claire had immediately spotted her father and was trying to drag Annie faster through the hoards of people by the stage. He wanted nothing more than to grab Annie and kiss her but he knew that would be saved for later tonight. For now, all he could do was hug Emma-Claire as she ran up to him and then give a wink and a smirk to Annie, who tried to be just as nonchalant as he had just been.

“You got here just in time,” JC told them, picking up Emma-Claire and settling her on his hip.

“Daddy, are you singing today?” Emma-Claire played with the collar on JC’s shirt.

“No, baby. See all of those girls standing over there?” JC pointed to the spot by the stage where his eleven girls were anxiously awaiting their performance. Emma-Claire nodded. “They’re singing. I’m their boss.”

“I thought you were Annie’s boss?” Emma-Claire pointed to Annie.

“Well, I’m also theirs,” JC put Emma-Claire down and leaned over to Annie as discreetly as possible. “Hi,” he whispered, his breath tickling her ear. Annie wanted to lean in further and kiss him but the little girl holding tightly to her hand reminded her to wait for a few more hours.

“Hi,” she smiled back at him.

“I’ll be home as soon as this is done.”

“Good.”

JC grinned at her and let his fingers skim her arm before he turned to walk over to the group. “I’m just going over here. You guys can watch from the front of the stage. I’ll meet you back here as soon as they’re done.”

Annie nodded at him and took Emma-Claire over to the front of the stage. She looked over and spotted several cameras aimed right at Emma-Claire and immediately tried to shield her. The cameras came closer and Annie moved into the crowd and away from the front, trying her best to lose them. She ducked down and tried to hide behind a few girls in front of her who were talking about trying to find JC. Annie just prayed they weren’t the crazy type of fans who’d seen Emma-Claire’s picture in the People interview and would turn around and draw more attention to the child. She looked up and the paparazzi had gone back to their nesting spots and Annie breathed a sigh of relief and looked down at Emma-Claire who was straining to see her father who had now taken the stage. Annie tried her best to get back as close to the front as possible but the crowd had gotten bigger and the best she could do was right in the middle of the fourth or fifth line of people.

“Can you see?” she asked Emma-Claire.

“No,” Emma-Claire shook her head. Annie sighed and wished she could cuss at the paparazzi for causing them to move. She lifted Emma-Claire up by wrapping her arms around her waist and holding her up as high as she could. JC finished introducing him and the crowd went wild, though Annie imagined it was just a bunch of old Nsync fans who’d come to see him. The girls took the stage and began to sing their first number. Emma-Claire looked over at JC who was standing at the bottom of the edge of the stage and waved at him. JC waved back smiled at both her and Annie.

“I wanna go see Daddy,” Emma-Claire turned her body towards Annie.

“I don’t know if we can get over there, honey,” Annie grimaced and tried to see if she could make her way through the labyrinth of people.

“But I want to see him!” Emma-Claire pointed to JC and then looked at Annie with tears forming in her eyes.

Annie sighed and began to excuse herself around the mass of people as she tried to make her way back towards JC.

“Um, excuse me! We’re trying to watch!” a teenage girl snapped at her.

“Sorry,” Annie mumbled and continued to walk with Emma-Claire in her arms. She was cursed at several times but finally made her way back to the side of the stage where JC was standing and watching. He looked up and was surprised to see them both standing there.

“Daddy, I wanted to see you,” Emma-Claire reached for JC, who took her out of Annie’s arms.

“Sorry,” Annie apologized. “She was about to cry and-“

“Don’t apologize,” JC stopped her. “Here, come over here with me.” He lifted the rope that separated him from the rest of the crowd and Annie slipped behind it.

“There were a ton of paps over there trying to get her picture,” Annie told him after the girls had finished their first number.

“Yeah, I saw them. Thanks for protecting her,” JC glanced at her and leaned over once more. “You look really nice, by the way.”

“Thanks. So do you.” Annie caught herself nearly grabbing his hand but relented and put it behind her back. It was going to be hard to be with him in public that was for sure.

After a few songs, JC went back on stage to thank everyone for coming out and that the girls would be hanging around to sign autographs for the next hour. The throng of people immediately descended around the stage and JC pulled Annie aside with Emma-Claire still in his arms to avoid the mobs coming toward him.

“I’ve gotta go sign a few autographs. Don’t leave just yet,” he said to Annie before disappearing into the crowd and handing off Emma-Claire. Annie sat down on a nearby bench by the stage with Emma-Claire in her lap. She saw JC posing with fans and signing autographs and tried to point out to Emma-Claire that her daddy was loved by a lot of people. This didn’t seem to faze the child at all. She simply leaned against Annie’s shoulder and took everything in.

“I wanna go home, Annie,” Emma-Claire said after fifteen minutes of watching her father smiling for random cameras that were thrown in his face.

“I know, babe. I know,” Annie kissed the top of her head and continued to watch JC talking and occasionally laughing at something one of his fans had said.

“So, I guess you’re waiting on JC?” Jimmy said, coming up to Annie and Emma-Claire.

“Yeah,” Annie nodded and forced a smile.

Jimmy looked down at a bored Emma-Claire. “Guess she’s not ready for this just yet, huh?”

“No. I think she thought she was going to get to see her dad for the whole time,” Annie said. “I’m sure in a year or two she’ll be used to all of this.”

“I understand. I have kids. Let me see if I can get him out of that crowd,” Jimmy offered and left to walk into the mass. He headed towards JC who was taking his umpteenth selfie with a few fans. Jimmy tapped him on the shoulder. “Time to go,” he muttered into JC’s ear. JC looked at Jimmy and then over at Annie and Emma-Claire. “I think your kid was hoping to get some daddy time today. She looks a little bored and overwhelmed by all of this.”

JC quickly said a goodbye to those fans who were still swarming him and he and Jimmy made their way back to the side of the stage which was almost barren except for the stage hands who were clearing off the microphones and speakers. He sheepishly smiled at his girlfriend and daughter and walked over to them. “Sorry. I guess I figured she’d enjoy this,” he said to Annie, noticing that Emma-Claire’s eyes had been glazed over. Emma-Claire reached for him and he lifted her out of Annie’s lap as Annie stood to her feet.

“It’s okay. Now you know,” Annie assured him. “I think we’ll just have to give it a few more times. She was a little stunned by everything going on.”

“Let’s get out of here,” JC looked at Jimmy. “I’ll have Annie drop me off at the studio to get my car. Can you get the girls rounded up?”

“No problem. Go home. Be with your kid,” Jimmy slapped him on the back, then pulled his shoulder towards him so he could whisper, “and spend some time with that good looking nanny you’re sleeping with.”

“We’re not-“ JC started to say and then rolled his eyes. “Anyway, thanks. I think today went really well.”

“I think it did, too,” Jimmy agreed. “Go home. The girls are off until Friday.”

That was music to Annie’s ears and she perked up when she heard Jimmy telling that to JC.

“Yep,” JC caught Annie eyeing him and winked at her. “So, I’ll see you Friday morning.”

“And not before,” Jimmy cautioned him, referring to Annie. “You’d better not leave your house. I’m pretty sure you’ve got a lot to keep you occupied.”

 

Annie felt JC’s eyes on her during the drive to the studio. She was trying her best to concentrate on the road but whenever she glanced at him, she saw him eyeing her back. She looked in the rearview mirror and Emma-Claire was dozing on and off. Annie reached over and linked her fingers through JC’s.

“Wow. Contact,” JC chuckled, bringing her fingers to his lips. “It felt like an eternity.”

“Tell me about it,” Annie squeezed his fingers with hers. “I wanted to kiss you goodbye this morning for good luck.”

JC rested his head against the seat and took her in as he spoke. “You’ll get to do plenty of that when we get home. I mean, after Emma goes to bed.”

Annie shivered and felt her insides churning with pleasure at just the thought of getting to be close with him. She’d never had it this bad for someone and she knew it. With anyone else, the intimacy had been nice, but it wasn’t something she craved and with JC she craved every single second of him.

“Yeah, after she goes to bed,” Annie said softly. She felt JC’s thumb gently caressing her own and was grateful she was pulling off the exit to the studio. It only meant that they were closer to being home.

 

“I’m not tired,” Emma-Claire whined when JC told her it was time for bed. “Can I stay up and watch a movie? Pleee-aase?!” She’d become a pro at giving JC a good puppy dog face and he’d had to be careful not to give into her as much.

“Sorry, babe. You know the rules,” he picked her up from the couch and walked into the kitchen where Annie had just finished loading the dishwasher. “I’m gonna put her to bed. Be down in a minute.”

“Sure,” Annie replied and took a bottle of wine from the refrigerator, holding it up to him. JC nodded in agreement and left with Emma-Claire to head to the second floor. Annie went into the bathroom near the living room and did a quick take of herself in the mirror. She made sure her shirt was unbuttoned at just the right spot, ran her fingers through her curls and then smoothed out her hair. Going back into the kitchen she took down two wine glasses and brought them out into the living room with the bottle of Pinot Gris. She leaned back onto the couch and waited excitedly for JC to come back downstairs.

 

“…and the evil witch died and Hansel and Gretel returned to their father. The end.” JC closed the book feeling a little guilty that he hadn’t read all of the end of the story, but tonight it had taken an extra long time to get Emma-Claire even into her pajamas. She’d been whiny throughout her bath and pouted when JC had brushed her teeth. “Now, you need to get to bed, honey. I think you’re going to sleep nice and long and hard tonight.”
“No I won’t cause I’m not sleepy!” Emma-Claire whined as she let a yawn escape her mouth. JC stifled a laugh and leaned down to kiss her cheek.

“Goodnight, Emma,” he stood and handed Emma-Claire the picture of Shayna that she slept with every night.

“Daddy?”

JC had just turned to leave the room and felt just a tad exasperated, knowing that Annie was waiting for him downstairs. “What, baby?”

“Are do you want to get married so I can have a mommy again?” Emma-Claire was sitting up in bed, looking at her picture.

“I don’t know, honey,” JC told her truthfully. “That’s a big question for Daddy right now. What if it’s just me and you for a while?”

“And Annie. Daddy, you could marry Annie!” Emma-Claire’s blue eyes grew wide and JC smirked.

“Goodnight, Emma-Claire. I love you,” he answered her and left the room. He put all thoughts of marriage out of his head and stood outside of Emma-Claire’s bedroom for a minute or so before he went downstairs. He knew for sure that he and Annie would really have to be careful in front of his daughter. Especially if she was already rooting for them to get married without knowing that they were together. He walked downstairs and found Annie on the couch with a glass of wine in her hand and staring off into the distance.

“Hey,” he sat down next to her and she put her wine down on the coffee table. He pulled her against him and they sat in silence for a few seconds before either said anything. Annie had expected for them not to be able to keep their hands off of each other but she was enjoying this moment just resting against him.

“You feel good like this,” he finally spoke again, his lips kissing the top of her head. Annie looked up at him and smiled and JC bent down to peck her softly. She resumed her position, her head on his chest, her hand resting on his stomach. She played with a button between her thumb and forefinger until it eventually came undone. “Are you trying to undress me?” he chuckled and slid his hand down her back until it rested on her backside.

“Maybe,” Annie said softly, her hand reaching inside of the fabric. She began to rub his bare stomach and JC shifted, letting her know he was enjoying whatever she was starting.

“Today was tough,” he admitted, watching her fingers deftly undoing another button. “I wanted to be next to you and kiss you so much and be a real boyfriend-“ he stopped when he heard Annie giggle. “What?”

“That’s the first time you’ve said that is all,” she looked up at him.

“Well it’s true,” JC cupped his hand on her cheek and grazed it with his thumb. “And I actually thought about just foregoing what we said about not showing any affection in front of Emma but then tonight when I was tucking her in, she told me I should marry you.”

Annie pulled herself up from the slouching position she’d taken and looked at JC with wide eyes. “Yeah? Do you think she thinks-“

“No. I think she sees us together and she’s four so it just makes sense to her,” JC leaned in to kiss her lips. “But it made me realize we really do have to be careful for a few more weeks.”

“Weeks? You sure you don’t mean months?” Annie questioned.

“Baby, I could barely make it through a day without touching you. You’re asking me to go months?” he shook his head. “One day at a time. Remember? We can do that. So far, the last forty-eight hours have been pretty great.” The silence resumed and Annie splayed her hand on his stomach from inside of his shirt and let her fingers trace circles around his naval.

“Annie?”

“Huh?”

“Go further,” his breath suddenly quickened when he spoke.

“Down?” as she said it, her hand moved lower until she was gripping his belt buckle.

“Yeah,” he shifted once more, moving so that Annie had a better grasp on the buckle and in one swift move, she’d managed to pull his jeans down and move in front of him on the floor. She looked right into his eyes as she pleased him and JC bit down on his lower lip to silence the groan that wanted to escape him. He watched her head bobbing up and down and occasionally she’d tease him and let go, only to slowly take him back in. His hand rested on the back of her head and his other gripped the back of the couch until he finally couldn’t take any more and let out a loud moan, pulling on her hair as he came. Annie slowly crawled back onto the couch and JC pulled her into his lap.

“That wasn’t selfish of me was it? I mean not like, you know, what’s his name?” JC kissed her forehead and clasped his hands with hers as she leaned into him.

“No. You weren’t like Doug. Because I wanted to do that,” she assured him. “But we should probably take this upstairs. I don’t want Emma thinking something’s wrong with her dad because you were kind of loud just now.” She moved away and stood up, pulling him with her. She stopped before she reached the stairs and turned around. “Hey, is your pool heated yet?”

“No, I keep forgetting to turn on the heater. Why?” JC moved toward her and they slowly began to ascend the stairs.

“Just because. It might be fun to go swimming one night. You know, after Emma-Claire’s asleep,” she looked at him pointedly and he raised an eyebrow.

“I’ll get on that right away,” he answered, slapping her butt. “Now, get to my bedroom. It’s your turn.” 

In the last three days, Annie felt as though she’d been living in someone else’s dream. JC Chasez was more than she had ever expected and sometimes she had to wonder if he was too good to be true. Especially when they would both look after Emma-Claire and since he hadn’t needed to be back at work until Friday, she felt that way a lot. They’d tucked her in together, they’d made breakfast together, and they’d watched plenty of movies at night together. It almost felt as though they were a family and Annie was once again trying to guard her heart from going to that place. Every night she ended up in JC’s bed and every morning she was careful to sneak out before Emma-Claire woke. She’d trek across the patio and pool to her apartment, shower and change, and be back just in time for when Emma-Claire would come downstairs. JC had begged her every time to stay longer but Annie was adamantly fighting against him. It was enough that she’d given into him about staying the night but Emma-Claire had made several comments to both Annie and JC about how if Annie married JC then Emma-Claire would have a mommy again. Or if JC loved Annie then Emma-Claire would get a brother or sister.

And it had only been three days.

Still, the child suspected nothing. She was only going on what she had seen with her friends at preschool and dance who had mothers and fathers that were married. Annie tried not to think about the day that Emma-Claire would discover that JC and Annie were in fact a couple and what questions would come from that. She also tried not to think about the fact that this relationship was days old, they hadn’t even had sex-though they’d been close several times-and it could all end tomorrow. Annie wasn’t stupid. She knew how celebrities –or most of them anyway- worked and that JC could dump her just as soon as he’d started dating her. Yet had anyone else seen them together, they would have assumed they were quite happy and not going to break up for a long time or if ever.

 

“If it’s okay with you, do you think you and Michael might want to come over here for dinner instead?” JC was asking Lance as he drove home Thursday evening from the grocery store.

“Sure. Your nanny was busy or something I take it,” Lance replied.

JC was silent for a few seconds. “Um, well, that’s the thing. We’re sort of, I mean, we’re dating…”

Lance chuckled into the phone. “Oh yeah? When did that start?”

“About four days ago.”

“Way to go, C. Sure. We’d love to come over for dinner. What time?”

“Eight?”

“Perfect. We’ll see you then. Oh, is there anything else you want to share?”

JC snorted. “Shut up. See you tomorrow night.”

“Bye, JC.”

JC hung up and almost immediately his phone buzzed again. He smiled to see his mother’s number flashing on the screen.

“Joshua, your dad and I have decided to come out next week and see you and Emma-Claire. Would that be okay?”

JC’s first thought went to Annie and how he might finally get to have some real one on one time with her. Hell, he might even get to take her on a first date.

“That would be great, Mom. Oh and I might as well tell you,” he spoke, “Annie and I are dating.” The words flowed off of his tongue easily as though it were always supposed to be that way.

“Josh! Oh, honey, that’s wonderful! What does Emma-Claire think?”

“We haven’t told her.”

“What do you mean you haven’t told her? Josh, don’t you think she would be ecstatic over that?”

“She definitely would be. But we’ve only been dating for a few days and it’s still pretty new. And you know, what if something happened-“

“Joshua, the only thing that would happen is that you would decide you were bored just like in all of your other relationships,” Karen said it so firmly that JC pulled the phone away from his hear and back again.

“Whoa, Mom. Easy. Annie’s the one who wanted to keep it a secret. We even-“ he’d almost divulged too much information to his mother about the nights that Annie stayed over. Some things were just better left unsaid. “-um, we don’t even kiss or anything in front of her.”

“Well, anyway, eventually you know she’ll find out. But regardless, I’m happy for you. We fly in on Monday afternoon. Can you pick us up?”

“Sure. Sounds great. I know Emma-Claire is gonna be excited to hear you’re coming back.”

“We can hardly wait.”

 

Annie stood at the stove and turned over the pieces of chicken in the skillet. It was nearing dinner and Emma-Claire had asked for chicken fingers for dinner. The sun was starting to set and Annie looked over at her apartment across from the pool, chuckling at the fact that it was more or less used now for a place to shower and dress.  In the last three days she’d been living in JC’s bedroom and waking up next to him. Even amid the chaos of having to hide their relationship, Annie was quite enjoying it all. She heard JC’s car pulling into the garage and looked down at the chicken, which was just about ready. She turned them over once more, then checked on the sweet potato fries in the oven.

“Hey,” he greeted her as he came in with three bags of groceries. He set them on the island and walked over to her, double-checking to see that Emma-Claire was no- where around. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her against his chest from behind. His lips immediately found the one spot on the nape of her neck that made Annie’s legs turn to Jell-O whenever he kissed or nipped her there.

“Why do you always get me there when you know I can’t do anything about it!” Annie giggled, turning to face him.

“Just so you’ll know what’s gonna come after dinner,” JC bent down to kiss her again. “Where’s Emma?”

“She’s upstairs playing in her room,” Annie turned the stove off and moved the chicken fingers onto a plate. “I was just about to go and get her.”

“So it looks like you and me have a dinner date tomorrow,” JC told her, as he hopped up on the island. “Lance and Michael are coming over at eight. Originally, we were gonna go out with them, but you know, it’s kind of hard to find a sitter these days.”

Annie giggled and turned to face him. “Yeah. How ‘bout that? Strange, isn’t it.” She walked over to him and linked her fingers through his, reaching up on her tip- toes to kiss him. “Wow, I feel like such a real couple. Dinner dates and everything.”

“And,” JC added as he hopped off the island and followed her to the living room. “My parents are coming in on Monday. I’m thinking they can watch Emma a few nights and you and me can go out to dinner. On a real date like a real couple.”

Annie was just about to walk up the stairs to retrieve Emma-Claire and turned around and smiled at him. “I can’t wait.”

JC climbed the stairs and stopped just below the one she was standing on. “Yeah and I’m thinking maybe I’ll just move in with you next week,” he moved a strand of hair behind her ear. “Maybe finally we can finish what we’ve started all week.”

Annie bit her lower lip and grinned at him. It was true that every time they’d come close to sex, something would ultimately go awry. Emma-Claire had interrupted once or twice by knocking on the door wanting water and in their most recent attempt, JC’s condom had a hole in it and neither of them wanted to risk anything, even if Annie was religiously on the pill.

“Then you should move in soon,” Annie quickly pecked him on the lips and headed up the stairs to get Emma-Claire for dinner.

 

“Why can’t I stay up?” Emma-Claire was demanding the next evening. She had been fed dinner at the normal time and bathed and had been allowed to watch two television shows.

“Because your bedtime is in fifteen minutes,” Annie told her in a no nonsense tone. She picked up her Barbie dolls that were displayed all over the coffee table. Annie was suddenly nervous about this dinner tonight. She wanted to impress JC’s friends and she knew that Lance was aware that she had been the nanny. It shouldn’t matter so much and she knew it. So what she was the nanny who was practically sleeping with her boss? Her boss was now her boyfriend, they weren’t doing anything illegal or tawdry. But she still felt that she would be judged for some reason or the other and made sure that she looked as unlike a nanny as possible. She’d worn a short black skirt that hit her above the knee and a loose fitting green and blue top that was one-shouldered. She’d straightened her hair and put on her best make-up. JC had yet to see her because he had been gone most of the day working and then picking up steaks to grill for dinner.

“How come you get to eat dinner with Daddy and his friends?” Emma-Claire was pouting, sitting on the edge of the couch.

“Because I got invited and that’s just the way it is, babe,” Annie handed her the Barbie dolls. “Go take these up to your room and pick out a book.” She checked the time. It was past eight and JC had yet to arrive and neither had Lance and Michael. She sighed loudly and looked at Emma-Claire whose lower lip was protruding in a pout. “Emma-Claire, did you hear what I said?”

“I don’t want to go to bed. I wanna stay up with you and Daddy!” she whined. Annie sighed again and knelt down to the child’s level.

“Honey, I know but you can’t. I’m sorry. You know your bedtime is eight-thirty. Let’s go upstairs and I’ll read you a story,” Annie managed to pull Emma-Claire off the couch and the child begrudgingly followed her up the stairs. Just as they got to her room, she heard JC enter from the garage and Emma-Claire ran past her and down the stairs.

“Daddy, I want to stay up with you and Annie!” Emma-Claire greeted him as he walked into the living room.

“Emma-Claire!” Annie called after her and JC did a double take when he saw her. He couldn’t react because of the child looking desperately at him, but he gave her the once over and Annie saw him hungrily looking at her exposed cleavage.

“What?” JC broke his stare from Annie and then looked down at Emma-Claire. “No, Emma. You know you have to go to bed. And you’d be bored. It’s just a bunch of big people talking about boring stuff.”

“Daddy, please!” Emma-Claire looked at him with the perfect puppy -dog face and JC nearly relented but shook his head.

“No, honey. I’m sorry. Not tonight,” he lifted her into his arms and hugged her, only then able to look at Annie and mouth to her, “You look amazing!”

Annie blushed and stood at the top of the stairs, replying with a quiet, “Thanks.”

“Okay, go on and let Annie tuck you in. I’ll see you tomorrow and we’ll have pancakes for breakfast okay?” JC kissed his daughter and watched her trudge up the stairs. Annie took her by the hand and turned to JC before she walked into the bedroom.

“I’ll be down in a minute,” she told him quietly and JC nodded, nearly gawking at her. He was thankful for the doorbell ringing to bring him out of his trance. He was hoping tonight might be the night to finally make love. He knew his parents would be in town soon and he wouldn’t have to wait much longer, but the way Annie looked right now he didn’t think he could last.

“Hey, man,” he greeted Lance as he and Michael walked into the foyer.

“Hey,” Lance clapped his shoulder and handed him a bottle of wine. “Here. It’s from some winery we went to last week up in Napa.”

“Thanks,” JC took the bottle and then looked at Michael. “Nice to see you, Michael.”

“Yeah, you too,” Michael shook JC’s hand and the threesome walked into the living room.

“Annie will be down in a minute,” JC told them. “I’ll go ahead and get this bottle opened.”

 

Annie was reading Emma-Claire The Giving Tree when she heard the voices downstairs and suddenly felt that nervous pit in her stomach returning. She maintained a calm demeanor and continued to read but praying that tonight would go smoothly all the while. Once the book was finished, she closed it and looked down at Emma-Claire whose eyes were drooping.

“Okay, I’ll see you tomorrow,” Annie leaned over to kiss her cheek.

“I thought Daddy had me on Saturdays?” Emma-Claire yawned and rolled over to take her picture from its place next to her nightstand.

Annie nodded slowly. Yes, tomorrow was her day off but now that she and JC were together she didn’t really want it or need it. She was sure she’d probably end up in his bed that night anyway. “Um, right. Well, maybe I’ll come join you. Would that be okay?”

Emma-Claire nodded and rubbed her eyes sleepily. “Yeah,” she yawned and looked up at Annie. “I love you, Annie.”

“How much?”

“To the moon and-“ Emma-Claire yawned again, “back.”

Annie grinned and stood to her feet, walking over to the door. “See you tomorrow. Sweet dreams.” She closed the door and walked down the hallway approaching the stairs.

“Hey, there she is,” JC looked up at her from the couch. “Come on down, baby.”

Annie smiled nervously at Lance and Michael who only returned her nervous smile with two friendly grins. She relaxed somewhat by the time she reached the last step and JC stood to greet her at the bottom with a long kiss.

“You look so sexy, Annie. Can I just tell them to leave?” he growled in her ear.

Annie blushed and gently pushed him away, looking down at the two men seated on the couch. “Hi,” she smiled at them.

“Annie, it’s nice to meet you,” Lance stood to his feet and leaned in to peck her cheek. “I’m Lance and this is my fiancé Michael.”

“Hi,” Michael followed suit and shook Annie’s hand.

Annie sat down next to JC on the couch and he draped his arm around her shoulder, making circles with his finger on her exposed skin.

“So, I guess we don’t need to ask how you two met, huh?” Lance teased them and Annie actually chuckled instead of cringing.

“Leave them alone,” Michael hit Lance playfully on the leg. “That’s a great top, Annie. Where’d you get it?”

Annie relaxed and settled into JC’s arm. She sipped her wine and began a nice conversation feeling completely at ease and like she’d always known Lance and Michael. A few times JC would lean over to kiss her cheek and once when Lance and Michael weren’t looking, his arm that had been around her shoulder snaked its way down to gently squeeze her breast. On their way out to the patio for dinner later on, JC pulled her aside.

“Sleep with me tonight,” he told her softly, kissing her neck.

“I was planning on it,” Annie chuckled and went to pull away to follow Lance and Michael.

“No,” JC pulled her back and their eyes met. “I mean, sleep with me.”

Annie’s eyes became wide and she smirked at him. “Let’s just see what happens, okay?”

 

By the end of the evening, the foursome was a little more than tipsy and enjoying a fourth bottle of wine on the back patio. The lights were dimmed, the fire pit was ablaze, and JC had put on jazz music that played softly around the pool. Conversation was few and far between and every so often, one of the couples would start kissing on each other in between talking with the other. JC was even more affectionate towards her when he was tipsy and Annie noted that. She looked over at Lance and Michael across from them who were engrossed in their own little private world. JC was humming in her ear as he held her close to him. There was a warm breeze that blew over them and Annie shivered against him. She felt his lips graze her temple and snuggled even closer.

“Did you enjoy tonight?” he whispered, looking down at her. She met his gaze and they smiled at each other.

“Yeah,” she took his hand and with her index finger circled and traced it. “I like your hands.”
“Really?” JC chuckled. “Why’s that?” His palm was still extended up and Annie intertwined her fingers with his and looked at their hands together. She took their hands and placed it close to her breast.

“Cause they know what to do. And they’re strong. And I don’t know. I just like them,” she shrugged and watched him begin to circle her breast with his fingers. Annie looked over at Michael and Lance who were making out and not paying them any attention. JC changed his pattern of circling and then slowly began to massage it and watched Annie close her eyes.

“You like this?” he whispered.

“Mmhm,” she could barely get it out.

“You’re beautiful,” he kissed her.

“You’re just saying that so you can get me laid,” Annie replied dryly, but with a grin on her face.

“Shut up,” JC kissed her again and squeezed her breast, his tongue probing each crevice of her mouth.

“Um, I think we’re gonna go,” Lance spoke as he stood and Annie noticed both men adjusting themselves.

“Can you drive, dude?” JC asked, pulling away from Annie for a minute. “Cause you’re more than welcome to sleep here.”

“I think Michael’s fine to drive,” Lance looked down at Michael who nodded at JC. “Tonight was fun. We should do it more often.”

“Definitely,” JC walked with Lance inside the house.

“Annie, it was great meeting you,” Michael told her as they entered the living room. “We’ll return the favor and have you guys over one night.”

“Absolutely,” Lance smiled at her. “Ok, babe, you ready?”

“Yep,” Michael turned to JC. “Good to see you again.”

JC shook his hand, gave Lance a quick hug, and he and Annie stood at the door waving them off. When Michael pulled out of the driveway, JC shut the door and turned to Annie. She smiled at him and turned to walk back to the kitchen.

“Where are you going?” he asked her, following her path.

“There’s a bottle and four glasses outside and there are dishes in the sink and-“

JC grabbed her arm and pulled her to him. “Those can wait,” he cupped her face with one hand. “Right now, I think you and me need to go upstairs.”

Annie could only nod. Ever since he’d told her earlier in the evening that tonight he wanted to be the night, Annie hadn’t been able to full concentrate. Their kisses they’d stolen outside in front of Lance and Michael were only the beginning and she knew it. She thought back to a week ago when Doug had been in town and shuddered at the thought that it had only been a week. So much had happened in a week.

Once they were in his room, she sat on his bed and watched him lock the door. He went over to the lamp next to his side of the bed and turned it off so that they were once more in a moonlit room. He then went over to the iPod dock and soft music began to play through the speakers. Annie didn’t recognize the song and she didn’t have time to register anything other than JC standing in front of her, pulling her from the bed and into his arms.

His kisses had become familiar by now. She knew he started out soft and slow and before long their tongues were dancing around each other deliberately. She loved when he moved his kisses to that spot on her neck that caused her to shudder in his arms. He knew where to touch her. He didn’t even have to ask. And tonight she knew it would happen. They were going to make love. It just felt right. Not that the other times hadn’t felt right because they were so in tune with one another, but there had been a sense of urgency the other times. They were racing to see how fast they could get undressed before Emma-Claire called out for JC. Tonight, it wasn’t like that.

JC sat down on the bed and pulled her into his lap. Her legs on either side of him, she began to kiss him again, pulling on his bottom lip with her teeth. She dragged her tongue over his jawline, then blew a hot breath into his ear.
“Mm,” he moaned softly, his hands moving toward the front of her body.

“I want you tonight, JC,” she whispered in his ear. “I want you like I’ve never wanted anyone before.” She went back to his lips and traced them with her thumb while JC kissed it, then laid back on the bed so that Annie was straddling him. He watched her reach down and slowly took her shirt over her head. His eyes widened when he saw she was wearing some sort of lacy, black, strapless bra and he knew she’d done it on purpose. Her short little skirt wasn’t hiding much anymore and JC ran his hands up her thigh and pushed it up, his thumb finding her most sensitive spot and rubbing her through the thin material of her thong.

“I can’t believe this is what you were wearing underneath those clothes tonight,” he mused. Annie leaned down and began to unbutton each button on his shirt until his chest was exposed to her. She bent down and placed kisses on him, her tongue tracing circles down to the belt buckle of his jeans.

JC suddenly flipped them over so that he was on top and Annie watched him quickly take off his jeans and kick them off the bed. Annie reached down and pulled her skirt off, until it hung by her ankles and felt it fall to the floor. Instinctively, Annie spread her legs and groaned, beckoning JC to take off her panties with just the look of lust in her eyes for him.

“JC, please, I’m aching for you!” Annie hated begging but she was ready. She wanted him desperately. She’d wanted him for the entire night. She’d wanted him the entire week. Maybe even longer.

“I just want us to enjoy it, Annie,” he was trying to be just as patient but Annie could plainly see that he was just as ready for her as she was for him. He reached down and Annie lifted up somewhat so that he could unhook her bra. Even though he’d seen her naked numerous times that week, JC was still mesmerized by just how beautiful she really was. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down to her and soon his mouth was on her breasts and Annie was bucking involuntarily against him. Soon, they were both completely naked, JC was right at her entrance and Annie held her breath. She knew it was about to happen and nothing else mattered. He kissed her aggressively, yet gently at the same time and Annie felt him enter her. She let out a low groan and they both looked into each other’s eyes.

“Does this feel okay?” he asked her before he began to move.

“Yeah,” Annie nodded and closed her eyes, shifting to adjust to his size. He felt perfect within her like he should’ve always been there.

He started to go slowly and Annie moved with him. He began to go a little faster and Annie met him with every single thrust.

“Kiss my neck again,” Annie whispered and JC leaned down to nip at the nape of her neck. “Mm, baby. That feels so good.”

“Squeeze me tighter,” JC moaned. Annie clenched him as tight as she could, then let go and did it again. “Damn, Annie. Keep doing that.” He looked down at her. “You feel amazing.”

“You do, too,” Annie breathed and clung to his neck, pulling him even closer. All she was aware of was their breathing and their gasping and their moaning. She knew they were trying to be quiet for Emma-Claire’s sake, but she also knew this felt better than anything else in the world. JC looked into her eyes as he moved within her and she saw him on the brink of his orgasm. She squeezed him yet again and JC opened his mouth, a gasp and a soft moan escaping his lips as he filled her from the inside. She could feel him twitching inside of her and it only made her more turned on. JC reached down between them and began to massage her swollen bud and it was seconds later that Annie’s entire body began to convulse beneath him. She reached behind her to grab onto the headboard for leverage and JC fell onto her chest, completely out of breath. She took his face in her hands and he looked up at her, panting and with sweat dripping down his forehead. They both smiled at each other and Annie shifted as JC rolled off of her.

“Wow,” she finally said, once she was able to find her breath.

“I told you you’d be amazing at sex,” JC reached for her and Annie rolled over into his arms. “Annie?”

“Hm?”

“I know it’s only been a few days but I really don’t know if I can hide you much longer,” JC said softly, stroking her shoulder with his fingertips. He was thinking about all of the upcoming appearances with Girl Radical and how he wanted Annie and Emma-Claire to be there. He wanted to be able to kiss her and not feel any shame about it. He didn’t care if she was his nanny or not.

Annie didn’t speak, only caressed his chest with kisses and soft touches of her hand. She finally propped her head on her elbow and stared at him before she spoke. “I know. I would just be so sad for Emma if this didn’t work out.”

JC nodded and rolled on his side to face her. “But if it did, then we’d have been scared for no reason. Right?”

“Yeah,” Annie sighed. She looked at him seriously. “Just how many women have there been?”

JC snorted and shook his head. “Uh uh, I’m not having that conversation.”

“Oh c’mon, I told you how many people I’ve been with. I mean, I know you’re not a virgin-“

“That’s a great assumption,” JC chuckled.

“-so it doesn’t matter. I just want to know what my odds are in this relationship.”

“Wait, do you mean how many girlfriends I’ve had or how many women I’ve had?” JC sat up and looked down at her, trying to gauge her expression.

Annie shrugged. “Both, I guess.”

“Oh god, Annie. Seriously? What is that gonna solve?” He rested his elbows on his knees and Annie giggled at him.

“Nothing really. I’m just curious,” Annie moved next to him and they were both leaning against the headboard.

“I’ve had, like, I don’t know, five or six serious relationships. A few flings. I mean, Emma’s mom was a fling. And then, you know, on tours and stuff….” He trailed off and pursed his lips together and shook his head. “Let’s just say, I’ve been around.”

“So am I a fling or a relationship?” Annie rested her chin in her hand and looked at him. “Because if I’m a fling, then we might as well forget telling her anything. If I’m anything like that chick you had up here a few weeks ago-“

“Annie, that’s not anything. Or it wasn’t anything to begin with. That was just a one nighter. And you know you’re not a fling. What’s all this got to do with telling Emma anything about us?” he wanted to know, and slid back down so that he was looking up at her.

“JC, because if you’re only going to date me a few months and decide that’s it, then I just don’t want to risk telling her. She already thinks of me as a surrogate mother. I don’t want to break her heart again. But if you’re willing to try with me even when everything sucks with us or when we’re having an off day or an off week, then yeah, I think we could tell her,” Annie reached down to play with his hair. “And you know once you tell her it will give us liberty to do anything in public.”

“Yeah,” JC nodded. “I do know that and we’ll probably get tailed by the paps or whatever but Annie, I like you and I hate having to hold back whenever we’re in front of people. I like touching you too much.”

Annie chuckled and slid down next to him. “Yeah? What do you like touching?”

JC pulled her on top of him. “All of you,” he kissed her mouth, his finger tracing her stomach and then her pelvis. “I like touching all of you.”

“Fine. You win,” Annie sat up on his stomach. “But don’t make it a big deal. Let’s just see what happens the first time she catches you kissing me.”

“Deal,” JC clasped his fingers with hers and Annie leaned in to kiss him. 

By Sunday, Annie was surprised at how well they were still able to hide their affection in front of Emma-Claire. Even though she’d agreed, it still didn’t feel comfortable being all over each other in front of her. The morning after they’d first made love, Annie wondered if she’d ever be able to keep her hands off of JC again in public, much less in front of Emma-Claire. But that morning when they were making breakfast, they were both just as guarded about it as before. JC admitted later he didn’t want it to be a public display of affection all of the time in front of her, but he was a little more prone to grab Annie’s butt or graze against her if Emma-Claire wasn’t paying attention. Annie knew it would come in due time and that if she knew Emma-Claire as well as she thought she did, then the child would be ecstatic and eventually react like most children reacted upon seeing their parents show affection in front of them. She remembered quite well the faces that Henry and Ruby would make when Corbin would kiss Patsy in front of them or the time that Henry asked Corbin if his mother had cooties when they’d met because didn’t all girls have cooties until they got married? So, Annie wasn’t worried or concerned about when or how Emma-Claire would discover her father was dating her nanny. As long as she didn’t walk in on them in bed, Annie was fine with whatever happened.

Sunday had been a rainy, lazy day and by Emma-Claire’s naptime, Annie was feeling a bit tired herself and had sprawled out on the couch in the living room while JC had been on the phone off and on all day with different people trying to get Girl Radical a new gig. So far, he’d booked a few locations in North Hollywood, Burbank, and Anaheim.

“Right. Exactly. So my parents are in town next week and I’ll probably take a few days off to hang with them,” JC was saying as he came upstairs from the basement. Annie stirred and smiled to herself upon hearing him say that. Taking a few days off meant that she would for sure get some time alone with him. “Yeah. Good. That sounds great. I’ll be in touch. Bye.”

Annie let out a tired sigh and turned over, looking right up at JC who was standing above her.

“Hey,” he said. “Sorry, you were just all sexy on my couch and I had to do something about it.”

Annie smiled back sleepily and lifted her arms to drape around his neck, pulling him toward her. JC gladly rested his body on top of hers and kissed her again, this time with more desire and Annie forgot about how tired she’d been before he’d joined her on the couch. This was how most of their encounters had been over the course of the last two days. They couldn’t seem to get enough of each other. His hands wandered down between her legs and began to massage her over her jeans. Annie groaned and bucked against his touch. He became more aggressive, which she liked a lot.

“Tell me what you want me to do,” he growled in her ear and Annie looked into his eyes.

“Don’t stop doing that,” she gasped. “But here. Let me help you.” She moved her hands down to the button of her jeans and undid them, then took his hand and moved it inside of the material. Once his thumb made contact with her most sensitive spot, Annie moaned contentedly and basked in what he was doing to her.

“Does that feel okay?” he looked into her eyes and continued to massage her. “Tell me if it’s too hard.”

“No, it feels good,” Annie assured him and looked down between them to watch, which only made her more turned on.

“That’s hot, baby,” he whispered.

“What is?”

“You watching me do this to you,” his forefinger slipped inside of her and Annie thought she would die from how good it felt. His motions became fiercer and Annie could feel it pulsate within her.

“I-I’m almost…shit, JC…I’m –“ she couldn’t even finish what she was about to tell him before a surge of pleasure came over her and she was soon throbbing against his fingers. She gasped and pulled him toward her. He pulled his fingers out and Annie bit her lip, gingerly taking his hand, and looking at him as she put one in her mouth and sucked on it. JC raised an eyebrow at her gesture.

“Shit, Annie. That’s so sexy, baby,” he watched her as she pulled his finger from her mouth and clasped her hand with his.

“I don’t know, I just thought I’d try something different,” she whispered and reached down to pull her jeans on again. He folded his arms around her and Annie leaned into him and closed her eyes. That was only one of many encounters they’d had like that. They were addicted to one another and Annie loved this stage of their relationship where everything was new and exciting and every touch made her feel as though her entire body was on fire.

“So, you get a few days off next week?” Annie finally said, her fingers laced through his and resting on her stomach.

“Mmhm,” JC kissed the top of her head. “I’ve already told my parents they could have my bedroom because I’ll be in the pool house with you.”

Annie turned around slightly and looked at him. “So your parents will know we’re doing it every night? Awesome.” She was being somewhat sarcastic but was a little worried that his mother might think of her as some sort of easy floozy and Annie didn’t want that to be the first impression Karen had of her son’s girlfriend.

“Annie, my parents know we’re in a relationship and they’re not stupid. We’d be doing it whether or not we were there or in the house,” JC chuckled against her ear.

“I don’t want your mom to think I’m a slut,” Annie said and moved away from JC to face him.

“Trust me. I’ve dated much sluttier,” he was trying to be assuring but this only made Annie frown. “What I mean is, she knows what kind of girl you are and we’re grown ass adults. It shouldn’t matter.”

Normally, Annie wouldn’t have let it matter. But she wanted to make a good impression on his parents not only as the nanny to their granddaughter but the girlfriend of their son. JC saw Annie’s expression and pulled her back to him.

“Relax. My parents are easy going. My mom already likes you. I’m pretty sure she’s more paranoid that I’ll screw something up for us before you could ever do anything wrong,” he kissed her lips and Annie placed her palms on his chest and flirtatiously grinned at him.

“Oh? And are you planning on screwing up anything between us?” she rested her forehead against his.

“No,” JC kissed her again. He loved the feeling of her lips pressed against his. Her body wrapped around his when they made love. Everything about her. JC knew this woman had made him a goner. He was madly infatuated with everything Annie Leighton was.

 

It was Monday morning before Emma-Claire found out their secret. JC and Annie had been in the kitchen making her breakfast when Emma-Claire had gotten up from the table to run to the bathroom. JC had taken that opportunity to press Annie up against the refrigerator and quickly fondle and kiss her. To their relief, Emma-Claire had walked in when he was pulling away from her and had only seen their lips touch.

“Daddy! Are you kissing Annie?” Emma-Claire shrieked and ran over to them. She looked up at both of them with wide eyes and covered her mouth with her little hands.

“I am,” JC pulled Annie to him and wrapped his arm around her waist. “Is that okay?”

Emma-Claire didn’t answer, only looked up at Annie. “Do you like it when my Daddy kisses you?” she asked and Annie bit on her lip as not to burst out laughing.

“I do, Emma-Claire. I like it a lot,” she bent down to Emma-Claire’s level. “But if you don’t want me to kiss him in front of you, I won’t.”

“You can kiss him,” Emma-Claire took Annie’s hand in her little one. “Do you love my Daddy?”

“I care about him a lot,” Annie replied, brushing a strand of hair from Emma-Claire’s eyes. “But we care about you a lot more, girl.”

“So are you gonna be okay if Annie is my girlfriend?” JC spoke and Emma-Claire averted her eyes from Annie to JC.

“Yeah, Daddy,” Emma-Claire smiled. “Are you gonna marry her?”

“Right now we’re just gonna be boyfriend and girlfriend. That’s all you have to worry about, honey,” JC tousled her hair and went back over to the stove to spoon out her oatmeal. “Oh, and guess what today is?”

“I know! Mimi and Pops are coming to see me!” Emma-Claire squealed, nearly bouncing up and down in her seat.

“That’s right,” JC grinned and placed the oatmeal in front of her. “And me and you and Annie are going to pick them up at the airport.”

“Yay!” Emma-Claire giggled and dug into her food. JC pulled Annie into his lap and rested his head on her back. 

“That was painless,” he said softly and Annie nodded, her fingers resting on top of his. She felt that familial feeling wash over her once more and noticed she’d been feeling it a lot more lately. It was getting easier and easier to accept and now that Emma-Claire knew, Annie knew that she’d have to guard her heart even more from going to that place of wanting this to be her new family.

 

Emma-Claire looked as though she had never been so happy before at dinner that evening. She sat between Roy and Karen and across from JC and Annie and was the center of everyone’s attention. Roy had been taken immediately with his granddaughter and Emma-Claire with him. They’d already established a silly grandfather to granddaughter relationship in the short ride from the airport to the Mexican restaurant near JC’s house. Karen had brought her an entire suitcase of toys and when JC had protested it, Karen had told him that they didn’t get to see their granddaughter and this was what grandparents did was spoil their grandchildren. Not five minutes into dinner, Emma-Claire had announced, “Daddy and Annie are boyfriend and girlfriend!” and burst into giggles upon her pronouncement. Annie tried to will herself not to blush but it had become impossible and it was then that Emma-Claire asked Annie why she was “red in the face.”

“So, anyway,” JC cleared his throat, doing his best to avert the subject. “I’ve taken off a few days so we can all hang out. And tomorrow night, I’m taking Annie out on our first date. Which means, Emma-Claire, you get Mimi and Pops all to yourself.”

“And we’re gonna do whatever you want to do,” Roy looked down at Emma-Claire and tickled her under her chin to which the little girl burst into fits of laughter.

“Can we go to McDonalds and play on the playground? And can we watch a movie in Daddy’s big movie room and eat popcorn with M&Ms?” Emma-Claire began to spout off other random activities that she wanted to do with her grandparents. JC put his arm around Annie’s shoulder and traced his fingers lazily on her shoulder watching his daughter’s interactions with his parents. He couldn’t remember a time when he felt more content in his life and especially a time where he felt so comfortable with someone he was just starting to date. Maybe that was why none of those other relationships or flings had ever worked out. Maybe it was because he needed this child in his life to introduce him to all he’d ever been missing.

Later that night, after settling his parents into his bedroom, tucking in Emma-Claire with Annie, and grabbing a few items from his dresser drawers, he felt almost giddy walking over to the pool house with Annie. They were finally going to be in a space that they could be as loud as they wanted for as long as they wanted. Karen had told them both that evening that they could have the morning off and she would see them whenever they made it over to the main house. He hadn’t realized just how exhausting the last month or so had been having Emma-Claire around. Nor had he realized how difficult it was to have sex with his girlfriend or steal any intimacy with her with the child in the next room. He expected them to immediately grope each other as soon as they entered the pool house, but it was as though every single bit of exhaustion caught up with them and even when JC began to kiss on her, Annie only snuggled against him, letting him know that she was just as tired.

“I figured we’d be like bunnies tonight,” JC chuckled in her ear, pulling her into a hug.

“Me too,” Annie sighed and looked up at him with a tired smile. “Sorry.”

“Don’t apologize. I feel the same way,” he kissed her.

After brushing their teeth, he followed her up to the loft and watched her strip down to her bra and panties, then pulled the covers back on her bed. She slipped beneath them and looked at him, waiting for him to follow suit. He threw his clothes on the ground and slid in next to her in nothing but his boxer briefs, then pulled her against him. His fingers drummed across her stomach and Annie let out a contented sigh.

“Your parents are pretty great,” she said, turning over so that she was looking up at him.

“Yeah, they’re awesome,” JC smiled and moved a strand of hair behind her ear. He leaned down to kiss her and Annie shifted so that he was laying on top of her. “Did I ever tell you they adopted me?” he kissed her neck as he said this.

“No? Really?” Annie moved and propped herself up on the back of her elbow.

“Yeah,” JC continued and went back to her neck, this time sinking his teeth into her.

“Ow!” Annie yelped and giggled at the same time. “Wait, so you’re adopted? Have you ever met your birth parents?”

JC moved the hair by her ear and began to suck on the skin beneath it. “Ann, are you really interested? Because I find your neck really kissable right now.”

“Well, wait a minute. I wanna hear the story,” Annie gently pushed him away from her and JC sighed, moving down her body and resting his chin on her stomach and looked up at her as he continued.

“I was five when I was adopted. I knew my mom because she knew the Chasez’s. I still hear from her every now and then,” he began to draw circles on her stomach with his fingers. “But I’ve never met my father. He left when my mom was pregnant with me. So I really have no use for him.”

Annie saw the look of disgust wash over JC’s face and frowned. She ran her fingers through his hair and down his cheek. “I’m sorry, baby.”

“Oh, it’s fine. Roy’s my dad. He’ll always be my dad. And Karen is my mom. They raised me. They’re my parents,” he kissed her stomach and looked up at her again. “That’s why when you called me out on being a jerk dad to Emma-Claire I was so quick to change. I didn’t want to be the man that my birth father was. And I know I have enough of him in me to have easily done that. I don’t easily commit to things or relationships-“ he saw Annie wince at that statement “-no, Annie, that’s not what I mean. You’re the first woman that’s made me think twice about my life and the state of it. You and Emma-Claire.”

Annie breathed a sigh of relief at the same time emitting a small laugh. “JC…”

“Hey,” he crawled back up to her until his face met hers. “I think it’s time you started calling me Josh.”

“Oh yeah?” Annie enveloped her arms around his neck.

“Yeah,” JC bent down and pressed his lips against hers. “Most of my friends and my family call me that. And I want you to start calling me that now.”

“Well,” Annie kissed him back. “What if I slip and call you JC?”

“Then I guess I’ll have to spank you,” JC constrained himself against her, their legs intertwining. JC reached down and tugged at her panties. “I want you, baby.”

She wrapped her legs around his waist and arched herself so that JC could easily slip inside of her depths. Their tiredness suddenly dissolved as it always did when it came to being with each other.

 

“Where are you taking her on your first date?” Roy asked JC the next afternoon.  They were sitting on the back patio and Roy was smoking a cigar, while JC sipped on a beer. Annie had decided to use the free time she’d gained to clean the pool house since it hadn’t been touched in a while and she’d also wanted to give her boyfriend space to visit with his parents. Karen was inside napping with Emma-Claire.

“There’s a new restaurant in Beverly Hills I’m going to take her to,” JC answered, his feet propped up on the patio table. “Then I thought we’d either hit up a club or a wine bar.”

“She’s a great girl, Josh,” Roy noted, his gaze wandering over to the pool house. “I know you’re not one for settling down and I know this girl’s only been with you a short time, but son, I think if I were you, I’d hold on to this one.”

“Yeah, I know, Dad,” JC agreed and leaned back into the couch. “She’s different. Maybe it’s because she’s the one who got me to pay attention to Emma-Claire and showed me exactly what I was missing with her. I don’t know. She’s amazing.”

“I’m glad to hear you talk that way,” Roy mused. “Your mother was afraid you’d die alone one day.”

At that minute, he looked up to see Annie emerge from the pool house. She looked over at Roy and JC and waved. “Come over here,” JC called to her.

Annie strolled over and sat down across from JC on the couch. He eyed her and shook his head. “What’re you doing over there? I said come here,” as he said that, he grabbed her arm and pulled her over to him.

“I was giving you and your dad time, silly!” Annie playfully slapped his arm.

“You’re not interrupting in the least, Annie,” Roy assured her with a smile. “I was just telling Josh how great we think you are for him.”

“Oh, um, thank you,” Annie wished she could control her blushing. It had gotten out of control in the last twenty-four hours with all of the comments made about her and JC. It wasn’t that she was ashamed; she’d just never had this much attention drawn to her in a relationship before. And considering how she and JC had even started their relationship, well, she knew it might be considered somewhat scandalous to those who didn’t know the full situation. From what she’d gathered from his parents, she was pretty sure that this relationship with their son was a positive thing.

“You have any more Diet Cokes?” Roy stood to his feet and put his cigar in the ashtray.

“In the frig. I can get you one-“ JC went to stand and Roy shook his head.

“No, I’ll go get one. Be right back,” he went back into the house and JC looked at Annie and leaned in to kiss her.

“What time are you picking me up?” she asked him, bringing her knees to her chest and looking at him coyly.

“Seven-thirty,” JC replied, linking his fingers through hers. “So you’d better be ready and looking sexy.”

“I’ll be ready. I don’t know how sexy I’ll be, though. I’m not one for showing too much skin on the first date,” she quipped.

“Oh really?” he said. “Do you put out on the first date?”

“Lately I’ve been putting out before I even go on a date.”

“Great. Then I’ll bring a toothbrush,” JC leaned in and began to peck her lips. “I can’t wait to take you out tonight, baby.”

Annie grinned at him. “Yeah. It only took you a week and a few times in bed to finally ask me on a date.”

“You’re funny,” JC shook his head. “I’m gonna come to your apartment at seven. So it’ll feel like a real date. And so you and I don’t have to parade through the living room in front of my parents and Emma-Claire.”

“I love that idea,” Annie agreed and went to stand. “I guess I’d better get ready. It’s almost five and if you want me to look sexy then I’ve got a lot of cleaning up to do.”

“Baby, you have no idea how hot you are, do you?” JC gave her a once over and shook his head. “I’ll see you at seven.”

Annie bent down to kiss him. “See you then.”

“The short black shorts with the lacy white top,” Megan told her on the phone an hour later. Annie was standing in front of her closet once more debating on what she should wear on her date. “Because then it won’t take you long to get out of it later.”

“Megan!” Annie groaned. “Seriously, that’s the least of my worries.”

“Oh please. You know you guys are gonna do it. It’s your first date and you’ve already done it, like, a hundred times this past weekend.”

“Shut up. Ok so the black shorts and the lacy white top. Option one,” Annie threw the items on her bed. “What about the strapless red shirt with leggings?”

“Maybe,” Megan thought. “Oh, hey, do you still have that lavender dress? You know the one that you said you’d never wear because it wasn’t special enough for anything?”

“Right,” Annie nodded and looked through the back of her closet until she pulled out a lavender strapless mini dress from H&M. She’d been with Carey and Megan when she’d bought it and they’d convinced her she had to get it because of how it showed off her cleavage and her legs. Annie bit her lower lip thinking of just how turned on she knew JC would be once he saw her in it. “He might not let me leave the house like this. He’d just try and convince me to stay in with him.”

“Then you should definitely wear it,” Megan said and sighed. “Annie, I have to admit. I’m a little envious of you these days. How is the sex?”

“Megan, I don’t have time for that. Should I wear the dress or the shorts and the white lacy top?” Annie looked at the items on her bed.

“You’re no fun,” Megan griped then relented, “I think you should wear the dress. And if he tries to convince you not to go out, you stay in and be as loud as you want.”

“I want to go out with him, you dork,” Annie picked up the lavender dress and looked at it. “We haven’t been out on a date yet and we’ve done everything else. I’m starting to feel like his love slave or something.”

“Wow, I feel so sorry for you,” Megan chided. “Getting to have sex all the time with a gorgeous, rich, man. And also, what if you go out and get tailed by paparazzi? You know that’s bound to happen and then you’ll end up on the cover of Star and then you’ll be calling me and lamenting ‘I wish we’d never gone out!’”

“First of all, I doubt we’ll be the cover story unless nothing else is going on out here. Second, there’s always a pap or two wherever he is so I’m already expecting it and I don’t care. The only thing I care about in this whole crazy relationship is that we don’t break Emma-Claire’s heart if it doesn’t work out,” Annie sat on the edge of her bed, the dress in her lap and let out a shaky sigh.

“So what about you?” Megan asked softly.

“What about me?”

“What about your heart in this thing? Yeah, I know it’s Emma-Claire that you’re worried about but what about your heart getting broken? Because as fast as you’ve fallen for him, if anything were to happen, I think you’d be crushed.”

Annie didn’t say anything because she hadn’t wanted to think about that part of it.

“I know things are going great but you’re like, what, a week into the relationship? And it’s all sex and those heart to heart talks with each other and feeling like it’s the best thing in the world but, I don’t know, just think about yourself in that situation, you know?”

“Yeah,” Annie cleared her throat. “I know, Megs.” She shook her head. “I really don’t want to have this conversation right now. I mean, it’s our first date and I should be getting dressed and making him think I’m the best thing he’s ever taken out.”

“Sorry,” Megan apologized. “I shouldn’t have gotten so serious like that. It’s just I keep hearing you talk about Emma-Claire and I don’t want you to forget about yourself.”

“No, you’re just being a good friend,” Annie assured her. “And you’re right. If he were to end this, I would be devastated.”

“Go get dressed. Put on some good music and drink a glass of wine. Forget we had this conversation,” Megan added quickly. “And you better call me tomorrow. Oh and tell JC that Saturday is Jamie’s birthday and we’re all going out.”

“’We’ as in me and you and Jamie and Carey?” Annie stood and hung the dress up on her door.

“Yes. Girls’ night out. Do you think he’ll let you off?”

“Considering I’m his girlfriend now I would say he would. And Saturday’s my day off anyway and his parents are in town so I don’t think it’ll be a big deal.”

“Sweet. Okay, go get ready. Call me tomorrow.”

“Bye Megs,” Annie hung up and went downstairs to take a shower.

 

JC walked downstairs at five til seven and Emma-Claire was playing on the floor with Karen while Mulan was on the television. Roy was reading something on his iPad in the recliner and all three of them looked up when he stepped onto the bottom stair. He was dressed in dark jeans and a short-sleeved dark button down. The sleeves were highlighted in a bright green. In his hand he carried a bouquet of pink tulips that Karen had picked up for him earlier that afternoon.

“Well, you certainly look handsome,” Karen told her son, standing to her feet.

“Thanks,” JC grinned, then looked at Emma-Claire. “Ok, Emma, I’m going to dinner with Annie. Kiss me goodbye.”

Emma-Claire scrambled to her feet and ran to JC, her little arms wrapping around his legs. JC bent down to kiss her and tousled her hair. “Can you and Annie tuck me in tonight?” Emma-Claire asked him, her little hands cupping both of his cheeks.

JC looked at Karen who smiled knowingly at him.

“Emma-Claire, I think Daddy and Annie will still be gone by the time you get in bed,” Karen told her.

“But tomorrow we’ll be with you all day,” JC quickly answered upon seeing Emma-Claire’s face fall. “Okay?”

“Okay,” the child’s face brightened somewhat and she leaned in to kiss JC’s cheek.

“Okay,” JC grinned. “Love you, honey.” He stood to his feet and went to hug his mother. “See you guys tomorrow.”

“Have fun,” Roy called to him as he walked through the kitchen. He stood for a minute at the sliding glass door and looked across the yard at the pool house. He smiled and opened the door, quickly crossing the patio and was soon knocking on the door. He felt a little silly knocking on his own pool house entrance, but he’d wanted this to feel like as much of a first date as he possibly could and with anyone else, he’d never just enter someone’s house without knocking first.

Annie walked down the steps as quickly as she could, still fastening a hoop in her ear. She brushed off her dress once she reached the bottom stair and shook her curls before going to the door. When she opened it, JC immediately looked her up and down and his breath caught in his throat.

“Whoa,” he whistled at her. “Annie, you look….wow.” He walked inside, and after handing her the bouquet of tulips, slid his hands around her waist until they rested on her backside. “Baby, you look amazing.” He kissed her lips and pulled her close to him. “In fact, we don’t have to go out at all,” he whispered between kisses. Annie chuckled and pulled away from him.

“I knew you’d say that,” she shook her head and played with the collar on his shirt. “You look pretty great yourself.” She placed her hand on his chest and reached up to kiss him again, wiping off the lipstick that was now on his upper lip. “We should probably go unless you really don’t want dinner.”

“I could handle just taking you upstairs for the rest of the night,” JC kissed her cheek, then her neck. “Is that the spot? The one that makes you crazy?” he hissed and Annie nearly melted.

“C’mon, Josh, let’s go,” she was surprised at how she’d willed herself to pull away from him when normally that little spot on her neck would have caused her to let him take her right then and there. “We’ll go out to dinner and come back here and you can kiss me wherever you want for however long you want.”

“Oh, I plan on that,” JC said and walked to the door. “But kissing is only part of what I’m gonna do to you when we get back.” He laced his fingers through hers and then opened the door leading outside. The air was crisp outside and JC let go of her hand to slide his arm around her shoulder. Annie forgot about her conversation with Megan earlier. It didn’t matter anyway. She would enjoy the newness of this relationship and not worry about what might not even come to pass. For now, it was her and JC out on their first date. She felt pretty and sexy and when she glanced at him, her heart jumped inside of her chest to be out with this man who she could liberally call her boyfriend.

 

The restaurant JC had chosen was a nouveau type of place with seafood and Italian dishes on its menu. It was bustling with people but had an intimate feel to it at the same time. JC had called ahead and asked for the most private seating area they had and as soon as they entered, they were whisked away to a back corner. Annie had never been seated so fast at a restaurant in L.A. in the whole four years she’d lived there. It was a completely different scenario being with someone who had celebrity status.

“So, our first real date,” JC smiled warmly at Annie after they had ordered. He reached across the table and placed his hand on top of hers. “Sorry it took so long.”

“It was worth it. The whole week you made me wait,” she replied sarcastically. “And this place looks fantastic.”

“Lance actually told me about it. He and Michael came here when it opened a few months ago,” JC sipped his wine. “He liked it because it wasn’t swarming with the usual L.A. type of crowd and he got through dinner without having to sign an autograph.”

“Then I like it for that reason, too,” Annie rested her elbow on the table and propped her chin in her hand. “I don’t want to share you with anyone tonight.”

“You don’t have to worry about that,” JC assured her. Annie looked down at their hands. His on top of hers, stroking her palm with his thumb. She sighed contentedly and took a sip of her Cosmopolitan. “So, tell me something about you I don’t know.”

“What do you want to know?” Annie’s eyes danced as she asked him this question. All of their talks after making love together had ultimately turned into deep conversations about life and what their pasts were like before meeting each other. Annie had filled him in on growing up in Ohio, how she was always the little sister expected to stay put in the same sleepy suburb of Cincinnati, and teach in the elementary school where she’d gone as a child.

“I don’t know. You and your sister. Are you anything alike?”

Annie chuckled at the question. She and Maggie had a great relationship but were nothing alike. “Nothing,” Annie replied. “She’s married with three kids and would never dream of leaving Ohio. Though, I guess I should say our taste in men is apparently the same.”

JC raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”

Annie bit her lower lip and smiled at him. “You were her favorite Nsync member.”

“Oh, yeah?” JC laughed softly. “Were you a fan? I never asked.”

“Yeah….” Annie trailed off, suddenly feeling silly for being embarrassed about liking the band that her now boyfriend had been a member of years ago. “Yeah, Maggie introduced me to you guys. She had you plastered all over her wall in college.”

JC threw his head back and laughed louder. “She’d probably kill you for telling me this wouldn’t she?”

“Oh yeah,” Annie giggled and nodded her head. “I haven’t told her we’re dating yet. I guess I should fill her in. She’s really star struck, though. I guess that’s why I’m waiting.”

“So, I was your sister’s favorite. And you? Was I your favorite?” JC squeezed her hand and continued to trace his thumb over her palm.

“Um, no,” Annie shook her head and bit her lower lip. “Justin was. And for the sheer fact that he was the youngest and I was fourteen.”

JC shook his head and rubbed his forehead with his free hand. “That’s right. I forget how much I’m robbing the cradle with you.”

“Shut up. I should be teasing you about how I’m dating an old man, then,” Annie smiled at him flirtatiously. JC leaned across the table and Annie met him in the middle to give him a lingering kiss.

 

All thoughts of going to a wine bar or a club after their meal were forgotten. They were both too caught up in each other and throughout dinner, JC kept reaching under the table to grab at her thigh. By the time they entered the pool house, Annie’s dress had been partially unzipped –JC had worked on that on the drive back-and they were desperately trying to make it upstairs without breaking away from each other. Annie knew it had never been this way with anyone else. That desperation, that longing to have the other person fill her up and fill her up completely had been lost on other suitors. JC had been the only one who could make her long for him even when he wasn’t with her. She could already feel the heat between her legs and the aching and burning she felt whenever he was touching her. Collapsing on her bed, JC nearly ripped her dress from her and Annie held herself back from tearing his shirt off of him. The only thing that stopped her was that he looked just as good with it on as he did off and she didn’t want to ruin it. Her hands couldn’t unbutton it fast enough. It was as though they hadn’t been with each other just twenty-four hours before.

Annie loved hearing him moan and gasp as he fondled her and undressed her at the same time and she gave it right back to him, which only urged him further. He made her feel like a goddess in bed and no one, no one, had ever done that before and she knew it. Sex before JC had been an exercise routine. In and out and in and out and done. Now she knew why it was so enjoyable and why her friends had been able to be uninhibited in bed because she was feeling the exact same way.

“Wait, I wanna try something with you,” JC panted in her ear. He was on top of her and Annie was beneath him, her legs spread and ready for him to enter her.

“What?” she groaned, waiting for him to continue.

He said nothing, only moved off of her and rolled her on her side. He pulled her against him, moved her thigh back and before she knew it, he was deep within her. His fingers rested on her inner thigh and he began to move slowly behind her.

“Do you like this? Is it okay?” he whispered.

“It’s…yeah, oh my god, yes!” Annie threw her head back onto his shoulder, his fingers massaging her swollen clit and him moving faster inside of her.

“That's it, Annie,” he groaned. “That’s my girl.”

“Mm, Josh. Josh!” she rocked forward, her orgasm hitting her faster than ever before and JC kept working her inside and out. She clutched the pillow next to her and before long, another orgasm had washed over her. Something between a gasp and a scream came out of her and JC began to go even faster. He fell onto her back as he released within her and gasped and groaned her name. Nothing was heard except their panting to catch their breaths and Annie only moved when she felt him pull out of her confines. She rolled over, her eyes meeting his lustful stare. Neither of them spoke a word for a few seconds. Annie reached up to wipe off the sweat from his forehead and slowly moved on top of him. His arms wrapped around her waist and he felt her lips began to suck and kiss at his neck, her hair trailing behind her kisses as she made her way down his chest. It was covered in beads of sweat and Annie looked at him and pulled herself up so that she was straddling him. He reached for her, his hands tangled in her hair and kissed her.

“You amaze me,” he said between kisses. “Every time I’m with you I think that’s the best time ever and then you do something else.”

“I feel the same way,” she kissed his cheek and JC rolled her over so that he was on top now.

“I can’t get enough of you, Annie Leighton,” he chuckled, kissing his way down her body. “I think about you all the time.”

“What do you think about?” Annie propped herself up on her elbows and watched him make his way down to her stomach. He took turns blowing and kissing around her naval before he answered.

“Any and everything,” he chuckled and kissed her again in the same spot. “It usually involves you being like this without any clothes on.” He rested his chin on her stomach and looked up at her. “And I usually get my fantasy fulfilled when I’m with you.” Annie ran her hand through his hair and he continued. “And the way you love on my daughter, well, as pissed off as I was at Shayna, if it wasn’t for her and for Emma-Claire, I might not have ever met you.” He pulled himself up until he was lying next to her again. “You’re different from everyone else, Ann. You’re not complex or after me for the wrong reasons and being with you like we just were….I mean, damn, Annie, you blow my mind in a million different ways.”

Annie was quiet and taking in everything he was telling her. She pulled the sheet over her body and turned to face him. “Is it gonna get old?” she asked, as he snuggled next to her.

“What do you mean?” he kissed her forehead and their noses touched.

“This. Is it gonna get old? It’s been a week. I guess, I just, I worry that after a while it’s not going to feel like this anymore. You’ve even said yourself you get bored. And I just know that if it weren’t to work out that I’d be devastated and that precious little girl that we both love would be crushed,” she rested her palm on his face.

“I don’t think I could ever get bored of you, Annie,” he kissed her lips softly and tried to reassure her with a smile.

Annie only nodded and took his arm, wrapping it around her waist. “Then I won’t bring it up again,” she said, closing her eyes and trying to rid herself of the gnawing feeling of uncertainty that was building inside of her.

 

Annie’s phone buzzing the next morning was what woke JC up first. He looked over at her, curled next to him in a ball and sleeping soundly. Rubbing his eyes, he swung his legs over her bed and walked to the other side of the bed to turn the phone off, only to look down and see Maggie’s name flashing across the screen. He looked at Annie and then back at the phone, recalling their conversation the night before at dinner.

“Annie’s phone,” his voice was groggier than he’d expected it to be, which only caused Maggie to gasp on the other end.

“Um. Who is this?” she asked, almost in a demanding tone.

“Josh Chasez. Who is this?”

“Josh Chasez. JC?!”

“Well, some would call me that, yeah,” he was trying his best not to burst into laughter on the phone.

“Why are you answering my sister’s phone?”

“I’m her boss. I pay her phone bill. Shouldn’t I be allowed to do that?”

Annie could hear a conversation in the distance as she slowly came out of the sleepy coma she was in. She rolled over and looked up to see JC standing next to her bedside with his phone to his ear.

“What are you doing?” Annie asked drowsily.

“I’m talking to your sister,” JC turned and winked at her and suddenly Annie was wide-awake.

“Shit!” she hissed at him. “Josh, give me that!”

JC was chuckling now and sat down next to her on the edge of the bed. Annie grabbed the phone from him.

“Hi Mags,” she said as nonchalantly as possible.

“Annie, what the hell is going on?” Maggie questioned, her tone of voice sharp as it always was when she got excited.

“Nothing. Why?” Annie replied trying to be offhanded.

“Annie Leighton, I call you at 9:00 your time and JC Chasez answers your phone and you both sound like you just crawled out of bed and….” Maggie trailed off and then nearly screeched into the phone, “Did you have sex with JC Chasez?!”

Annie pulled the phone away from her ear and glared at JC. “I’m going to kill you for answering this!” she hissed at him and put the phone back to her ear. JC only laughed at her and then crawled on top of her kissing her as she continued to try and have a conversation with her sister.

“I’m not talking to you about this right now,” Annie retorted, then to JC she whispered, “Stop!”

“Stop what?” Maggie asked. “Annie, seriously, what are you doing?”

“I’m not doing anything, baby,” JC bit her neck.

“Not you, Maggie,” Annie sighed and tried to move away from JC but he was relentless.

“Annie, is JC Chasez in your bed right now?”

“Mags, I’ll call you back okay?” Annie succeeded in pushing JC off of her and standing up. “I can’t talk right now.”
“Ann-Marie! You better not hang up on me!” Maggie shrieked. Annie groaned and turned around to see JC on his side, propped up on his elbow and grinning at her with a goofy smile.

“I’ll call you back, Maggie,” Annie hung up on her sister and threw the phone on the bed. “Are you crazy?” she shook her head at JC. “I’m never gonna hear the end of it now.”

“She woke me up. I thought I’d have a little fun,” JC rolled off the bed and walked over to Annie. “Good morning, baby.” He kissed her lips slowly and deliberately while at the same time, walking her backwards to the bed until he was on top of her.

“Josh…” Annie whimpered.

“What?” he kissed her again and began to roll one of her nipples between his thumb and forefinger. “Does that feel good?”

Annie sighed and looked at him, unable to hide the expression of arousal on her tired face. “Mmhm.”

“Are you still mad at me?” his mouth was on her other breast and his voice muffled.

“Uh huh,” Annie snaked her arm around his neck. “But you keep doing that and I might change my mind.”

“Yeah?” he looked up at her and continued his kisses further south. “How’s this?” his tongue licked at the spot where her pelvis met her inner thigh. “You like that?”

“Mmm,” was all Annie could muster.

“Good,” JC spread her legs and was just about to continue his assault when a loud knock on the door rang through the tiny space.

“Are you kidding me?!” Annie groaned and sat up quickly.

“Not really a morning person, huh baby?” JC teased her and kissed her before getting up. “I’ll go answer it.”

“No, what if it’s Emma-Claire?” Annie stood and grabbed her robe that was hanging on the closet door. She tied it around her and quickly ran down the steps to the door of the pool house.

“Good morning,” Karen stood there with Emma-Claire next to her and a plate of pancakes in one hand. “Emma-Claire made you and Josh breakfast.”
Annie smiled, quite embarrassed at the state she was in and how JC’s mother must have been looking at her. “Um, wow. Thanks, Emma-Claire!” Annie grinned at her. “Josh is still, um..” she trailed off and looked at the stairs that led to the loft. “Well, he should be down in a minute.”

Karen bit her lip and looked at Annie. “I’m so sorry, Annie. She was quite insistent on seeing you both,” the older woman whispered.

“No, it’s totally fine,” Annie was doing her best to reassure her. “Come on in. I’ll go see if he’s ready to-“

“Good morning!” JC called from the top of the loft and began to make his way down the stairs. Annie marveled at him in his jeans and a white undershirt that he’d left from two nights before. Meanwhile, she looked as though she’d just rolled out of bed after having sex.

“Daddy!” Emma-Claire ran to him and JC picked her up. “I brought you and Annie breakfast!”

“That’s so great, baby, thank you,” JC kissed her and put her down.

“You know, why don’t we let you get dressed and we can just have breakfast out by the pool?” Karen suggested and smiled decisively at Annie, who looked relieved. “Come on, Emma-Claire. We’ll go set the patio table and then Annie and Daddy can come out in a few minutes.”

“Okay,” Emma-Claire agreed and followed her grandmother out of the pool house.

“Oh my god,” Annie breathed a sigh of relief. “That was embarrassing!”

“My mother knows I’m not a virgin,” JC teased her. “And I’m pretty sure she knew we weren’t in here talking last night.”

“Yeah, but what must Emma think?!” Annie shook her head and went upstairs, JC fast on her heels.

“She’s four. We can tell her we were having an adult slumber party,” JC wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her neck from behind. “Because after my parents leave, we’re gonna be having a lot of them in my bed.”

Annie turned and faced him. “What are you saying?”

“Exactly? Well, I guess I’m saying I think you should just move in with me.”

“Move in with you? After a week?” Annie took her robe off and threw on her bra , while rummaging through her drawer for a pair of panties.

“My last girlfriend moved in after only-“ he stopped when Annie shot him a look. “I mean, never mind. I’m just saying it’s not like it’s not been done before.”

“That’s fine, Josh, but –“

“You know what your problem is?” JC sauntered over to her after she’d thrown on a pair of jeans and was still looking for a t-shirt. He pulled her into his arms. “You worry too much. Just chill and we’ll do this thing one day at a time like we said. And you know you’re not gonna want to come back to this place at night. We can’t even keep our hands off each other for two minutes, much less eight hours.”

Annie slowly nodded. “Okay,” she tried to be as assured sounding as she wanted him to think she was.

“You’re still worried about this aren’t you?” he rested his forehead on hers.

“A little.”

“A lot.”

“Okay, fine, a lot. I’ve just never had a relationship go this fast before.”

“Then maybe it’s time you give it a shot,” JC let her go and Annie quickly put on a t-shirt before following him downstairs.

By the end of the week, Annie had been bombarded with questions from Maggie via phone, email, text, and she’d even tried to Facetime her one afternoon while the Chasez’s and Annie had taken Emma-Claire to the beach. She finally relented and after putting Emma-Claire down for her nap, sat on the couch and called Maggie. JC and his parents had gone out for the afternoon and Annie had wanted them to have that time together and had opted to stay in with Emma-Claire instead.

“You are such a little bitch,” Maggie greeted her over the phone.

“And I love you too, Mags,” Annie retorted. “I’m sorry, there just wasn’t time. It’s been a busy week. Josh’s parents are here and-“

“Josh? You’re actually calling him that? Ok you have an hour to spill your guts to me. Lily is down for her nap, Cecily is at school and Graham is at a friend’s house. So go.”

Annie could hear Maggie moving a chair from underneath the table and imagined her sister sitting in the kitchen that overlooked the woods behind her Ohioan home.

Annie took a deep breath. “Ok, but you can’t freak out about what I’m going to tell you,” she warned Maggie.

“You’re essentially about to tell me that you’re doing my collegiate celebrity crush. I might freak out a little and there’s nothing you can do about it,” Maggie snipped, but Annie sensed the teasing in her voice.

“Josh and I are seeing each other. It’s only been a week, but we’re pretty into one another. He told me last week that he thought about me all the time and things just kind of escalated from that. And we were trying to be really careful about showing any PDA in front of Emma-Claire but we can barely keep our hands off each other so we let it slide. She was really excited and it’s just made things even better. And his parents are here this week so we’ve been hanging out with them a lot. He’s actually out with them today and took them to the Grove to go shopping,” Annie paused and waited for a reaction but all she heard was silence. “Maggie?”

“I’m speechless,” Maggie’s voice cracked. “I mean, I’m so happy for you, Ann, don’t get me wrong. It’s just…wow! So I take it you’ve um, had sex?”

“Yeah,” Annie answered in a small voice.

“And?” Maggie prodded.

“And we’re safe, if that’s what you’re getting at.”

“No no no. I mean, and is it good?!”

Annie giggled softly. “That’s none of your business.”

“Annie!”

“Ok, fine. Yes, he’s the best sex I’ve ever had. Before him, I thought sex was dull and like, a chore that had to be done. But everything is amazing right now.”

“I hate you.”

“You have Jon. Remember? Your husband?!”

“Of course, but the 21-year-old inside of me is dying. My little sister and my celebrity crush. It’s just a little crazy to contemplate! However, I will have to kill him if he hurts you.”

“Of course you will.”

“Also, tell him it’s not nice to pick up other people’s phones. I don’t care if he’s your boss or not. And it’s especially not nice when the person is JC Chasez and I’m not prepared!”

Annie laughed out loud. “Prepared for what?”

“Prepared to be calm! I had to literally take a Valium when I got off the phone with you. Especially since you hung up on me and I had no idea what was going on. Were you in the middle of sex?”

“Of course not!”

“Ok. Well, you know, it was early and he answers your phone all morning-voice like so how was I supposed to know?”

“I can assure you we won’t be answering anyone’s phone calls during sex,” Annie rolled her eyes. “Don’t tell Mom just yet. I don’t want her freaking out when she hears I’m dating my boss.”

“Not to mention sleeping with him as well,” Maggie added.

“Whatever. Just don’t mention it to her.”

“My lips are sealed. I’m really happy for you, Ann. Really. And I hope I get to meet him at some point.”

“I hope you get to meet him, too.”

Seconds later, Annie heard Emma-Claire’s door open and in a minute the little girl was standing at the top of the stairs. “Annie?” she called sleepily. “I’m awake now!”

“Hey, Maggie, I need to go. Emma-Claire’s awake,” Annie stood and began to walk up the stairs.

“Okay. Thanks for calling me back, Annie. Keep me updated!”

“I will. Love you.”

“Love you, too, sis.”

Annie hung up and met Emma-Claire at the top of the stairs. The little girl was rubbing her eyes and holding onto a stuffed animal. Annie picked her up and Emma-Claire rested her head on Annie’s shoulder as she walked back downstairs. She sat down on the couch and Emma-Claire snuggled in Annie’s lap, lazily playing with Annie’s curls like she always did when she was languid and tired.

“Where are Mimi and Pops and Daddy?” Emma-Claire asked almost above a whisper.

“They went shopping,” Annie kissed the top of Emma-Claire’s head and leaned back into the couch. She loved moments like this when Emma-Claire would snuggle with her after a nap. It made Annie’s heart grow more in love with the child she held in her arms. In the last week, she’d done all she could not to go to that place in her head where she would start to think of JC and Emma-Claire as her family and she knew if things continued like they were with JC, that line would get even more blurred. But she had vowed not to let that plague her any longer. The relationship with JC had been amazing and if she let her thoughts take over, Annie knew she was liable to break up with him out of fear for Emma-Claire’s feelings and that was just dumb right now. Especially when everything was so new.

“Annie, I like you and my daddy when you are with me,” Emma-Claire whispered, breaking Annie’s train of thought.

“Oh really?” Annie looked down at the little girl and smiled. “I like that, too.”

At that moment, the garage door opened and in a minute JC was walking through the living room with Roy and Karen behind him. He grinned when he saw Annie and Emma-Claire on the couch together. Annie was speaking softly to his daughter and Emma-Claire was resting her head on Annie’s shoulder, playing with her hair.

“Hey,” he greeted them and Emma-Claire raised her head and smiled when she saw her father. “Did you just wake up from your nap, babe?”

“Uh huh,” Emma-Claire nodded and crawled out of Annie’s lap, walking over to her father, who enveloped her in his arms. He looked up at Annie and winked at her as she slowly stood to her feet.

“We can take over,” Roy offered, looking from JC to Annie. “Emma-Claire, Mimi and I bought you a new playhouse. You wanna help Pops put it up in the backyard?”

Emma-Claire’s eyes grew wide and she was suddenly wide -awake.

“A playhouse? For me?” she gasped and let go of JC to wander over to her grandparents.

“For you,” Karen smiled down at her. “It’s in Daddy’s car. Pops is going to get it out and we’ll put it up right now if you want.”

“Okay!” Emma-Claire hastily followed her grandparents back into the kitchen, while JC sauntered over to Annie, plopped down on the couch and rested his head in her lap, looking up at her and smiling.

“Hi,” Annie circled her fingers over his forehead and JC closed his eyes.

“Hi,” JC yawned and lifted his hand to brush against her cheek. “We went to four Home Depot’s before Dad decided on the right playhouse for her. Do you know how long that takes to do in the greater L.A. area?”

“I can only imagine,” Annie chuckled. She bent down to graze her lips against his. “Wanna go back to my place? I could use a little nap.”

“Mm,” JC closed his eyes and nodded. “Yeah.” He lifted himself up and stretched his arms as he stood. Annie followed him through the kitchen and back to the entrance of the pool house. They ambled up the stairs to the loft and Annie went over to her dresser to pull out a t-shirt to change into. She felt JC’s arms wrap around her stomach and pull her against him. She looked at them in the mirror. His strong arms wrapped around her, his fingers playing with the button on her jeans, his lips kissing her cheek and then her neck. She let out a sigh and rested the back of her head on his shoulder.

“I thought we were taking a nap?” she whispered.

“We are,” JC pulled the shirt she was wearing above her head and then slid his hands down her bare arms and back up to the clasp of her bra. “I’m just having a little fun first.” Her bra slid off and JC cupped his hands around both of her breasts. He began to rub them and Annie closed her eyes and let him take control. She moved her fingers to the zipper on her jeans and JC grinned when he heard the sound of it coming undone. He knelt down behind her, his hands leaving her breasts and caressing her legs while his lips followed a path from her calves to her butt to her back. Annie gasped softly when he slowly stood again behind her. For a minute, neither of them moved, just looked at each other through the mirror. JC watched her while he took his jeans off and then stood behind her again. He wrapped his arms around her stomach once more, pulling her tightly against him and burying his face in her hair the nape of her neck, while grabbing her panties and taking them slowly down her legs. His kisses moved from her neck to her shoulder blade and back up again. Annie turned to capture his lips with hers and at the same time, JC pushed her forward, holding her against the dresser and in seconds was buried within her depths.

“Look at us, baby,” he hissed in her ear. “Look at how hot we are.”

Annie thought she would die. She’d never done anything remotely this exciting before with anyone else. JC was always teaching her something new about sex that she’d only thought existed in novels or movies. But looking at herself in the mirror and watching them move together made Annie feel something she’d never ever felt before inside. Her entire body felt as though it might explode from what was happening. She held on firmly to the dresser with one hand, the other snaking its way behind his neck. Her gasps turned into moans that filled the loft and Annie was ever so grateful that they hadn’t stayed in the main house because she knew she could be just as loud as she wanted. He continued moving within her faster and harder and then switching his pace to slower and deliberate. Annie felt sweat dripping from his forehead down her shoulder and her back and threw her head back onto his chest. She couldn’t take it anymore and felt as though she would fall over when she came.

“It’s okay,” JC panted. “Let it go, baby. Do it for me. Look at me when you come, Annie.” Annie opened her eyes and looked at him in the mirror. He reached down and began to massage her and that was when she finally let herself go. She watched him the whole time, her eyes barely able to stay open once she was finished. JC held onto her and just as Annie’s orgasm had finished, his began. They both gripped onto the dresser for leverage and JC’s head fell onto Annie’s back and he let out a guttural moan as he filled her. Their breathing was heavy and Annie still felt herself twitching around him inside of her. When he pulled away, Annie let out a shaky breath and was afraid to try and walk. It wasn’t that he’d hurt her by any means, but it had definitely been harder than before.

“Um,” she tried to speak as she wobbled over to her bed. “Wow, Josh. What, I mean, damn.”  Annie collapsed on her bed and tried to catch her breath. JC walked over to her and laid down next to her. She turned to look at him. “That was, I can’t even speak, Josh. That was unbelievable.”

“I guess I was just curious to see what you’d do,” JC ran his hand through her hair. “Are you okay? Did I push you too far?”

“Are you kidding me? I’ve never had sex like that before,” Annie shook her head. “I like your idea of naps, though. Seriously.”

JC chuckled and closed his eyes, rubbing Annie’s arm, reaching for her. Annie moved closer to him and he kissed her cheek. Soon their breathing became rhythmic and it wasn’t until JC’s phone began to buzz that Annie realized they’d fallen asleep. JC sighed and stood, walking over to where his jeans lied in a puddle. He pulled his phone out of the back pocket and grinned, looking at Annie.

“Mom texted me. She said she didn’t want to bother us but Emma-Claire’s begging for us to come and see her playhouse,” JC began to respond to the message while Annie rose from the bed.

“How long were we asleep?” she asked, going to retrieve her clothes.

JC looked at his phone. “I think a half hour? Something like that,” he shrugged and zipped his jeans. He bit his lip and smirked at her.

“What?” Annie asked, walking over to the dresser.

“You’re kind of wobbly,” he let a soft laugh escape his lips and Annie chuckled.

“Yeah, well, you did that to me, babe,” she retorted playfully and flashed him a grin as she began to get dressed again. She knew the feelings of excitement that came with being in a new relationship and she wanted to cherish every single moment with JC like this. 

Emma-Claire ran up to them as they exited the pool house. Her new playhouse was set away from the pool and was yellow with pink shutters. It had two little flower boxes on the outside and a working doorbell. Annie had never seen anything so elite before in a child’s playhouse. She tried to recall the plastic Playskool one that she’d owned as a child. Even Ruby McGriffin’s custom made playhouse didn’t have a doorbell.

“This is so cool, Emma-Claire!” Annie said, ducking inside of the little house. The floors were fake hardwood and the walls had pink and yellow flowers all over. It was cozy and cute and perfect for a four-year-old little girl. “It would be fun to put twinkle lights around the ceiling,” Annie pointed out.
“Yeah!” Emma-Claire nodded enthusiastically. “Can we do that today?”

“Maybe later,” Annie replied, not wanting to intrude on plans with the Chasez’s. They only had a few nights left with their granddaughter and Annie was careful to note that. “When Mimi and Pops leave, we’ll put them up, okay?”

It was hard to pry her out of her playhouse, but it was nearing dinner and after all of the adults promised she could play in it before she went to bed, Emma-Claire reluctantly left her playhouse and followed behind JC and Annie back to the main house.

“How did you even think of twinkle lights?” JC asked Annie, as they walked into the kitchen.

“It’s a little girl’s playhouse. All little girls like twinkle lights,” Annie shrugged. “I just know how little girls are,” Annie said. “It’s not rocket science.”
“Not to you,” JC turned her to face him and kissed her. “But it is to me.”

“You’ll learn soon enough, Josh. Promise,” Annie assured him. “You’ve already learned a lot about her and it hasn’t even been that long.”

“Yeah, well, thanks to you,” JC touched his nose to her forehead and kissed her again.

 

“I booked a little venture in Seoul,” Jimmy was telling JC on Saturday. He was still laying in Annie’s bed with her and they’d been enjoying a lazy morning of kissing and cuddling and sex before getting up and going over to the main house. Jimmy had called three times in a row and JC finally relented and answered his phone. His arm was still draped around Annie, his fingers at her waist rubbing the skin near her backside. Annie was cuddled next to him on his chest, occasionally kissing him or caressing him. It was raining outside and she knew after he was finished with this phone call, they needed to make an appearance in the main house. Emma-Claire would just be finishing breakfast now and wondering when she’d see her father and Annie. Annie had promised she’d play with Emma-Claire even though it was technically her day off. At the same time, she was going out that evening with her friends and she knew she’d be out late and wanted as much time with her boyfriend as possible.

“Seoul? For what?” JC asked. He felt Annie’s eyes looking up at him and he looked down and smiled at her reassuringly.

“We need to give the girls a taste of real K-Pop. They’ve heard of it and they’ve watched the videos online but I think they need to really experience it. It’s only for a week. Think you can be away from Annie and Emma-Claire that long?”

JC didn’t want to admit that he didn’t know if he could. Normally, any other girlfriend would tag along with him. But with Emma-Claire being so young and with Annie being both the nanny and his partner, JC knew it was impossible. Jet lag was awful enough as an adult. He couldn’t imagine a four-year-old getting over it in a week.

“Well, no, but it’s for the group. We need to do it.”

Annie had heard Jimmy on the other end and tried not to let her heart sink into her chest. She knew this would come eventually. She knew the group couldn’t just stay in L.A. and JC had even mentioned they might go on a small tour before too long. But Korea? For a week? She snuggled closer to him, her arm wrapping tightly around his bare stomach and didn’t look at him. No, she would be supportive and it was only for a week. It wasn’t as though he was leaving them for a month. That would be later and she’d deal with that when it came.

“Great. I was hoping you’d say that. We leave in two weeks. Can you be at the studio on Monday? I haven’t said anything to the girls yet. I thought we could both tell them.”

“Yeah, Monday’s fine,” JC nodded. “Great, Jimmy. Thanks again for doing that. It’s gonna be a great thing I know.” He hung up and sighed and then looked at Annie, who was staring at the wall, her head still resting on his chest. “Hey,” he tugged at her hair and she looked up at him.

“Hey,” she forced a smile and reached up to kiss him. “It’s fine, Josh. Really.”

“It’s for a week. That’s all,” JC was trying to reassure himself as well as Annie.

“I know,” Annie pulled away from him and brought her knees to her chest, the covers falling off of her. She was still wearing a thin tank top but that was all and JC couldn’t help but stare at her. She rested her head on her knees and looked at him. “And it’s not for two weeks, right?”

That was correct but JC knew in those two weeks he’d practically be living at the studio. He wasn’t going to let any negativity fill his head. This relationship was too new and he wasn’t about to let anything ruin it. But he knew when he started working like he was about to do, he ultimately always let other relationships fall to the side.

“Yeah,” he nodded aimlessly, still deep in thought.

“Josh,” Annie said softly, her head still on her knees, “We’re okay. I’m not worried.” That was partially a lie but she wouldn’t let on. “One day at a time, remember what you said?”

There was always room for change. JC knew that. He didn’t always have to be the jerk boyfriend who let his woman feel like she was second fiddle to him. And now with his daughter….no, it had to be different this time even if it killed him to change.

“I remember,” JC reached over and kissed Annie’s lips, lingering for a minute. She shifted her body, allowing him to move on top of her. Soon it was all forgotten about and Annie let him have her once more before they began to get dressed.

 

The club was loud and music was blasting from a block away. JC had called ahead for Annie and her friends and gotten them a VIP table at Avalon, a historic nightclub in Beverly Hills. She’d never been on a VIP list before but then again, there were a lot of things Annie had never experienced before JC. When they reached the front of the entrance to the club, Annie told the bouncer her name. He smiled at them, held the rope up, and the girls did their best not to show how eager they were to get inside.

They were immediately let to a room upstairs that overlooked the club floor. A bottle of champagne and a plate of Kobe burgers awaited them.

“Holy shit,” Jamie breathed. “Annie, did JC do this?”

Annie nodded and looked at the set up. He’d told her he was going to do something special for them but she’d just figured it would be having their names on the VIP list. “I guess so,” she answered. “He didn’t say.”

“Excuse me, which one of you is Annie Leighton?” a cocktail waitress asked, as she came up to the table.

“That’s me,” Annie replied.

“Ok. Your whole night has already been charged to your boyfriend’s card. He said to tell you to order whatever and to have a good night,” the waitress said, without batting an eye. Annie tried her best not to gasp or look surprised. She was pretty sure everyone in the club had more money on them than the four girls who sat in the VIP room.

“Oh. Oh, um, okay. Great,” Annie nodded and tried to be as nonchalant as she could.

“Well, shit, then could you bring us all a round of martini’s with the most expensive vodka you have?” Megan blurted and Annie shot her a look.

“I don’t want him to think we’re using him like that!” she hissed, then looked back at the waitress. “Actually, just a round of Cosmo’s, please.”

“Sure,” the waitress wandered over to the bar and Annie sighed loudly still shaking her head at Megan.

“I’m sorry!” Megan rolled her eyes. “I got excited, okay? I’ve never been to a club where I’m VIP and my drinks for the night are paid for!”

“Well, if you want to do this again, then go easy for the first few hours,” Annie replied, then looked at Jamie. “Happy Birthday!”

“Annie, seriously, you’d better give JC all the blow jobs and sex he wants from me. This is amazing!” Jamie shook her head in amazement.

“Um, I probably won’t tell him they’re from you,” Annie giggled, “but I’ll tell him you said thank you.”

“Hey, Annie, is that you?” a voice called and Annie looked up to see Lance and Michael wandering over to them.

“Oh my god,” Carey breathed and clutched Megan’s arm. “I used to have the biggest crush on him in middle school!”

“Hey!” Annie stood to hug Lance and then Michael. “I’m out with my friends for a birthday. JC got us this table.”

“Aw, he’s such a good boyfriend,” Lance smiled, then looked over at the rest of the girls. “Hi, I’m Lance.” He leaned over to shake each of their hands and when he got to Carey, she just gaped at him.

“H-Hi,” she finally managed to get out. “I’m Carey.”

“Whose birthday is it?” Michael wanted to know as he and Lance took a seat next to Annie.

“Mine,” Jamie raised her hand. “I’m twenty-five.”

“Happy Birthday,” Lance told her. He motioned to the waitress. “Hey, can we get five shots of your best tequila? And put it on my tab!”

“You don’t have to-“ Annie started but Lance tapped her leg and shook his head.

“I know. But it’s your friends’ birthday!” Lance interrupted her. The waitress delivered the Cosmo’s and the shots at the same time. Lance raised his shot glass and toasted Jamie and the six of them threw their heads back to shoot the drink.

An hour later, they were all out on the dance floor and Annie felt tipsier than she had in a long time.

“Too bad JC’s not here!” Megan yelled to her. “You know he’s an awesome dancer!”

“He’ll just have to bring me back another time!” Annie called back and laughed when a random guy began to grind behind Megan.

“Excuse me,” Annie felt a tap on her shoulder and turned to see a woman behind her wearing a dress that covered nothing and long black hair that matched her black eyes.

“Yeah?” Annie was dancing but stopped when the woman approached her.

“Did your friend say JC? I’m assuming it’s just a coincidence but you’re not with JC Chasez are you?” the woman was much taller than Annie and glowered down at her. “Because if you are, good luck. That man’s the worst player in Hollywood!”

“Um…” Annie trailed off and was grateful when Lance came up behind her and pulled her away.

“Thanks, that’ll be all from you, Jade!” he snapped and took Annie off the dance floor. “Don’t give that bitch a second thought. JC hooked up with her once a few years ago and she somehow keeps reappearing. She’s infamous for hooking up with celebrities and then dogging their name all over L.A.”

“How long ago?” Annie wanted to know, feeling her heart and her stomach switch places. JC had already told her he’d been with a lot of women. And she wasn’t stupid. He’d been in the biggest boy band in the world at one time and she knew he’d had a lot of groupies and sex and all that came with that. But now that she was his girlfriend, somehow it just settled differently with her.

“Oh, like, two years or something? I don’t remember. Seriously, though, don’t let her bother you,” Lance patted Annie’s arm, then saw the look on her face. “Shit, Annie, you gotta know that he’s been around!”

“No, I know and we’ve talked about it. I guess, just her coming up to me and seeing it in my face or something caught me off guard,” she said. “Was he really a player?”

“Annie, don’t be naïve. JC’s not a player but he used to get around a lot. He’s not like that anymore and I know that being with you he wouldn’t dare do what he’s done in the past,” Lance was trying to be assuring.

“Yeah,” she nodded, doing her best to convince herself that he was right. “He did bring home a girl right when I first started working for him.”

“Lauren? Ha, yeah, good ol’ been-around-the-block-Lauren. Lauren’s old hat. He only uses her for one thing. But Annie, I swear, he doesn’t fuck around when he’s with someone. He might have in the past but he hasn’t in at least five years or so. If he’s with someone, he’s with them and nobody else,” Lance put his hands on Annie’s shoulders. “Trust me, Annie. This is just what Hollywood is like. It’s sleazy and disgusting but you’ve found a good man and he’s not gonna do to you what that slut just said. Okay?”

“Yeah, okay,” Annie forced a smile. “Um, I think I’m gonna go back to the table.” She walked away from Lance and went up the stairs that led to the VIP section. Immediately she reached for her phone and pulled it out, smiling when she saw three texts from JC.

Are you having fun? I’m gonna be in your bed when you get back.

You must be having a blast since you’re not answering. It’s OK. Just remember what’s awaiting you when you get here.

Trying to stay awake. Being in your bed without you is lonely.

Annie felt relief course through her. This was him. This was her JC. Her Josh. He wasn’t like he used to be, one of his best friends had just assured her of that. She checked the time and saw it was nearing two in the morning. Looking down at the floor, she also knew that her friends weren’t going to be leaving for a long time.

Hi. Was dancing. Lance & Michael are here, too. Prob gonna be a late nite. I’ll wake you up when I get back. XOXOXO

She had just sent the message when he texted her back right away.

Can’t wait for that wake up call. Dance your ass off , mama, but save some lovin’ for me.

That was no problem. She would have plenty of that for him when she got home, even if it was the wee hours of daylight. Feeling reassured, Annie stood and went back down to the dance floor. If this was what it was going to be like dating him, then she would be fine with that and learn to accept what Hollywood was all about.

And in the back of her mind, she knew she'd be moving in with JC next week and even if he was going off to Seoul, she would trust him because so far, he hadn't given her a reason not to do so. 

 

 

The day the Chasez’s had flown back to Orlando, Annie had moved into his bedroom. It hadn’t taken her long to get used to waking up in JC’s bed. The fact that they’d shared a bed for the better part of two weeks before she moved in made it easy to make the adjustment. And as much as Annie had loved the pool house and had made it her own, she loved living in the main house with JC and Emma-Claire. Her routine was the same only now she could freely enjoy breakfast in her pajamas and took her time in the morning instead of rushing to get ready. It was blissful and before JC had started to work on the band’s upcoming Korea stint, it had almost been too perfect. Waking up next to him, going to bed with him, having meals together with Emma-Claire. All of it had felt as though Annie were living in a fantasy. She’d tried her best not to dwell on the girl she’d run into at Avalon and when she’d mentioned Jade to JC, he’d been honest with her but said the same thing Lance had told him and that was comforting. Megan had told Annie not worry about it, that JC was with her, he was obviously crazy about her, and so what if he’d been around? It had made adjusting to living with him easier knowing that it was the past and to be on the arm of a minor celebrity, there were just going to be new circumstances she’d have to live with.

But bliss could only last for so long. Annie knew it was coming sooner or later because it had been too good. Ten days before he left for Korea, JC was gone by 6:00 that morning. Annie, who’d been used to waking up next to him, woke up to an empty space next to her and knew that it was just the beginning. Pretty soon, she’d wake up like this every day for a week. She’d shaken it off, rolled out of bed, and went to get breakfast ready for Emma-Claire. For most of that day, it was the same as any other day. Breakfast. Preschool drop-off. Emma-Claire’s nap. Playing Barbie’s and Candyland. Getting dinner ready. Putting Emma-Claire to bed. By ten that night, Annie was laid out on the couch watching a comedy on TBS and hoping JC would be home soon. He’d texted her randomly throughout the day letting her know he’d be home later or wanting to know how her day was going. She’d stated in one text that she missed him and he had texted her back with a wink and told her she’d better wait up for him as long as she could. Annie had hoped that meant he’d be back before midnight. At quarter til one, she gave up and went upstairs to change into her pajamas. Crawling into bed, she’d texted him to tell him she was going to sleep and she’d see him the next morning. He hadn’t responded before she fell asleep.

The next day, Annie awoke to find his spot still empty next to her and when she checked her phone, there was nothing from him. It was almost eight that morning and Annie wondered if something had happened. She threw the covers off of her and went downstairs. As she entered the kitchen, the entrance to the garage opened and JC walked in looking quite disheveled and exhausted.

“Where were you?” Annie was doing her best not to sound too demanding but he’d not ever forgotten to let her know when he was going to be late, let alone that late.

“I fell asleep at the studio,” JC muttered, walking over to her. He wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his forehead on his shoulder. “I’m sorry, Ann. I meant to text you back and let you know but we got so caught up in a new track that I forgot.”

Annie put her hand on his arm and his hair tickled her cheek. “I’m going to bed for a few hours then I need to head back.”

Annie pulled away from him. “Back?”

“Yeah, there’s a ton of shit to do before next week, baby. We didn’t even cover half of it. They’ve got three appearances now on two different Korean affiliate stations. It’s crazy but it’s exactly the kind of thing we’ve needed,” JC smiled sleepily at her and tilted his head to kiss her.

Annie frowned. “I just thought since you were gone over 24 hours it would’ve all been done,” she said quietly.

“That’s not how it works,” JC was tired, on edge, and knew he had snapped at her. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to come across that way. I’m gonna go lie down.”

Annie watched him disappear up the stairs and wanted desperately to mask her disappointment but she knew it was too late. He’d seen the look on her face and felt her tense up when he’d reached for her and she knew it. Fine, it was one day. They’d make up for not seeing one another later, maybe that evening.

JC didn’t remember falling asleep but when he woke up the house was quiet and he knew it had to be mid-afternoon. Stretching his arms as he sat up, JC rubbed his eyes with his thumb and forefinger, then stood to his feet. He was still in his clothes from the night before and after he saw that it was nearing two that afternoon, he knew he was due for a shower. He cracked his bedroom door and poked his head out to see if he could hear Annie or Emma-Claire, but the house remained silent. They were probably out grocery shopping or at the park. He closed the door, stripped out of his clothes and wandered into the bathroom. Stepping into the shower, he closed his eyes and reveled in the warm water running down his body. The night before had nearly claimed what energy he’d had left. The girls were beginning to get on each other’s nerves and JC knew that traveling to another continent together might make it worse. Nonetheless, they had at least three different gigs in Seoul and as long as he could keep them civil with each other, that was all that mattered. He had nine days to perfect their sound, get them ready for promotion, and at least get two of them to start being nice to one another in public. After he’d leaned against the shower wall, he finally took the soap and began to lather up, his mind still on a billion things at once or so it felt. He could tell the “old him” was easily coming out. The “old him” that cared more about work than anything else. He didn’t want to entertain it because he knew he would easily put Annie and Emma-Claire on the back burner and things were going too well for that to happen. But it was so easy to revert to his old ways of when everything was about work. Everything was about the studio and producing.

Stepping out of the shower, he quickly dried off, changed, and went downstairs. Jimmy had texted him to let him know they’d all be at the studio by five. Perfect. He’d have time to scarf down something to eat, visit with Annie and Emma-Claire, and then head out once more. But the house was still empty and there was no text from Annie. He hit speed dial while he rummaged through the refrigerator to find something to eat.

“Hello?” Annie answered on the first ring.

“Where are you?” JC pulled out different sandwich items and set them on the counter. He shut the refrigerator with his foot, the phone between his ear and his shoulder, and he balanced a loaf of bread, meat, and cheese in his arms before tossing them next to the mayonnaise, mustard, and horseradish on the counter.

“We’re leaving the grocery store. I didn’t call or text because I didn’t know if you had your phone on or not and didn’t want you to wake up,” Annie replied. “How did you sleep?”

“Good. My sleep schedule is gonna be wacked for the next few days but it’s all good. I’m just making lunch now. Are you on your way home?”

“Yeah. What time do you have to go back today?”

“Five.”

Annie was quiet for a few seconds. “Okay. I was going to make stir-fry tonight. I’ll just leave extra for you in the refrigerator.”

“Okay. I’ll see you in a few minutes then, right?”

“Yeah. We’re five minutes from home.”

“Bye,” JC hung up and put his phone down, a sigh escaping his lips. He knew she was upset that they hadn’t seen much of each other in the last 24 hours and that she had probably guessed they weren’t going to see much of each other that evening, either. The hard part was going to be when she realized that if this group took off, she’d see him even less and he didn’t want to tell her that. He knew she’d figure it out eventually. He quickly made his sandwich and went into the living room, sitting down at the grand piano that faced the front window. He plucked a few keys before going into an unknown ballad that he made up as he played. He began to hum along to the melody in his head and was so into it that he didn’t hear Annie and Emma-Claire walk in from the kitchen.

“Hi, Daddy!” Emma-Claire bolted from Annie’s side and ran to him, jumping in his lap. “I missed you yesterday. Are you gonna eat dinner with us tonight?”

JC rested his forehead on the top of his daughter’s head and kissed her. “No, baby, I don’t think I can. I’ve got a lot of work to do,” he looked up at Annie and smiled. “Hey,” he greeted her.

“Hey,” Annie sauntered over to him and Emma-Claire wiggled out of his lap and called to them as she headed for the stairs that she was going to play in her room. JC looked up at Annie and reached for her arm, pulling her into his lap. He placed his hand between her legs and Annie jumped at his touch as her lips met his. “That’s nice,” she whispered, kissing him harder on the mouth.

“Yeah?” his hand grasped the back of her neck and pulled her even closer so that she couldn’t help but straddle him. Her butt hit the piano keys and JC chuckled against her lips. “Did Emma go down for a nap yet?”

“Mmhm,” Annie moved away from him and placed both of her hands on his cheeks. She leaned in to kiss him longer and giggled when she felt him pressed against her thigh.

“Damn,” JC muttered between kisses. “So I have to wait till tonight?” His hands ran behind her, beneath her shirt and splayed across her back.

“Yep,” Annie kissed his neck, moving up to his jawline, and back to his lips. “Will that make you come back here any faster?”

“Definitely an incentive,” JC played with the clasp on her bra. “This is when it’s nice to have grandparents in town.”

“Uh huh. We were spoiled last week,” Annie bucked her hips against him.

“What the hell did you do that for?” JC groaned.

“Just to see what you’d do,” she teased him and giggled, leaning in to kiss him once more, then moved off of him. “Sorry. It was just too easy.”

JC stood up, adjusted himself and walked over to her, pulling her back to him. “I’m sorry I was gone all night,” he kissed her. “And I’m sorry I have to go again tonight.”

Annie looked down and pressed her forehead to his chest. He kissed the top of her head and held her tight. “I want to tell you that ‘it’s ok’ and that I get it and all that but this is hard, Josh.”

“I know,” JC didn’t move. “I know it is, Ann. I’m sorry. I don’t know if these next few weeks are going to get any easier. I’m gonna try to get home as soon as I can.”

Annie looked up at him, her palm resting on his cheek. “Josh, just make sure you don’t neglect Emma-Claire in all of this, okay? I’ll be fine. I mean, I’ll do what I can to tell myself that this is your job and this is what I signed up for when I decided to date you. But I don’t want Emma-Claire lost in the shuffle of all of it.”

JC shook his head. “No. No, I promise, Annie. I wouldn’t do that to her and I’m not going to do it to you, either.”

Annie only nodded and held him tighter. It wasn’t that she didn’t believe him. It was that she felt inside that things were about to unravel quickly and she’d have to do what she could to hold on to him as securely as she could.

 

“So I met this guy last night at a wine bar,” Megan was telling Annie over the phone. It was the day before JC was to leave for Korea and Annie was busy trying to get everything ready for their last night together. Jamie had agreed to babysit for Emma-Claire, even though it was her night off. She told Annie it was her present for JC since he’d paid for everything at Avalon the night of her birthday. Jamie had picked up Emma-Claire and taken her out to dinner at a pizza place and was going to spend the night with her in the pool house so that JC and Annie could have the main house to themselves. For her evening with JC, Annie had poured over recipe after recipe and finally decided to try her hand at Pad Thai. Candles and wine were also going to be involved.  She’d even gone out to Victoria’s Secret to get something sexy and couldn’t wait for JC to get home. Jamie had come over early so that Annie could finish getting ready.

“Oh yeah? Tell me,” Annie was looking at the directions for making the Pad Thai sauce while also looking through all of the drawers in the kitchen to find matches or a lighter.

“He works in the industry,” Megan continued, “and he does something with casting. Or maybe producing? I don’t know. I was a little tipsy when I met him. Carey was with me because we went out late after we got off and she said he was definitely into me. Anyway, I gave him my number and we’re going out tomorrow night.”

“What’s his name?” Annie found a set of matches and placed them next to the candles laid out on the island.

“Derek. He’s really cute. We’re going to some new place he heard about in Santa Ana,” Megan gushed.

“That’s great, Meg,” Annie looked over at the sauce simmering in the pan, then checked the time. “Hey, let me know how it goes. I think Josh will be back any minute and I’m still working on dinner.”

“Oh yeah, that’s right. He leaves tomorrow. It’s only for a week right?”

“Keep reminding me of that when I start getting mopey,” Annie said. “It’s only a week but we’ve barely seen each other in the last five days as it is. If they take off in Korea and this band is the next big thing, I’m going to have to get used to seeing my boyfriend once a month.”

“It won’t be that bad, Annie,” Megan was trying to reassure her, but Annie wasn’t as assured.

“I don’t know. He’s lived at that studio the last two weeks. He promised he’d be home so we could enjoy tonight together and when I told him Jamie was taking care of Emma, he swore he’d make our last night count.”

“Oh my god you’re gonna have sex in every single room or wherever you can find space. It’s going to be amazing and I’ll just have to get out my damn vibrator unless things workout with Derek tomorrow night.”

“Thanks, Megan. That’s a little TMI but I appreciate your sympathy,” Annie couldn’t help but laugh at her friend. “I’ll let you know how it goes, though, probably with not as much detail.”

“Great. I look forward to it. Bye Ann.”

Annie hung up and turned the stove down letting the Pad Thai sauce finish simmering. The glass noodles were finished and all she would need to do was mix everything together. She quickly ran upstairs and changed out of her jeans and t-shirt and slipped on the see-through lace nightie. She slipped her jeans back on and tucked the nightie into them, then threw on an oversized shirt concealing what was underneath. She scrunched her hair, put on lip gloss, and sprayed a light, clean scented perfume on her neck and wrists. Going back downstairs, Annie checked the food once more and mixed the noodles with the sauce, then put a lid on the top to keep it warm. She checked her phone and saw that JC would be home any minute. Grabbing the candles, she set them around the kitchen, the living room, and put a few on the stairs. She settled herself on the couch and waited.

“What are you still doing here?” Jimmy came out of the back of the studio to see JC sitting at the soundboard and listening to a back track. “Get home. I thought you told me Annie had planned a whole evening for you?”

JC looked up from the booth and looked at the time on his phone. He saw it was five til nine. He also saw there were five texts and two missed calls from Annie.

“Shit!” JC quickly stood to his feet, almost knocking over the chair next to him. He grabbed his phone and his keys, then looked panicked at Jimmy. “I’m leaving now. Shit. I cannot believe I did this to her!” He didn’t even bother to listen to the messages, only called her back as he unlocked his car and jumped into the driver’s seat.

“Annie!” he said into the phone before she could say anything after she picked up. “Baby, I’m so sorry. I’m on my way home right now. I completely fucked up and lost track of time.”

Annie was silent on the other end. She’d dozed on and off on the couch and had been checking her phone to see if she’d missed him. When she realized she hadn’t, she’d turned off the stove and put the food away. Still staking her spot on the couch, she had waited, getting more irritated by the minute.

“Are you coming home?” she finally spoke, her voice was shaking and JC could tell she was trying to keep a calm demeanor.

“Yeah, I’m on my way. I’m sorry, baby,” JC couldn’t apologize enough and he knew it.

“Did you already eat?” Annie stood up and went into the kitchen to retrieve the food from the refrigerator.

“No. I didn’t move from the chair I was sitting in for about five hours,” JC pulled onto the highway. He didn’t care that he was driving twenty over the speed limit. He had to get home.

“Okay,” Annie still wasn’t saying much. “Well, then, I guess I’ll see you in a few minutes.”

“Annie, please don’t be mad. I’m really sorry.”

“I’ll see you when you get home.”

JC heard her hang up and groaned as he threw the phone next to him in the passenger seat. He gripped the steering wheel tightly and was dreading pulling into his driveway for the first time in a long time.

Annie sat in the booth of the breakfast nook and played with her phone until she heard the sound of the garage door being lifted. In a minute, JC opened the door leading into the kitchen and she looked up at him, their eyes meeting.

“Annie,” he said, standing in front of her. Her eyes averted away from him and she looked down at her hands on the table. “Annie, you know I didn’t mean it. I know you made tonight special and-“

“Is this how it’s going to be, Josh?” she interrupted him, her eyes still avoiding him. “I’ve hardly seen you this week and you’re leaving tomorrow for another week. When you get back is it going to be this way? Are you going to forget that you have two people living with you who need you, too?”

JC didn’t answer her, only slid into the seat across from her and put his hands on top of hers. She still didn’t look up at him and it was quiet for a few minutes before anyone spoke again.

“I’m trying to balance all of this, Annie,” JC finally said. “I’m trying to wrap my brain around having a girlfriend and a child and a job and put it all together. I don’t know what’s gonna happen when I get back next week. I want to believe that I’ll have this all figured out and that you and me and Emma will have some kind of a rhythm and I’ll learn how to do all of it at once.”

Annie nodded and finally looked up. “Tonight was supposed to be our night.”

“It can still be our night, baby,” JC squeezed her hand with his. “I’m all yours. I don’t have to leave until tomorrow afternoon at three.”

Annie stood up and walked over to him. He edged toward the corner of the booth and she stared at him before she made her next move. Her heart had been a little bruised in the process of that night but his sincerity had made her realize that he was trying. As hard as it was, he was trying to be good to her and to Emma-Claire. She let out a breath and leaned down to kiss him, crawling into his lap and straddling him. He looked up at her, lust burning in his eyes as he took her face in his hands and kissed her. Annie pulled the oversized t-shirt over her head and JC was speechless when he saw what she had on beneath it. The sheer black lace showed off every curve and crevice of her upper half and all JC wanted to do was devour it. He’d even forgotten how hungry he’d been earlier because now Annie was in front of him and she was wearing next to nothing.

Her legs still sprawled on either side of him, Annie leaned back onto the table and unzipped her jeans, shimmying out of them. Nothing stood between JC and Annie’s body because all she was wearing was that black lacy nightie. Annie leaned up on her elbows and shook her curls. She looked breathtaking and JC wanted to taste every single ounce.

“Here?” he whispered, touching the table as he began to undress.

“Here,” Annie looked up at him, arching her back, her nipples taut and hard against the fabric. She sat up on the table and pulled him closer by the belt loop on his jeans. He looked down at her while she busied herself unzipping and pulling them down his legs. In a minute she was straddling him again, nothing between them but the soft material of JC’s boxer briefs. She looked down at his swollen member seeping through the hole in his briefs and reached down to rub her thumb over the tip. JC groaned and closed his eyes as Annie began to massage him. JC took his forefinger and rested it on her clit, gently rubbing her while she caressed him.

“Are we practicing the world’s safest sex or what?” JC laughed softly as Annie rested her body against his, her hand now wrapped firmly around him.

“It feels good,” she whispered. “Mm, Josh, keep doing that.”

“You know I feel even better inside of you,” JC mumbled. He stopped massaging her long enough to pull his underwear off. Annie lifted herself up and slid down onto him.

“You do,” Annie replied and began to rock back and forth on him. “Josh?”

“Huh?”

“Look at us,” Annie whispered. “Look at how we fit together. So, so good.”

JC looked down between them and watched himself being swallowed by her.

“That’s so sexy, Annie,” JC ran a thumb across her nipple and continued to move with her. “Watching us make love. God, you are amazing.”

“Rub my clit again, Josh,” Annie gasped, her arms wrapped around his neck. “Please, Josh.”

JC kissed her zealously as his thumb returned to the spot that he’d become quite familiar with. He watched her as she moved up and down on him and watched her face contort and twist, her teeth biting down on her lower lip.

“That’s it, Annie. Ride me. God, this feels so good, baby,” JC gasped, as he held her close.

Annie grunted and gasped and moaned and began to go faster. JC rubbed her harder and thrust himself up into her more. She wanted this to last. This time. This night. All of it. She didn’t want to think about what the next day would hold.

“I thought…for sure we’d…we’d be in my bed,” JC panted, as Annie continued to move with him.

“We can…later,” Annie gasped and cupped his face in her hands, kissing him even harder. She looked at him seductively and moved one of her hands to her breast and began to rub her nipple while he watched. “You like that, baby?”

“Shit, Annie. What the hell got into you?” JC tried to catch his breath. His girlfriend was playing with her body in front of him and he could barely handle it anymore. When he came, his hands gripped the edge of the table and his head rested on her breasts. Annie collapsed onto him once her orgasm hit her.

“I don’t want to think about tomorrow,” Annie whispered, her head resting on JC’s shoulder. They didn’t move. He was still inside of her and Annie didn’t want to let go.

“Then don’t,” JC whispered, and let out a sigh. “Then don’t.”

 

The plane had touched down at 11:00pm Seoul time. JC had tried to do the math in his head to see if Annie and Emma-Claire would be awake or not and then was confused as to whether or not he was ahead or behind them in the time change.

“Seventeen hours ahead,” Jimmy muttered sleepily, as they waited for their luggage. The girls were slouched together in a corner by baggage claim while Jimmy and JC took care of getting their bags. “So it’s 6:00am in L.A.”

Definitely too early, JC thought to himself and sighed, looking down at his phone. He lazily typed a text message to Annie letting her know they’d arrived and he would call later. All he wanted to do now was get to the hotel and sleep. They had an early interview on a Korean talk show the next morning, then were going to check out a private concert by a popular K-Pop band right after that. The rest of the day had been devoted to touring the city and then going to a rehearsal hall that Jimmy had found through a producer friend and rehearsing for another gig on another talk show. JC thrived on all of this but he was still tired and sleep couldn’t come soon enough for him. It was good to be back in the business. He’d missed it and he liked staying busy.

A limo awaited them outside the airport and the ride to their hotel was nearly a half-hour drive. By the time they’d checked in, it was almost 1:00 in the morning and JC couldn’t even think about what time he’d left L.A. He turned his phone off, stripped down to his underwear, and fell into bed.

 

When Annie woke up that morning, the first thing she did was check her phone. There was one message from JC and it was short and sweet:

Just landed. 17 hrs ahead of you. Miss you. Kiss Emma-Claire for me. Call you later.

Annie smiled at the message and wanted so much to call him but she knew it was best to wait on him to call her with his schedule there in Korea. She rose out of bed and went down the hall to check on Emma-Claire. It was Saturday and to get their mind off of missing JC, Annie had planned a full day of outings together. A trip to the Grove for a little shopping, lunch at Emma-Claire’s favorite Mexican restaurant, a movie, and dinner at their favorite hole-in-the-wall Italian restaurant not far from their neighborhood. Emma-Claire wouldn’t have to take a nap and even though Annie knew there would be repercussions from that, she was willing to risk a whiny child for the sake of both their sanities.

Emma-Claire was awake and playing on the floor of her bedroom with a few Barbie dolls and stuffed animals. Annie watched her from the doorway and smiled at the child. She was grateful it was Saturday and there really wasn’t any rush to get out the door. The only scheduled event was the movie and that didn’t start until 4:00.

“Hi,” Annie greeted her. “Ready for breakfast?”

“Hi, Annie!” Emma-Claire immediately jumped up from her spot on the floor and ran over to Annie, hugging her around her thighs. “Yeah, I’m hungry.” Emma-Claire followed Annie downstairs and climbed into the breakfast nook. Annie began to take down the items for homemade chocolate chip pancakes and immediately made a pot of coffee. Just as she’d put the batter into the skillet, the doorbell rang.

“Who’s at our house?” Emma-Claire asked, looking up at Annie.
“That’s a great question,” Annie muttered, turning the stove down and wandering into the living room, Emma-Claire fast on her heels. When she got to the door, Annie peered through the peephole and laughed when she saw Lance and Michael on the other side.

“Surprise!” Lance grinned, holding up a bag of to-go boxes. “We brought you and Emma breakfast.”

“We thought you’d be sad today,” Michael added, “so we decided to cheer you up. Can we come in?”

“Of course,” Annie opened the door wider for the couple to come inside the house. “Emma, remember Daddy’s friends? Lance and Michael?”

“Yeah. They came when I had to go to sleep!” Emma-Claire reminded her.

“Hi, Emma-Claire,” Lance knelt down to her level. “How ya doing?”

“Good,” Emma-Claire was unsure of what to think and stuck close to Annie. Lance grinned and stood up, following Annie into the kitchen, Michael behind him.

“So, how’s JC holding up in Korea?” Lance asked as he set the food down on the counter. He looked over to see the pancake batter and unfinished pancake in the skillet. “Oh, our bad. Didn’t know you had started on breakfast, Annie.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Annie assured him. “We can save the batter and eat them for breakfast tomorrow.” She began to clear everything away and Michael had already started munching on the unfinished pancake. “And to answer your question, I got a text from him when he landed a few hours ago. Said he’d call later. They’re seventeen hours ahead of us so I’m not expecting anything any time soon but I’m hoping I’ll hear something before I go to bed tonight.”

“Just be glad it’s only a week,” Lance began to scrape French toast onto a plate from the to-go boxes. “We traveled Asia for months on end back when we were in Nsync.”

“If it were for months on end, Emma-Claire and I would both be there,” Annie responded. “A week is long enough. Months on end? No thank you.”

“So things are going really good?” Michael asked, sitting across from Emma-Claire, who was still studying him. He looked at her and winked and she giggled, splaying her hands across the table.

“Things are great,” Annie said. “We haven’t really seen much of each other in the last few days but he’s been getting the girls ready for their trip.”

Lance brought the plate of French toast and bacon and eggs over to the table. “We stopped by a little diner down the road and picked this up. I hope you like it.”

Annie thanked them again and began to help Emma-Claire cut up the French toast on her plate. The toast melted in her mouth and Annie smiled at Lance as she swallowed the bite.

“Delicious,” she told him.

“So, what are you guys doing the rest of today?” Michael asked. “And Annie, is that coffee up for grabs?” he gestured towards the piping hot pot of coffee that was now wafting its scent throughout the kitchen.

“Help yourself,” Annie nodded. “The mugs are above the stove. And we’ve got a full day ahead of us. We’re going to the Grove and having Mexican for lunch.”

“And we’re going to see a movie and I don’t have to take a nap today!” Emma-Claire exclaimed with a mouthful of French toast.

“Emma, don’t talk with your mouth full,” Annie shook her head at Emma-Claire.

“Sorry,” Emma-Claire wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and swallowed the pieces of French toast in her mouth.

“Wow. No nap? That sounds like a really fun day, then,” Michael stood to retrieve a coffee mug from the cabinet above the stove. Lance sat across from Annie and saw her sneaking a look down at her phone.

“Annie, don’t watch your phone all day,” Lance told her knowingly. “I know it’s hard but if you do that you’re gonna be disappointed when he doesn’t text.”

Annie bit her lower lip and made a face. “Yeah, I know. It’s just that we really haven’t gone this long without talking to each other.”

“I get it. But I also know JC. He’ll call as soon as he gets a chance,” Lance looked at his watch. “And it’s like, the middle of the night over there. I’d give it til later this afternoon.”

Annie only nodded and went back to her food. It was going to be a long day.

 

“Whatever. You don’t have to be a bitch about it!”

“I’m not being a bitch but you totally took over that interview! There are eleven of us in this group and you were acting as though it was all about you! It’s not Alex Radical it’s Girl Radical!”

“Whatever, you-“

“Stop!” JC had had enough. “Nobody says anything until we get to the next interview.” He turned around and shot a warning look at the eleven girls in the van. Jimmy was sitting up front in the passenger seat and gave JC the thumbs up sign, letting him know he was doing a great job taking care of the bickering. The girls had been quarreling and fighting with one another for the last eight hours. The excitement of being in another country had quickly worn off and all they’d been doing was going back and forth on one another. He’d done the interview with them that morning and it was true – Alex had taken over the whole interview and Rosie had been right to call her out on it. Just not in the way that she had. JC had had his fill of their catfights with each other and it was exhausting him. Not to mention he hadn’t talked to Annie all day and it had put him in an even worse mood. They’d never gone this long without speaking to each other and with the time difference, it felt like it had been a week since he’d heard her voice.

“Is it five in the evening L.A. time?” he asked Jimmy wearily, taking out his phone.

Jimmy checked his watch, did the math quickly in his head and nodded. “Yep. Ten in the morning here, five their time. Give your woman a call.”

JC shook his head. “I’ll text her. No way I’m calling her while World War 3 is going on in the back seat.”

“Sorry Dad,” one of the girls mumbled from behind. “We’ll be quiet if you want to call Annie.”

“No, I’ll wait till we get to the studio,” JC answered, looking down at his phone and texting Annie a message:

Hey. Are you home? Calling you in about 30 min. Josh.

Annie and Emma-Claire had found a five -dollar movie theater near downtown West Hollywood that was showing a series of Disney movies all day. They’d just started to watch The Fox and the Hound when Annie felt her phone vibrating in her purse, which was by her foot. She looked quickly at Emma-Claire who was already engrossed in the movie and pulled her phone out. She’d been waiting all day long to hear from JC and even though Lance had told her not to get her hopes up, Annie couldn’t help it. Every time her phone had buzzed or rang, she eagerly reached for it. This time, Annie took a breath and looked at the screen. She smiled widely when she saw the message was from JC, then frowned upon realizing she and Emma-Claire would still be in the movie in the next half hour. She sighed and typed back:

Hi! In a movie with Emma. Can we call you when we get out? It would be in another hour. xo.

JC frowned upon seeing her reply. In another hour the girls would be doing another interview and meeting the K-Pop band and he’d have to be there with Jimmy to run all of that.

No. We have another interview and a meeting. Can I call you around 11 tonight?

Annie sighed and rubbed her forehead. This time difference sucked.

I’ll stay up for you, babe J Emma will be asleep, though. You’ll have to call her back later if you want to talk to her.

“I can talk to Annie later tonight but Emma’ll be asleep,” JC griped to Jimmy as the van pulled into the studio lot. “This time difference is shitty.”

“Sorry, man,” Jimmy was busy typing into his phone and didn’t turn around.

JC groaned inwardly and typed back:

Call you at eleven. Miss you baby.

Annie felt her heart sink a little when she read his last text. She didn’t think she’d ever missed someone as much as she missed JC right then and felt a little silly for how desperate he was making her for him.

Can’t wait. Talk to you soon. And I miss you a lot babe.

JC turned his phone off as they entered the studio. It was only a little after ten that morning and he’d have to wait another six hours before he talked to her.

It was going to be a long day.

Annie lay in bed later that night. She’d survived the day with Emma-Claire and even though the child hadn’t taken a nap, she had still been pleasant for the most part. There was a small tantrum at dinner when Annie had told her ‘no’ to a soda. It was nearing seven and she knew if Emma-Claire had one she’d be up the rest of the night. Without a nap, it would be a miserable time for both of them. Nonetheless, they’d survived and by the time they got home, Emma-Claire was more than ready for bed. After Annie had settled the little girl, she went to the room she now shared with JC and changed into her pajamas. The large king-sized bed had seemed even more gargantuan without him in it. For the last three hours, Annie had entertained herself with different television shows that she had barely paid any attention to and had checked her phone almost at every commercial break, hoping for eleven to come soon. She hoped he’d be in a somewhat secluded place when he made the phone call. Her worst thought was that he would be in a public area with the girls and it would be hard to converse together. But she put that out of her mind. No. He’d find a way to make sure their conversation together was without disruption.

At eleven-fifteen, Annie had started to get a little perplexed. She knew there would be complications and maybe whatever he had been doing had run late and that’s why he hadn’t called. She was also starting to feel her eyelids droop and was doing her best not to give into sleep.

JC was getting impatient. Everything that day had run at least a half-hour late and now he was sitting at a conference table with Jimmy and a few record execs from Seoul discussing the Girl Radical project. The girls had gone off with the K-Pop band they’d met earlier that day and when they got back, they’d all head to the hotel to get ready for dinner. He looked at his phone and knew Annie was waiting on him to call.

“Excuse me,” JC rose from his seat. “I’ll be right back.”

Jimmy and the execs nodded as JC made his way to the door of the conference room. He stood outside and quickly hit the number he’d assigned to Annie’s speed dial.

Annie jumped when her phone rang. She didn’t even hesitate and immediately picked up.

“Josh?”

“Hey, baby.”

“Hey! How are you?”

JC sighed into the phone and looked down the hallway as he leaned against the wall. “I’m good. I’m pretty beat. I don’t have a lot of time because I’m in a meeting right now and I know you’re going to bed soon.”

Annie’s heart sunk a little. He didn’t have a lot of time. This wouldn’t be the conversation she had hoped for.

“Yeah,” Annie cleared her throat. “Well, that’s okay. You can call tomorrow if that’s better.”

“I don’t know if that will be better or not,” JC admitted. “It’s pretty packed everyday over here.”

Annie didn’t say anything, only let out a short breath.

“Annie?”

“Yeah.”

“Oh, I didn’t know if we’d been cut off. You didn’t say anything.”
“What do you want me to say? You’re basically telling me we’re not really going to get a chance to communicate while you’re there.”

“Annie, I didn’t say that at all. I just said it was gonna be busy is all. I’m gonna try to call and text you as much as I can. I promise. But remember we’re seventeen hours apart and I’m doing the best I can.” JC sighed again. “How’s Emma?”

Annie relented. He was trying and she should’ve been grateful for that. “She’s good. We were out all day together today. Oh and Lance and Michael brought us breakfast,” she was trying to lighten the mood. She felt tension and she didn’t like it.

“That was sweet of them,” JC said.

“Yeah, Lance said he figured we’d be lonely and wanted to cheer us up.”

“I’ll have to repay him when I get back,” JC looked into the conference room and saw Jimmy signaling for him. “Hey, Ann, I have to go. I’m needed in a meeting.”

Annie did her best not to snap or respond defeated. “Okay,” she said. “I miss you, Josh.”

“I miss you, too, baby.”

Annie bit her lip. She wanted to say more but what? It felt…distant all of the sudden and she didn’t know why. He’d really only been gone for almost two days but it had felt much longer.

“Tell Emma I’ll call tomorrow and talk to her. Tell her I love her and-“ JC had caught himself just in time. He’d almost told Annie he loved her and even though he knew he was close, he also knew it wasn’t time. Especially not when he was miles away from her on another continent. “-and that I’ll be home soon.”

Annie smiled into the phone. “I will, Josh.”

“Bye, Annie.”

“Bye.”

JC hung up and looked at his phone. The conversation had not been at all what he’d wanted it to be. He’d imagined himself holed up in his hotel room talking to her without interruption. He’d even secretly wanted to see how she’d do with a little phone sex if the mood struck them. But none of that had even remotely happened. He’d just spent five minutes on the phone in the middle of a random office building in Seoul, Korea talking to his girlfriend. And she’d seemed irritated at one point, which had thrown everything off. Just before he went back into the meeting, a text came in from Annie:

That was weird. I’m sorry I was bitchy. I just miss you. And I wanted to talk to you longer.

JC immediately responded back.

I know. It’s ok. We just have to wait a few more days. I’ll be home soon. Keep my bed warm 

Annie snuggled beneath the covers and turned on her side as she replied to him.

Done.

She toyed with the idea of what she wanted to say next, then threw caution to the wind.

I miss you inside of me.

JC had just returned to the meeting and looked down at his phone. He felt his face flush and rubbed his eyes with his free hand to make sure it looked as though he were just tired and not turned on.

I miss being inside of you, too.

He hit send. Then continued.

What are you doing right now?

Annie sunk underneath the sheets more and placed her hand in between her legs. If he wanted to do it this way, she’d be more than happy to play along.

What do you want me to do?

JC looked around at the men sitting at the table across from him. They were focusing on Jimmy, who was going on about girl bands in America and how they wanted to bring K-Pop to the States. JC nodded in agreement, all the while typing back to Annie.

Touch yourself. Play with your clit.

Annie walked her fingers inside of her panties and soon was rubbing the swollen bud of her clit with her two fingers. It was difficult to text and do that at the same time, but she would try her best to keep up with his demands.

I wish you were here watching me.

JC about came out of his chair when he read that. He shifted in his seat, feeling himself growing harder. He rested his cheek on the palm of his hand and continued.

Yeah that would be hot. I don’t know if I could just watch. I’d want to put it in you too much. Are you still touching yourself?

Annie went harder and closed her eyes, wishing he was there doing this to her. This would have to do but even so, it wasn’t what she wanted.

Yeah. Thinking about you gets me so wet.

JC was doing his best not to groan in pleasure while he pictured her laying up there in his bed getting herself off to his texts.

What are you thinking about? What am I doing to you?

Annie brought her knees up to her chest and was now laying flat on her back. She slid two fingers inside of her depths and took turns going in and out and back to her clit. Typing was getting to be even harder but she was enjoying it too much to stop.

You’re licking my clit and fingering me and it feels so good, baby.

“…well guys I think that’s it,” Jimmy concluded. “Unless, um, C, you got anything you wanna add?”

JC looked up from his phone and hoped his face hadn’t given it away that he was hot and bothered. “Um. No. No, I think you covered it all,” he cleared his throat and smiled casually.

“Good,” Jimmy nodded. “Ok. I guess we’ll just go into the lobby and wait for the girls.”

“I’ll be there in a minute,” JC replied and Jimmy shrugged, heading out the door with the other execs behind him. JC looked around the now empty conference room. He quickly dialed Annie’s number again.

Annie had been waiting for his next text and was on the verge of her orgasm when the phone began to buzz. She grabbed it and when she saw it was JC, stopped touching herself for a moment.

“Hey,” she breathed heavily into the phone.

“I wanna hear you come,” JC whispered. “And I don’t have long but since I can’t see you, I wanna hear you.”

“Okay,” Annie said softly and let her fingers continue their assault. “Mm, Josh. It feels so good. I wish it was your dick and not my fingers.”

JC leaned back into the chair and placed his hand on top of his erection. He knew he couldn’t very well get off in this random conference room but it sure was tempting now that Annie was so close to coming. He could hear her gasping for breath and pictured her closing her eyes, biting on her lower lip to keep from screaming and waking Emma-Claire.

“Trust me, mama, I wish it was me inside of you, too. But we gotta pretend right now. You sound so hot when you’re coming, Annie. Rub your clit, baby. I wanna hear how much you like that.”

Annie did as he asked and rubbed harder and faster.

“Say my name, Annie,” JC’s voice was low and husky and Annie was nearly there.

“Jossshhh,” she hissed into the phone and JC knew she had reached her climax. He waited until she’d caught her breath before he said anything else.

“I guess that’s how we’re gonna have to get through this week,” he chuckled softly.

Annie let out a small breath and rested against the pillows. “Yeah. I guess it is. Hey, where are you?”

JC laughed a little louder. “I’m in some random business office’s conference room in downtown Seoul. We’re waiting on the girls and-“

“Oh my god we just had phone sex in a public conference room?!”

“Calm down, there wasn’t anyone in here with me.”

“I know, but still…”

“Whatever. You just gave me something to think about tonight when I go to sleep.”

“Oh really?”

“Really.”

“Well I guess you should call me if you decide you need a little help with that,” Annie whispered.

“It’ll probably be about six in the morning in L.A. You gonna be up that early? And more importantly, are you gonna be that coherent?”

“Probably not.”

“We’ll figure something out. I’m glad I could help you out there.”

“Mmhm. I’ll definitely sleep better that’s for sure.”

“Then my job is done. I have to go anyway or Jimmy’s gonna wonder what I was doing back here. I’ll talk to you tomorrow. Goodnight, baby.”

“Goodnight,” Annie hung up and placed the phone on the nightstand. Her mind was filled with images now of JC with her like she’d been imagining him when she’d been pleasing herself. Maybe they were off before, but they certainly hadn’t been off just now. Smiling contentedly, Annie turned off the lamp on the nightstand and closed her eyes.

“Everything okay?” Jimmy asked as JC walked into the lobby.

“Huh? Oh, yeah. Just had to finish a phone call with Annie,” JC replied, nonchalantly. His mind was still racing with thoughts of her and what she’d been doing while they were talking but he quickly erased them and was back to business.

“Ready for dinner?”  he asked the eleven girls seated around the couches and chairs in the lobby.
“Starving!” Chase exclaimed and stood to her feet.

Dinner at an authentic Korean restaurant was just what JC needed. In fact, anything was needed to get his mind off of sex with Annie.

Five days. He could wait five more days.

Especially if he got to talk to Annie like he just had more often.

He followed the girls out of the office building, shut his phone off, and got ready to go to dinner.

“Annie?”

Annie opened her eyes and saw Emma-Claire standing next to her side of the bed. It was the day that JC was to fly back from Seoul. She rubbed her eyes and looked at her phone. It wasn’t even seven but she could tell Emma-Claire was wide -awake.

“Hey, girl,” Annie smiled tiredly at her. “What are you doing awake so early?”

“Daddy comes home today,” Emma-Claire said matter-of-factly. “I can’t sleep. Can I get in bed with you?”

Annie, as tired as she was, grinned at her and nodded, moving so that Emma-Claire could snuggle against her. She folded her arm around the child’s back and held her tightly. Emma-Claire was humming to herself and twisting a piece of hair around her tiny finger. The entire week, Annie had spoken to JC a total of three times and Emma-Claire had only talked to him once. It had been a busy time in Seoul, he’d explained. He was excited because the band had gained some notoriety and had been invited to do a tour with three other K-Pop bands around Asia in the near future. Annie, wanting to support JC, had sounded excited and happy for her boyfriend’s project, but deep down, she was becoming wary. They’d hardly had a conversation that had lasted longer than twenty minutes in the last two weeks or so. And the times they’d been on the phone with each other that week had resulted in some hot and steamy phone sex-Annie wasn’t complaining about that-and nothing more. Their relationship was still fairly new and as much as Annie felt physically satisfied, she missed their conversations about life. About each other. She would put it out of her head. When he came back, he’d be there with her and Emma-Claire and the normalcy she had grown used to with him would return. Telling herself this was easier than thinking that the distance she had felt would just be more apparent. They wouldn’t let that happen. They were much too into this relationship for that to happen. Again, she had to tell herself that in order to not sink into disappointment.

“What time does Daddy get back?” Emma-Claire interrupted her thoughts.

“Not til this afternoon, honey,” Annie mumbled sleepily. “You should try to get back to sleep, Emma. It’s still really early.”

“But I’m excited. Aren’t you excited to see Daddy?” Emma-Claire rolled over and sat up in bed.

Annie was more than excited. She was downright jubilant inside. She hoped he wasn’t too jet-lagged and that the things they’d spoken to each other on the phone would be reality tonight.

“I am but I’m also really tired,” Annie closed her eyes and tapped Emma-Claire’s arm. “And I don’t want to be too tired to see Daddy later.”

Emma-Claire sighed loudly and relented, lying down next to Annie again. Annie had just about fallen asleep once more when Emma-Claire moved and jostled her way out of bed.

“Emma, where are you going?” Annie was trying her best not to groan in frustration but she knew the child wasn’t going to go to sleep again any time soon.

“I’m gonna go play. And can I have scrambled eggs with cheese for breakfast?” Emma-Claire asked, already standing by the door. Annie sighed and threw the covers off of her. She should’ve known that once Emma-Claire had come to her bed that she wouldn’t be going back to sleep again.

“Yes,” Annie yawned and followed her out of the bedroom.

 

JC checked his watch for the umpteenth time on the flight. The layover in Tokyo had lasted an hour longer than it should have and he’d texted Annie to let her know they’d have a later landing than they thought. She’d texted him back before getting in bed to tell him she’d be waiting up no matter how late he got in. He’d slept a little on the flight but the thought of seeing Emma-Claire and of being with Annie was too much for him to let his brain shut off. He was also ecstatic for the girls. Asia had taken them in like one of its own and they were going to hear something soon about an upcoming tour through Japan, South Korea, and Vietnam. It would last at least two months and he’d already told Jimmy he expected to bring Annie and Emma-Claire along. Jimmy had only nodded and not said much. He didn’t voice it to JC, but he wondered how Annie would take this sudden change in plans. He also knew how JC was when it came to business and he’d seen far too many relationships crumble because of how focused the man was on the task at hand.

Four more hours. He wanted to be awake for them. He thought about those things he and Annie had said to one another on the phone a few nights back. Things they wanted to do to each other. He smirked at how dirty Annie had talked to him and remembered back when he’d first taken notice of her how he figured she was probably an innocent little girl in bed. Far from it. She just hadn’t been given the opportunity to hone those bad girl skills and JC didn’t mind being the one who taught her how to do it.

He thought of his daughter and how he couldn’t wait to play with her again. He sometimes still couldn’t believe that child belonged to him. He’d grown so accustomed to her being in his life in the last month and a half that he almost couldn’t remember what his life was like before she was there. When he’d talked to her at the beginning of the week, Emma-Claire didn’t want to hang up. She wanted to stay on the phone longer and tell him all about preschool and how she and Annie had stayed up late looking at the twinkle lights in her playhouse and her new friends, Michael and Lance, who, according to Emma-Claire, had come over just to play with her.

But JC knew what else was about to unfold, especially if Girl Radical was going to go on a two month long tour. He knew his focus had to be getting them prepped and ready. They needed more songs, new choreography, more publicity. He’d jotted down ideas on napkins and scraps of paper while on the flight from Seoul to Tokyo. His mind wrestled with how to divide studio and work time with Annie and Emma-Claire. Shifting in his seat, JC rested his head on the back of the head rest and tried to sleep again. He wanted his brain to shut off for once in his life because tonight he just wanted to be with his family and not worry about anything else.

 

By five-thirty both Annie and Emma-Claire had grown anxious. Annie knew he was landing later and as much as she still wanted to go and pick him up herself, he’d promised her it would just be easier if he rode on the van that was picking everyone up. His car was at the studio and he would drive home from there. Still, Annie was itching for him to get back and when he’d texted at four-thirty telling her they’d landed, it was all she could do not to go stand outside of the house waiting for him. Instead she busied herself with cleaning everything and making sure Emma-Claire’s room was spotless and fixing a large pot of spaghetti for dinner. Even after all of that, he still wasn’t home and when she’d texted him, he hadn’t responded yet. Not to mention that Emma-Claire was glued to the window in the front of the house waiting for his car to pull into the driveway and then asking Annie every two minutes when he’d be home.

“I don’t know, Emma. I wish I knew what to tell you,” Annie sighed, almost exasperated. “I bet if you stop looking out the window, he’ll come and-“

“He’s here!” Emma-Claire squealed, and Annie heard the sound of tires on the pavement. Without hesitating, she grabbed Emma-Claire’s hand and threw the front door open. JC had parked his car in front of the garage and had barely opened the door when Annie and Emma-Claire bounded down the front steps of the house like two little girls. JC stepped out of the car, his hair tousled, his eyes baggy, and his clothes rumpled. He looked exhausted. But Annie didn’t care. He was home and that was all that mattered.

“Daddy!” Emma-Claire shrieked and threw her arms around his legs. JC chuckled at her and reached down to envelope her in his arms and picked her up. Her little legs wrapped around his waist and she clung to him tightly.

“Hi honey,” he kissed her cheek and Emma-Claire didn’t let go. Annie stood back and let them have their moment together, even though every fiber inside of her wanted to jump into his arms as well. He looked up from hugging his daughter and smiled at Annie. “Hey, baby.”

Annie let out a breath that she hadn’t realized she’d been holding in. “Hey,” she grinned at him and he walked over, Emma-Claire still clutching onto him, and wrapped an arm around Annie’s neck, pulling her to him. Their lips met and Annie didn’t want to pull away because the kiss was something she’d been pining for since he left a week ago. Reluctantly, she let go and he whispered in her ear, “Tonight.” That was all he needed to say and Annie knew exactly what he meant. She nodded and laced her fingers through his as they made their way up the front porch steps and into the house.

After he’d unpacked, JC went downstairs where Annie was putting pasta on a plate for Emma-Claire. She’d made a pot of coffee at his request so that he could stay awake. It was finished brewing and JC went to the cupboard to pull out a mug. He brushed up against her and bit at her earlobe before walking over to the table where Emma-Claire was stabbing her fork into her spaghetti.

“Easy, girl. Don’t kill your food,” he teased her. He sipped his coffee and closed his eyes, reveling in being home again.

“I’m not, Daddy. I’m trying to get it on my fork,” Emma-Claire said, pasta sauce now all over her mouth. JC reached over with a napkin and wiped off her face.

“Here,” Annie said, bringing over a plate of spaghetti to JC. “I don’t know how well it’s gonna go with coffee, but I figured you’d be hungry.”

“I am,” he pulled Annie into his lap and discreetly rubbed her butt and kissing her fully on the mouth.

“Josh,” Annie hissed and they both looked over at Emma-Claire who was watching their every move.

“Your face is red, Annie,” was all Emma-Claire said before she went back to her dinner. Annie shook her head at JC and pushed away from him, standing up. She went back to the stove and began to prepare her plate of spaghetti before joining JC and Emma-Claire at the table. JC was listening intently to Emma-Claire recount a story to him about a book her preschool teacher had recently read to the class. He eyed Annie every now and then and smiled at her, then went back to listening to his daughter ramble on about her week.

“I’ll put her to bed,” he told Annie after dinner. “I haven’t tucked her in in a while.”

Annie brushed her lips against his cheek. “Okay. I’ll clean up the kitchen and meet you in the bedroom.”

JC’s eyes widened. “Wear something fun,” was all he said before walking away and going into the living room to retrieve Emma-Claire.

“Hey, where’s your picture of you and Mommy?” JC asked Emma-Claire after he’d read her the story of Aladdin.

“I put it in my drawer,” Emma-Claire pointed to her nightstand drawer next to the bed.

“Why?” JC smoothed out her brown locks as Emma-Claire settled under the covers.

“It kept getting bent,” she said and yawned.

“I’ll get you a frame to put it in so you can see it all the time,” JC kissed her cheek and cupped her little face in his hand. “I love you, Em.”

“I’m glad you’re back, Daddy,” Emma-Claire yawned again and grinned at him. “Don’t leave us that long again, ‘kay?”

JC chuckled at her. “I’ll try to take you with me next time. Goodnight, honey.” He stood to his feet and turned back to see his daughter rolling to her side and clutching onto one of the three dolls she had in bed with her. He looked down the hallway towards his bedroom. The door was closed and the downstairs was dark and quiet. He knew Annie was behind that door and he had waited all week to be with her like he was about to be with her.

Annie had done as JC had asked her and put on something fun. A pink lacy push-up bra with matching panties that showed off everything. She was laying against the pillows on the bed when he opened the door. He grinned at the sight before him and walked over to her, crawling towards her on the bed. She met him in the middle, both of them on their knees pulling each other close. JC’s lips met her neck and began to suckle and bite her. Annie rested her forehead on his shoulder, her hands at the bottom of his t-shirt. She moved her hands up with the fabric, until JC had to raise his arms in order for her to finish taking it off.

“I missed you,” he whispered in her ear, biting down on her earlobe.

“I missed you, too.” Her mouth was pressed to his neck, her hands splayed on his bare chest.

JC folded his arms around her back and pulled her tight against him. She felt so right like this and he’d thought of hardly anything else than doing this with her. Holding her. Making love to her. It was all he’d wanted. When he moved away, Annie was about to protest but she laughed softly when he went to lock the door. “No sense in Emma-Claire being scarred for life,” he told her joining her on the bed again. They laid down together facing each other and continued kissing and groping one another until they were both naked and their bodies were intertwined together. Annie loved the feel of him buried inside of her. Loved hearing the sounds their bodies made of skin on skin. Sweat dripping from his forehead onto her neck. The panting and moaning sounds JC made when he was so close to coming and the grunt of satisfaction that soon followed. He might have been exhausted on that plane ride home, but he sure wasn’t showing any signs of it now. Sex woke him up, made him want more of her and Annie didn’t have any complaints about that. She’d wanted him just as bad.

JC rolled off of her and wiped his forehead with the back of his arm. He turned on his side to face her and she moved closer to him, meeting his lips with hers, then pressing her forehead to his. Their breathing was still erratic but soon slowed. JC kissed her forehead, her cheek, her lips.

Annie didn’t want to leave that bed. It was all she’d wanted for a week and now they’d just made love and she wanted more of him. She leaned in to kiss him again and he cupped her face in his hand to return the kiss. It was then that his cell phone started going off and Annie, hoping he’d ignore it, pulled him back to her.

“Hang on,” he grimaced and moved off of her, jumping out of bed and going over to the phone.

“Josh, really?” she rolled her eyes.

“I’m gonna turn it off, Ann, I just-“ he stopped when he saw the number flashing from the studio. “Hello?”

“It’s me,” Jimmy said.

“What?” JC was exasperated and wished he hadn’t answered now. He looked back at Annie and held up one finger. She crawled to the edge of the bed where he was sitting, his back facing her. She began to plant kisses across his back and then nipped at him while wrapping her arms across the front of him.

“C, I just got here to check some stuff out and the girls’ demo tape somehow got erased,” Jimmy was saying.

JC stood abruptly, Annie falling back. He turned around and mouthed, “Sorry!” to her before going back to his conversation. “What the hell? How did it get erased?!”

“We’re not the only ones who use this place, JC. It looks like someone mistook it for theirs and dubbed it over. We’re gonna have to start from the bottom again.”

“You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me. That’s gonna take months! What about the other copies?”

“They weren’t the complete demos, man. I’m sorry. It’s just the way it is.”

“Shit!”

Annie cringed and knew it wasn’t good, whatever this news was. She moved back to her side of the bed and pulled the sheet over her body, watching JC pace relentlessly back and forth.

“I know, JC. I know. I’m sorry, man. Look, we’ll get the girls back in here tomorrow and re-record some stuff. By the time they leave for their tour, it’ll all be fine. Don’t freak out. Go be with Annie.”

JC wanted to throw the phone across the room. How in the world would they have time to promote the girls and re-record an entire demo? He took in a breath and slowly let it out. There was nothing he could do tonight. “Fine,” he finally said and sat down on the edge of the bed once more. “What time tomorrow?”

“I’ll tell the girls to be here at eight. See you then,” Jimmy hung up and JC sat there, the phone still at his ear.

“What happened?” Annie ventured to ask after more silence than she wanted.

“The demo tape got fucked with and now it’s gone,” JC muttered. “We have to start from scratch and we’re trying to promote them and get a tour going.”

Annie said nothing. She knew the response he needed or wanted wasn’t anything she could give him. Finally, she spoke. “I’m sorry, Josh.” It was better than nothing. She sat there, her knees pulled to her chest, watching him. He stood and turned to face her, rubbing his neck. Annie knew any mood that they had just created before the phone call was now long over. She sunk down beneath the covers and he sighed crossing to his side of the bed. For a minute, they laid in silence.

“I’m sorry, Ann,” JC finally said in the darkness.

“For what?” Annie asked, moving closer to him.

“For answering the phone. For ruining the mood.”

“It’s okay,” she was lying and he knew it.

“No, it’s not.”

Fine. If he wanted to think that she wasn’t going to argue.

More silence followed. Annie laid on her stomach next to him, her arm across his chest and lazily began to strum her fingers across his stomach. She felt him sigh and his body moved closer to her. She moved her fingers down towards his pelvis and looked up at him. His eyes were partly shut, but he was watching her.

“I’ll make it better,” she cooed, moving her hand between his legs and soon she was rubbing his shaft up and down with her delicate fingers. JC groaned and wanted to forget the conversation with Jimmy. He shouldn’t be focused on that anyway. Not when Annie was here pleasing him like she was doing. She began to move her hand up and down on him and JC sucked in a breath.

“You better put your mouth on that,” he growled. “Or it’s gonna go everywhere.”

“I’m good at cleaning up messes,” Annie purred. “And it’s not like we haven’t gotten it all over the sheets tonight anyway.”

JC had to agree with her there. He sunk into the bed letting her take control of him. She went faster and then slowed down, taking his balls in her hand and massaging them slowly. JC watched her and tried to utter something but his mind was too clouded with how her hand was gripped onto him. She rose up and moved between his legs, never once taking her hand away. She bent down to lick his tip and then blew on it.

“That’s mean,” JC managed to blurt out.

“You shouldn’t have answered the phone,” Annie cooed and went back to massaging him with her hand. Soon she was taking turns switching between her mouth and her hand and JC was harder than ever.

“Put your mouth on it,” he could barely get it out.

“What if I want to play with it?” Annie teased him by pretending to place her mouth over it and then moving it away.

“Annie! Please!” JC was begging and Annie couldn’t help but giggle at him. She laid down between his legs and took him fully in her mouth and at the same time, using both of her hands to massage his balls. JC felt her sucking and squeezing at the same time and before long he was thrusting into her mouth.

“Annie….shit…” he let go and Annie swallowed, then licked off of him what she didn’t get. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and crawled next to him.

“Feel better? Less stressed?” she kissed him and nestled herself between his arm and shoulder.

“Yeah,” JC looked over at her. “You know, you can be a little evil bitch when you want to be.”
Annie laughed. “Yeah, well, you shouldn’t have answered the phone. I already told you that.”
JC didn’t want to think about that phone call and he knew she was right. He’d almost ruined the mood completely. He was glad his girlfriend was just as sexual as he was and had tried to get his mind off of what had ruined their night.

JC pulled out of the driveway at 7:00. The drive in rush-hour traffic would take at least 45 minutes and if he had to be there at 8:00, he’d rather be early than later. He hadn’t wanted to get up. The last two mornings had been draining dealing with jet lag and lack of sleep. He and Annie had briefly seen each other in the evening, but each night had gotten significantly later and later. He knew she was silently upset but wasn’t saying anything. He could tell when he’d get home after eleven every night that in her silence she was sad that they weren’t able to spend as much time together as she’d probably thought when he came back from Korea. Not to mention the fact he hadn’t laid eyes on his daughter in over 48 hours. On the plus side, he was getting a substantial amount of work done with re-recording the demo. Jimmy had been able to finagle a few of the other demos the girls had made so that they wouldn’t have to redo every single song. This had been a relief to JC, who was already concerned about how they would have time to do the recording, get ready for a tour, and upcoming appearances around the state. When he was at work, his mind was at work and he didn’t have time to think about the fact that he wasn’t seeing his girlfriend or his daughter as much. But for him, this was how it had to be and Annie would come to understand that. She’d already been understanding about a lot of other things in their relationship, so why wouldn’t she get that he was a busy producer and manager and that right now, their time had to be this way. By the time he pulled into the studio, JC had forgotten about feeling guilty for not being around for Annie and Emma-Claire. He’d been able to manipulate himself into thinking that this was just how it had to be and understanding him like this was just going to be a way of life for all of them.

“Ok next week we have that appearance in Burbank,” JC was telling the girls later that morning. “So we’ll meet here at the same time and drive together. We should be back by four and you guys can just have the rest of the day off.”

“And then the following day, you have an interview with a teen webzine. We’ll do that here in the studio via Skype and then we need to rehearse,” Jimmy followed up. “We want you to rest as much as possible so we’ll give you that rest of the day to rest and get ready for the appearances next weekend in Anaheim and Santa Monica.” Jimmy turned to JC and said out of the corner of his mouth, “And that goes for you, too.”

JC looked at him questioningly. “What?”

“You need to be at home, too. Don’t be up here the whole day in this studio, man. When’s the last time you saw your kid?” Jimmy looked over at the girls. “Take five to get water and then head back to the mics.” The girls dispersed and began to take out iPhones and iPods.

JC sighed and shook his head. “Sunday. I think.”

“It’s Tuesday, C. Don’t do this to your kid. Or to Annie.”

JC said nothing, only looked down at the control panel, adjusted his glasses, and let out a breath of hesitation. “Jimmy, you know we’ve got deadlines and I don’t like to half-ass anything.”

“Well, half-assing this project and half-assing time with two people you love can result in a lot of different things. You don’t want to lose Annie and I’m afraid if you start this again, she’s not going to put up with it,” Jimmy leaned against the soundboard and looked at JC. “Don’t stay here into the night. It’ll all take care of itself.”

JC didn’t say anything, only picked up a set of headphones and listened to a recent track the girls had recorded. Jimmy shook his head and walked away.

 

“I’m singing in a show!” Emma-Claire greeted Annie when she’d come to pick up the little girl from preschool. “Look!” She thrust a piece of light blue cardstock in Annie’s hand. On it was the date and time of the preschool’s upcoming spring play. It would be the following Wednesday at 10:00 in the morning. “And I have a song I sing all by myself!” Emma-Claire continued, grabbing Annie’s hand as they began to walk out of the building.

“Wow, this is awesome, girl!” Annie grinned down at her. “I’ll be sure to put this on the refrigerator and let Daddy know.” All morning she’d been brooding silently at home about the fact that she’d barely seen JC since Saturday night. On Sunday he’d woken up with them, had breakfast, and had holed himself down in his home studio for the better part of the day. He emerged only when Annie had gone down to let him know there was dinner ready. He’d left to go meet Jimmy at the other studio after dinner and returned a little after eleven. On Monday, he’d left before Annie had woken up and she’d felt his lips on her cheek before he walked out of their bedroom. He’d come home late that night and Annie had barely been awake on the couch. And then, that morning, Annie hadn’t even heard him leave because it had been so early. She’d texted him while Emma-Claire had been at preschool but hadn’t heard back and by the time she left to go and pick her up, Annie’s phone still remained quiet.

“Can we invite Lance and Michael, too?” Emma-Claire asked, as Annie buckled her into her booster seat in the back of the car. Annie had to chuckle at that question. Ever since the couple had come over to deliver breakfast that morning the week before, Emma-Claire had taken it upon herself to think of them as her surrogate uncles or close friends.

“I’m sure we can invite them,” Annie told her, getting in the driver’s seat and starting the car.

“Will Daddy be home when we get there?” Emma-Claire asked, as Annie pulled out of the parking lot.

Annie bit on her lower lip and shook her head, looking at Emma-Claire through the rearview mirror. “No, babe. Sorry. He’s at work today.”

“He’s always at work,” Emma-Claire muttered and frowned. “Can we go see him?”

“I don’t think so, Emma. Maybe when he gets home tonight we can ask him,” it then dawned on Annie that he might be just as late if not later than he was the night before and Emma-Claire would already be in bed.

“Okay,” Emma-Claire sighed and looked out the window.

Annie looked down at the phone in the console and sighed, picking it up when she pulled up to a stoplight. It wouldn’t hurt to call him. Especially for Emma-Claire’s sake.

 

JC was busying himself in the sound booth and felt the vibration of his phone in his back pocket. He continued to listen as the girls belted out their song and pulled his phone out, smiling when he saw it was Annie, but knowing he didn’t have time to answer. He sighed and looked at Jimmy who was eyeing him.

“I’ll take it from here. Answer your damn phone,” Jimmy grumbled at him. “It’s Annie for crying out loud.”

JC shook his head, pulled off his headphones, and stood to walk out of the sound booth.

“Hey,” he greeted her. “What’s up?”

“Just got Emma from preschool and-“ Annie was interrupted by Emma-Claire yelling from the back of the car. “Hi Daddy!” Annie giggled into the phone. “-and she wanted to know if we could come by and see you at work. You know, since she hasn’t seen you in two days?” The last remark was backbiting and Annie knew it but she didn’t care.

“I’m working, Annie,” JC’s voice was low and his tone short.

“Yeah, I know. Trust me, I know,” Annie sighed. “I’m sorry, Josh, but-“

“No, don’t talk about it in front of Emma-Claire because we’ll just end up arguing.”

Annie pulled the phone away from her ear and looked at it, then put it back. “We will?”

“Well, I don’t know. We might. I don’t want to risk that in front of her.”

“Are you going to be home in time for her to see you before she goes to bed?” Annie looked up at the light as it turned green. She rolled the car forward, her elbow leaning on the windowsill, holding the phone to her ear.

“I hope so,” JC replied, looking back into the sound booth. He could clearly see three of the girls now glaring at each other and one of the three looking as though she was telling the other two off. “Shit, Annie, I gotta go. There’s about to be World War 3 in here with these girls.”

“Josh-“

“Sorry, baby. I’ll call you later.”

Annie heard the click on the other end and took in a breath, pursing her lips together and slowly releasing air through her nose. She looked back at Emma-Claire who was looking at her expectantly. “We can’t go see Daddy today. But maybe tonight me and you will go get a frozen yogurt after dinner.” It wasn’t seeing her father, but Annie felt that she had to do something for the child to make up for the fact that JC was starting to look like he had two months ago when she’d first begun to work for him.

“Is Daddy gonna come?” was Emma-Claire’s reply.

“I don’t know, Em,” Annie sighed and continued the familiar trek back to the house.

 

It was after midnight when the cab pulled up to JC’s driveway. He’d gone out for drinks with Jimmy and a few producer friends and had several beers and knew he was going to wake up with a bad hangover the next morning. Still, it had felt nice to go out and be with the guys for a bit. He walked in through the front door because he couldn’t remember the code to security pad on the garage. Not with that many beers in his system. Somehow, he managed to open the front door and stumbled inside the house. Annie was asleep on the couch, the television on mute, and she was holding her phone in her hand, which was hanging off the couch. JC grinned at his sleeping girlfriend and immediately went to her.

“Hey, sexy,” he whispered in her ear and Annie jumped, bumping her forehead against his.

“Ow!” she yelped, then smelled the alcohol on JC’s breath. “Josh, are you drunk?”

“No!” he laughed and toppled over her. “I had a few beers.” He began to kiss her cheek and then her neck.

“You’re drunk,” Annie moved and tried to push him off of her.

“Aw baby, don’t be that way!” JC pulled her back to him and Annie frowned.

“I don’t want to be with you when you’re this drunk,” she snapped and moved off of the couch. She stood and looked down at him. “I’m going to bed. Good of you to finally come home.”

“Annie!” JC tried to stand and tripped, grabbing onto her. They both tumbled to the floor. He landed on top of her and grinned drunkenly at her. “I like being on top of you, baby.” He leaned down once more to try and bite at her neck but Annie pushed him off and stood to her feet.

“I don’t like you being on top of me when you’re like this. I don’t like being with you at all when you’re like this!” she snapped at him again and walked towards the stairs. “Your daughter asked me to tell you to kiss her goodnight when you got home but I don’t want you going and waking her up in your state. I’m going to sleep in the guest room tonight. Maybe I’ll see you tomorrow if you decide to come home at a decent hour.” Annie began to ascend up the stairs but JC was fast on her heels.

“Don’t be such a bitch, Annie!” he grabbed her arm and Annie turned around glaring at him.

“Don’t give me a reason to be one!” she hissed and pushed his arm off of her. “I don’t want to talk to you right now, okay? Goodnight.” She turned once more and before JC could stop her, she’d gone into the guest room and firmly shut the door behind her. He stood on the step where she’d left him and stared after her for a minute before he finally finished climbing the stairs and walking to the bedroom. He didn’t change out of his clothes before collapsing onto the bed and immediately falling asleep.

 

JC awoke the next day to the sounds of music being played downstairs. It was some sort of pop song that he couldn’t make out and it only made the pounding in his head worse. He lifted his head, the drool from his mouth falling onto the duvet. He wiped it off with the back of his hand and groaned from both the headache and the nausea in his stomach. Lifting himself off the bed, he stumbled into the bathroom. As he sauntered to the toilet, he pulled his phone out of his back pocket and saw that it was almost dead and that it was almost noon. He suddenly came to life, scrolling through the missed calls from Jimmy and then noticing a few texts from Annie from a few days before. He then remembered their fight and winced immediately, wondering what would happen when he appeared downstairs.

“I’m just as hung over,” Jimmy told him, when JC had called him in a panic. “I texted the girls and said we’d be there later this afternoon.”

“I got in a fight with Annie last night,” JC replied. “She was pissed that I was that drunk. I don’t remember much but I remember calling her a bitch.”

“You’d better get downstairs and make nice. I don’t think you’ve exactly been boyfriend of the year this week.”

“Yeah, well, how’s your wife since you’re at the studio just as much?” JC snapped.

“C, you know I’ve left hours before you did. Don’t go there,” Jimmy’s voice was calm but had an edge to it.

“Fine,” JC sighed. “I’ll see you in a couple of hours.”

“I’ll pick you up around three since your car’s still at the studio,” Jimmy told him. “There’s no need to get there earlier and you need to get over your hang over as much as I do. And you need to apologize and be with your kid and your girl.”

“Yeah,” JC replied. “I know. See you later.” He hung up and went to get in the shower.

 

Annie and Emma-Claire were downstairs in the living room dancing around as Annie dusted the furniture. Emma-Claire was on the couch bouncing up and down while Annie took the bottle of Pledge and pretended to use it as a microphone as they sang along to Demi Lovato. Emma-Claire giggled when Annie tilted her head back and lip-synched a high note. As Annie tipped her head back down, she heard Emma-Claire squeal, “Daddy!” Annie looked over at the stairs to see JC descending down them slowly. She looked away and continued to dust, giving Emma-Claire a chance to see her father.

“Hey, honey,” JC reached the bottom step and collected Emma-Claire in his arms, holding her tight. He kissed her cheek and set her down again. Looking over at Annie, he pursed his lips, then spoke, “Hey.”

Annie looked over at him and gave him a tight smile, then went back to dusting.

“Daddy, we’re having a dance party,” Emma-Claire informed him. “Oh and guess what! I’m going to sing a song in my play!”

“What play?” he looked from Emma-Claire to Annie. “What play, Annie?”

“She has a school play next week,” Annie still didn’t look at him, only continued to wipe off Pledge from the mantle of the fireplace. “She’s got a solo and is a daisy.”

“Were you gonna tell me about it?” his voice was sharp and he went to walk over to Annie.
“Uh huh,” Annie stood to her feet and faced him. “But when have I seen you to let you know?”

“You could’ve told me when you called me yesterday,” he countered and was trying to keep calm with Emma-Claire in the room.

“Yeah, you’re right. Because I had time to do that and all with how quick that conversation lasted,” Annie said coldly. She moved away from him and walked into the kitchen.

“Daddy, wanna go play in my playhouse?” Emma-Claire asked JC, following both adults into the kitchen.

“In a minute,” JC assured her. “Why don’t you go upstairs and see if you need to pick up any toys before we go outside?” He rubbed his forehead with his fingers and smiled at his daughter. “I need to talk to Annie for a minute.”

“Okay,” Emma-Claire obeyed and turned to run up the stairs.

“Annie,” JC started and walked over to her. She was leaning against the island, facing away from him.

“What?” she snapped and turned to look at him. “I don’t even know what to say after the last few days. You haven’t been home, you get wasted and come back last night and then call me a bitch, and now you’re mad because I didn’t tell you about Emma-Claire’s play? When have I had the opportunity?!”

“I know,” JC reached for her arm. “I’m sorry, Annie. I was a jerk last night.”

“That’s an understatement,” Annie mumbled. “You were an ass.”

JC paused and looked down at his feet then up at Annie again before he spoke. “Yes, I was. And I’m sorry. I want this to work. All of it. I’m just trying to figure out how to do that.”
Annie didn’t say anything, only looked at him. His eyes had bags beneath them, his hair was still wet from the shower, and he looked tired. She let out a sigh and leaned in towards him. He folded his arms around her and neither of them spoke, just held each other in silence.

“This isn’t easy,” Annie finally said. “I want to see my boyfriend and Emma-Claire wants to see her dad.”

“I know,” JC rested his forehead on hers. “It’s just crazy right now with the recording again and appearances. It’ll get better.”

“But then you leave on tour,” Annie’s voice was slightly above a whisper. “And that’s a long time to be away from each other.”

“You’re coming with us to Asia. Don’t be stupid. I’m not leaving you two here for two months,” JC kissed her cheek and Annie rested her head against his chest.

“Fine,” she mumbled, feeling somewhat assured as his hands rubbed up and down her back.

“Am I forgiven?” he asked, pulling away from her and giving her a small smile.

Annie didn’t answer right away. He’d hurt her in the last three days and as much as she wanted it to be right between them again, she still felt her heart was bruised from the way he’d treated her yesterday.

“Josh, I want to forgive you,” Annie replied as honestly as she could. “But you hurt me a lot. You were short with me on the phone and last night…well-“

“I know. I was an idiot, Annie. I’m sorry. I wish I could take it back,” JC sighed. “I should’ve just come home and been with you and Emma-Claire. I wasn’t thinking.”

Annie nodded slowly and bit her lower lip, looking up at him. She knew she was beyond falling in love with him and she knew they were close to saying those three little words, which was why she found it easy to nod her head and let him know he was forgiven.

“I have to go to the studio around three. I promise I’ll come home in time to tuck Emma-Claire in bed,” he kissed Annie’s lips softly, then whispered in her ear, “and then tuck you in bed.”

Annie giggled between kisses. “Josh, don’t make that promise about coming home for Emma if you can’t keep it. I don’t want to get her hopes up.”

At that moment, Emma-Claire came bounding down the stairs with a handful of Barbie dolls and stuffed animals in her arms. “Let’s go play, Daddy!” she called to him, as she ran past him and Annie to the sliding glass doors.

 

At eight o’clock that evening, Annie and Emma-Claire sat in the living room together watching television. It was a comedy that went over Emma-Claire’s head but the little girl wasn’t paying attention. Her thoughts were on her father and Annie knew it from the way she kept wandering back and forth to the window and back to the couch. Annie checked her phone and JC had texted over an hour ago letting them know he’d be back by eight. She wanted to give him the benefit of doubt, especially after that morning when he’d vowed not to be late and when he’d been so sweet. But if it was anything like the past few evenings, she wondered if he’d keep his promise at all.

JC knew he was going to be late. He’d finally locked up the studio at 8:15 and cringed when he saw the time. He had to get better at keeping track of time and he knew it. Going to his car, he quickly typed a message to Annie telling her he was on his way. The studio was a good half-hour from the house and he asked her to keep Emma-Claire up until he got home.

Annie sighed and looked at the text that had just come in. “Emma, let’s go brush your teeth. Your dad’s running late,” Annie said and wanted to add ‘as usual’ but held her tongue. No sense in talking negatively about something that she already knew Emma-Claire could easily get upset about.

JC slammed his fist against the steering wheel. An accident on the freeway had backed up traffic for miles on end and he couldn’t even see three cars in front of him. He pulled out his phone and called Annie.

“Where are you?” Annie immediately asked, without greeting him. It was nearing 8:45 and Emma-Claire was fighting to stay awake in her bed.

“There’s been an accident and I’m stuck,” JC grumbled into the phone. “I’m trying to find the best way to get back.”

“When did you leave the studio?” Annie asked him, point blank. “I mean, did you leave in enough time like you said or-“

“Annie, I don’t have time to answer petty questions!” he snapped.

“Don’t get mad at me because you know you left after you said you would!” Annie retorted, giving it right back to him.

“Fine, then if you seem to know the answer already, why do you fucking ask me?”

“Just get home, okay?” was all she could manage to say. For the first time, she felt tears pricking her eyes and didn’t want him to know she was that upset.

“Annie, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean-“

“Bye, Josh.”

Annie looked down at Emma-Claire whose eyes were fluttering open and closed. “He’s on his way. He got in traffic, babe.”

“Are you and Daddy fighting?” was Emma-Claire’s response. There was nothing they could hide from her, especially because JC had yelled over the phone and Emma-Claire had seen Annie’s expression. Annie hated that. She didn’t want Emma-Claire to be consumed with negative thoughts of her father’s relationship with Annie.

“Don’t worry about it, Em. Go to sleep. He’ll be home and he’ll come kiss you goodnight,” Annie bent over the child and kissed her cheek.

“I love you,” Emma-Claire yawned.

“How much?” Annie smiled warmly at her.

“To the moon and back,” Emma-Claire closed her eyes and rolled over.

JC sat in the driveway of his house and stared long and hard at the front of it. He didn’t want to get out. He knew he’d messed up yet again and by the time he’d gotten out of traffic it had been after nine. He saw the lights on in the living room and looked up at his bedroom to see it dark. Annie was downstairs waiting on him and he knew it. Finally, he pulled into the garage and slowly got out of the car. He walked into the kitchen and saw Annie at the breakfast nook with a cup of tea, reading a book.

“She’s waiting for you to kiss her goodnight,” was all Annie said to him and didn’t look up.

“Okay,” JC replied and threw his keys on the kitchen counter. He sauntered up the stairs and quietly opened the door to his daughter’s room. She was sound asleep and breathing rhythmically. He walked over to the edge of her bed and sat down staring at the little figure beneath him.

“Sorry I was late, baby girl,” JC whispered placed his hand on where her arm rested under the duvet. “I love you.” He reached over to peck her cheek and then stood, walking slowly out of her room, heading for the stairs. When he reached the kitchen he found Annie still seated at the breakfast nook, staring off into space.

“Annie,” he finally spoke.

She said nothing, nor did she move, only continued to look off into the distance.

“Ann,” he said again and walked over to her, placing his hands on her shoulders. He began to knead them in his hands and Annie pushed him away, standing up and facing him.

“I don’t know what to do anymore,” she told him, her eyes piercing his. “I want to be with you, Josh. But I want to be with the person I was with before Korea. Before this week.” He watched her quickly wipe away a few tears. “You said this morning it would change and you’d be back.”

“I told you I got in traffic-“

“No, Josh. You got in traffic because you left later than you said you would.”

Silence.

They looked at each other for what felt like hours to JC but it had only been mere seconds.

“I want to tell you that I’m sorry but I don’t know if you’d believe me,” he finally said.

“You’re right on that,” Annie sniffed and became irritated with herself for crying in front of him. She didn’t want him to know he made her that upset. She walked over to the kitchen sink to dump out the remainder of her tea, then went to the island to wipe off the counter space. The silence was deafening and JC didn’t like it. He walked over to her, pressing himself behind her and enveloping her waist in his arms. His forehead rested on her shoulder and he kissed her. She didn’t move and she didn’t stop him. He moved his kisses from her shoulder to her neck and turned her around to face him.

“Annie, I didn’t mean to snap at you on the phone,” he said softly, kissing her lips.

“Emma-Claire asked if we were fighting,” Annie responded, not returning the kiss.

“What did you tell her?” JC cupped Annie’s face in his hands.

“I told her not to worry about it,” Annie let him kiss her again, then felt his hands resting on her rear.

“Do you know how much you mean to me?” he asked her, pulling her as close to him as he could. “Annie, I’ve been in a lot of relationships but none like I have with you. I know I’m hard to deal with and I know this last week or so hasn’t been easy but I…” he stopped talking and sucked in a breath. Did he dare tell her what he’d wanted to tell her? They were both so tense with one another that he wondered if it would make a difference. She looked at him, waiting for him to continue. “Annie, I think I’m past the infatuation point. I love you.” There. Said. Done.

“Are you saying that just because of how you’ve been acting? Are you saying that because you think I’ll forgive you faster? Or do you mean it, Josh?” Annie’s hands found his waist and rested there.

“I’ve never been more serious,” JC could feel his heart beating faster. He was being sincere and she didn’t believe him. “I love you.”

Annie nodded and looked up at him, biting her lip.

“I mean it,” he continued and looked down at her, waiting for her to respond.

Annie knew she’d fallen in love with JC and wanted to answer him and give him the response he was waiting for but she held back for a second to take it all in. She was still hurt and she was still unsure of what all had just gone down the last two weeks but she didn’t want to give up on him completely. And he loved her. He loved her.

“Say something,” JC rested his hands on her shoulders. “Did I say it too fast? Would you have rather waited until we were, I mean, until this was, I mean us…” he was stumbling over his words and Annie finally relinquished and smiled at him.

“No,” she shook her head. “You didn’t say it too fast.” She moved her hands from his waist and slid them up the front of his body, wrapping her arms around his neck. “I love you, too.”

 

“Yeah and then we head to Burbank.” JC was on the phone in the wee hours of the morning of Emma-Claire’s school play while Annie slept next to him. “My kid’s got a show today at eleven so I’ll have to leave a few minutes early.”

Annie snuggled closer to him upon hearing his voice next to her. She placed her hand on his chest and lazily rubbed down to his stomach and up to his sternum. Her eyes were still closed but JC knew she was awake now.

“Uh huh. Sure. Yeah, sounds good.” JC looked down at Annie whose eyes were fluttering open. She looked up at him and gave him a languid smile. “I gotta go. See you later.” He hung up and placed the phone next to him on the nightstand and then turned on his side to face Annie. They were nose to nose and her lips were easily accessible to him. “Hi.” He greeted her with a soft kiss and rubbed her shoulder with his arm.

“Hi.” Annie sighed and pulled the covers over her, closing her eyes again. “Do you have to get out of bed now?” She mumbled into his chest and kissed him there, then looked up at him.

“Yeah.” JC nodded. “But I’ll see you later today at Emma’s play.” Annie reached over and pulled his arm, gesturing him to wrap it around her. “You don’t make it easy to leave this bed.”

“You can be late.” Annie kissed his arm and in her tired state rolled on top of him. “You were gone all day yesterday.” She kissed his neck and then bit at his earlobe. “And I want you so bad, Josh.”

JC moaned softly beneath her and turned his head, lifting it to see the time on his phone. He owed her this time and he knew it.

“I can be a little late.” He let out a slow breath as Annie’s lips continued to make contact with his body. JC pulled her back up to him and rolled over so that he was looking down at her now. His fingers found her clit and began to massage it, then  dragged one finger between her slit and chuckled.

“What?”

“It’s not even six in the morning. How are you already this wet?” He probed his way inside of her with two fingers and Annie reached between them and massaged her clit while he fingered her.

“Maybe you just make me that way.” She could feel him pressed hard against her inner thigh and in a few seconds he removed his fingers and slid into her.

“See, this is …why…you shouldn’t leave all…the..time.” Annie could barely get out a sentence because of how good he felt inside of her that morning.

“Having trouble talking, baby?” JC pulled out and entered her again with a little more force, which made Annie buck against him wildly.

“Shut up.” Annie wrapped her arms around his neck and let him rock with her, grateful that they’d at least been given this much time together, even if it wasn’t much.

 

The auditorium of the preschool was decorated in green and pastel colors throughout. It was also the church gym and whoever had decorated had taken advantage of using the basketball hoops to decorate them as flowers. Annie found a row of seats in the middle where there would be enough room for JC, Lance, and Michael, who had both agreed to come and had been honored that Emma-Claire had asked for them.

Annie checked her watch and saw it was five til eleven. Most of the parents had already arrived and were chatting with each other. Annie looked around for any sign of Lance and Michael, then checked her phone to see if JC had called or texted. Her phone had one missed call but it was from Megan.

“Sorry we’re just getting here.” Lance apologized as he and Michael walked up to Annie. “Where’s JC?”

“Not here yet.” Annie looked at Lance and grimaced. Lance placed a hand on her shoulder.

“He’ll be here. He knows how important this is to Emma.” Lance was trying to be assuring but he saw the look on Annie’s face. “Annie, you know he’s really trying.”

“Yeah.” Annie moved to the side so that Lance and Michael could get to their seats next to her. “I know he is but it’s just been one thing after another. He promised her last week he’d be home in time to tuck her in and when he wasn’t…well, I just hate the look on her face. I know he’s busy and I know that this band is a huge priority, but I just feel like Emma’s taken a back seat to his work again.”

“I’m sorry, Annie. This business is tough, especially when you’re in a relationship. I can’t even imagine having a child to add to that.” Lance reached over and placed a reassuring hand on Annie’s shoulder.

Annie said nothing, only sat back and watched as the curtain opened on the small stage and in a minute ten little four-year-olds were walking on stage led by Miss Morton. She introduced the children and welcomed the parents and relatives. Emma-Claire spotted Annie, Lance, and Michael and immediately waved at them with a big grin on her face. Annie saw her looking around the auditorium with a hopeful expression and then watched as her face fell when she saw that JC wasn’t in the audience.

The program began and the children came up to a microphone and said memorized poems or verses about spring. When a song about flowers in a garden began to be sung, Emma-Claire came right up to the microphone and without missing a note, belted out a tune about daisies and springtime. Annie caught it all on her camera and texted a picture of her to JC that read:

This is what you’re missing. Where are you?

 

JC cursed at the car in front of him. Traffic on the freeway from Burbank back to West Hollywood was a mess as usual. He could blame it on that when he got home and tried to explain to Annie and Emma-Claire why he was late. Unfortunately, he also knew that Annie would want to know at what time he’d left Burbank to get back to West Hollywood and JC couldn’t lie to her. He’d left fifteen minutes before the play was to begin. On a good day it took a half hour to get there and back. During rush hour lunch, it was taking much, much longer.

The girls had given a great performance and interview at a local radio station and it had gone so well that JC had felt bad for leaving them. Jimmy had been insistent that he leave a half hour before he decided to, but JC hadn’t listened. In his mind, he figured he would be fine with traffic and get there right as the play started. He was more than wrong.

He saw the text come through with the picture and knew there was nothing he could do now. It was getting close to noon and by the time he would get to the school the play would be over.

Knowing he was defeated, he took the exit to the house and decided to text Annie from there, already expecting the worst.

 

“Did my daddy come?” Emma-Claire hadn’t asked about anything else when the play was over. She’d only run over to Annie, Lance, and Michael and after they’d hugged her and told her how good she’d done, it was the first thing she wanted to know.

“No, Emma.” Annie could hardly look at Emma-Claire and felt her heart tighten within her chest. “I’m so sorry.”

“But he said he was gonna come, Annie!” Emma-Claire tugged at Annie’s arm.

“I know he did, honey. I’m sorry.” It was all Annie could say without blasting JC in front of his daughter.

“Annie, we have to go,” said Michael putting his arm around Annie’s shoulder. “But if you ever get bored while JC’s away, you can always call us. We love hanging out with you and Emma.”

Annie smiled gratefully and hugged Michael. “Thank you. I really appreciate that.”

“Emma, you were awesome.” Lance bent down to give Emma-Claire a high five. The little girl gave him a small smile in return, but leaned into Annie, letting her know she was ready to leave.

“Thanks,” Emma-Claire said in a small voice.

“We’ll see you later.” Lance waved as he and Michael exited the auditorium.

“C’mon, babe. Let’s go home.” Annie took Emma-Claire’s hand and walked out of the building. She was doing her best not to let herself get too worked up but it was too late. It was then that her phone rang and when she saw it was JC she had to count to ten before answering.

“I got in traffic. I’m so sorry. Is she OK?” JC asked before Annie had a chance to say hello.

“She’s right here. Hang on.” Annie looked down at Emma-Claire. “It’s Daddy. Do you want to talk to him?”

Emma-Claire shook her head and looked down at the ground while Annie unlocked the car.

“I don’t think she wants to talk to you,” Annie said as she helped Emma-Claire into the backseat.

“I don’t know what to say. I know that ‘sorry’ isn’t gonna cut it-“

“No, it’s not.”

“Well, anyway, I came on home because I figured if I went to the school I would’ve missed you.”

“Okay.” Annie was giving him much to go on and it was on purpose.

“Annie, honestly I didn’t mean to-I mean, I don’t even know what to say.”

“Good. It’s probably better that I don’t respond to you right now, anyway. I’ll see you in a few minutes.” Annie didn’t give him a chance to reply before she ended the call.

 

It was silent for a good part of the time after Annie and Emma-Claire had arrived home. JC had been waiting on them when they came in the house but Emma-Claire had immediately gone to her bedroom and Annie went into the kitchen to prepare lunch. JC stood in the doorway of the kitchen and watched her, wondering when it was best to speak. He knew she was upset and angry at him. Her whole demeanor was closed off to him and she’d barely even looked his way.

“Will you at least talk to me?” JC finally ventured in asking her a question after Emma-Claire had come downstairs for lunch.

“What do you want me to say?” Annie muttered and put a grilled cheese sandwich in front of Emma-Claire. “And really, I’m not the one you should be talking to. It’s your daughter whose play you missed today.”

JC let out a breath and looked over at Emma-Claire. He walked over to where she was seated and knelt down next to her. “Hey, Emma?”

Emma was chewing on a piece of her sandwich and slowly turned her eyes to her father. She didn’t say anything, only looked at him and waited for him to continue.

“Daddy’s so sorry. I got in traffic and-“

“You promised me you would be at my play.” Emma-Claire’s words were like daggers. “You always promise me stuff, Daddy. How come you always miss it?”

“Emma, baby, I feel really bad about that. I-“

“Annie, I’m done. Can I go to my room now?” Emma-Claire turned to look at Annie and away from JC.

“You didn’t eat very much.” Annie pointed to Emma-Claire’s plate. “Are you sure you don’t want more?”

“I’m not hungry.” She pushed her plate away and climbed down from the booth in the breakfast nook. “Can I go play before my nap?”

“Yes.” Annie told her and watched as Emma-Claire bypassed JC and left the kitchen, heading upstairs. Annie went over to the table and cleared off the plate and cup that Emma-Claire had been using. JC was still positioned next to the booth and watched as Annie went about the normal daily routine as though he weren’t there.

“I’m here now, Annie. I took the rest of the day off. Jimmy even told me I was an ass for what I did.” JC was trying his best to come clean. These fights and misunderstandings with Annie were becoming more and more routine and he hated what it was doing to them.

Annie put the dishes in the dishwasher and looked at JC as she wiped off her hands on the dishtowel hanging over the stove. “It’s one thing that you missed telling her goodnight. But when I had to be the one to tell her today that you weren’t there, it almost tore me apart. She was crushed, Josh. And as much as I love her and she loves me, I’m not you. You mean the world to her and you should’ve done whatever you had to do to get there on time.”

“Annie-“

“I don’t really want to talk to you right now, okay? I’m gonna go get her down for her nap and maybe take one myself.” Annie didn’t give him a chance to answer or respond before she left him standing in the kitchen alone.

 

JC stayed downstairs long enough for Annie to put Emma-Claire down for her nap. When he heard their bedroom door close, he finally decided it might be safe to venture upstairs. He opened the door and found Annie pulling on a pair of sweatpants and laying down on her side of the bed.

“Mind if I join you?” He didn’t wait for her to answer, simply crossed to his side and crawled next to her. He wanted to touch her or pull her close but he knew she wasn’t going to reciprocate that so instead he lay on his side with her back facing him.

“I’m not ready to forgive you, okay?” Annie said softly, still turned away from him. “Maybe I should because I hate it when we fight but I’m really mad at you right now.”

“I wasn’t coming in here for you to forgive me. I was coming in here because I wanted to be with you. I’ve felt like shit all day and knowing that this keeps happening with us doesn’t make me feel any better about it.” Without hesitating, he reached over and touched her arm. He felt relieved when Annie didn’t push it away, but she wasn’t making any gestures towards him either.

“I’m the one that has to look at that little face and deliver the bad news, Josh. I’m so tired of it. It’s draining to me to always have to tell her the same thing, lately.”

“Well, what if I promise it won’t ever happen again-“

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep, Josh.”

 

Two evenings later, JC was gone again, but had sworn to Annie he’d be back before midnight and he would spend the morning with them the next day. It had taken a whole day for Annie to come around again. Emma-Claire was less resistant and when she’d woken up from her nap and realized her father was still at home, seemed to have forgotten that he wasn’t at her play earlier. They’d spent the rest of the day playing in her playhouse and JC bathed her and tucked her in that night. He’d treaded carefully with Annie and by the end of the night, she’d relented and they’d spent a heated night together in bed.

Annie had just finished bathing Emma-Claire, who’d had a rough afternoon. She didn’t want to play, had complained of her stomach hurting, and at dinner, she’d barely touched her chicken and rice. As Annie helped her out of the bathtub, Emma-Claire lurched forward and threw up all over the bathroom counter and floor.

“Oh, Emma, honey.” Annie reached for a towel hanging above the toilet.

“Sorry, Annie.” Emma-Claire began to cry and Annie shook her head.

“No, sweetie, it’s okay. You’re sick. Is that why you didn’t eat anything tonight?” She wiped off the counter and grabbed another towel from the linen closet in the bathroom to clean up the mess on the floor.

“Yeah.” Emma-Claire hiccupped and stood there watching as Annie cleaned up the mess. “My tummy hurts.”

“I know it does, babe. I’m going to get you some Pepto-Bismol and then you can sleep in Daddy’s bed with me.” Annie sprayed 409 all over the surfaces where vomit had landed and let it sit while she went into Emma-Claire’s bedroom to put on her pajamas.

Ten minutes later, Emma-Claire was settled in their bed and Annie went back to her bathroom to finish cleaning up. She texted JC and let him know that Emma-Claire was sick and that she would most likely be in their bedroom when he got home. She went back downstairs and plopped on the couch, realizing just how exhausted the last half-hour had made her. Annie closed her eyes and fell asleep.

The sounds of Emma-Claire bawling hours later woke Annie from her slumber and she sat up on the couch seeing that it was past eleven. Running up the stairs and down the hall, she quickly opened the door to her and JC’s bedroom and saw Emma-Claire sitting up in bed, holding her stomach.

“Did you throw up again, Emma?” Annie walked over to the bed and sat down next to her.

Emma-Claire shook her head. “No. My tummy aches, Annie. It hurts a lot!”

Annie noticed that Emma-Claire held the right side of her stomach and was holidng it tightly. She vaguely remembered back when she’d first begun working at the McGriffin’s how Henry had had the same symptoms the day he had his appendix taken out. Annie knew what she was going to have to do. She just hoped JC would answer his damn phone when she called him on the way to the hospital.

 

“It’s a good thing you brought her in,” said the doctor on call at the children’s hospital. “She’s going to need an emergency appendectomy. It’s no wonder she didn’t eat today. Normal for someone who has acute appendicitis.”

Annie could only nod her head and look down at Emma-Claire who was resting on the hospital bed.

“We’ll get her prepped for surgery immediately.” The doctor looked down at Emma-Claire. “Hi, Emma-Claire. How is your stomach right now?”

“It hurts. Bad.” Emma-Claire whined and looked at Annie. “When can we go home?”

The doctor smiled and with a warm and friendly tone said, “Well, Emma-Claire, it looks like we have to take out a bad little guy in your tummy. But you get to sleep through the whole thing. And it won’t hurt at all.” Annie appreciated the doctor’s bedside manner but worried about Emma-Claire who was looking at her extremely worried. The doctor turned to Annie. “We should be ready to go in about a half hour. We’ll leave you two here and come wheel her out when we’re ready.”

“Thanks.” Annie smiled at the doctor and let out a shaky sigh. For all that had just happened, she felt relatively calm on the outside but was a mess on the inside. She pulled out her phone and immediately called JC. It went straight to his voicemail which meant he’d either turned it off or it had died.

“Great,” Annie muttered and tried again. Nothing.

“Where’s Daddy?” Emma-Claire asked in a tired voice. “I want Daddy.”

“I know, babe. I’m trying to call his phone. He’ll be here.” Annie was doing her best to remain calm and collected but the more she called JC and it went to voice mail, the more she felt as though she would explode.

“Ugh turn your phone on!” Annie grumbled and restrained herself from throwing the phone across the room.

It was going to be a long night.

“Pick up, pick up, pick up!” Annie muttered into the phone while it rang. She looked over at Emma-Claire who was dozing off and on while they waited on the team of nurses to come and wheel her out for surgery.

“Annie?” Emma-Claire’s voice was soft and pleading.

Annie walked over to the side of the bed and bent down to kiss Emma-Claire’s cheek.

“What is it, sweetie?” Annie asked her, smoothing out her hair.

“Is Daddy gonna come?” Her eyes pleaded with Annie to say ‘yes’ but Annie refused to lie to the child. It already felt as though she’d lied to her whenever JC was concerned.

“I don’t know,” Annie said. She was being honest and truthful. There wasn’t anyway to judge whether or not JC would make it in time. “But I’m calling him again to-“

“Hi, you’ve reached JC Chasez. Please leave a message and-“

“Ugh!” Annie hung up and wanted to throw her phone on the floor. She took a deep breath and scrolled through her contacts. Sometime ago, she knew she’d put Jimmy’s number in and now that she couldn’t get a hold of JC, she knew she would have to try Jimmy.

 

“See you guys tomorrow.” JC waved to the last member of Girl Radical as she left the studio. It was nearing midnight but he was full of ideas and energy now.

“I’m on my out, too.” Jimmy came over to him and began to shut down his side of the soundboard. “You should probably get home, man. You know your girls are waiting on you. Or at least one of them is.”

“Yeah.” JC sighed and fiddled with a knob on the board. “I’m just so ready to get these girls out there and it excites me whenever-“ He was interrupted by Jimmy’s phone ringing.

Jimmy pulled his phone out of his back pocket and looked at it in surprise, then looked at JC and said, “It’s Annie.”

“My Annie?” JC leaned forward in his chair and gave Jimmy a quizzical look. He then reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. Fifteen missed calls and five texts and they were all from Annie.

“Hey, Annie.” Jimmy looked at JC as he answered.

“Jimmy, do you have any idea where Josh is? Emma’s about to have an emergency appendectomy!” Annie didn’t care how frantic she sounded. She’d been on the verge of tears for the last hour and it was only now that she realized it.

“He’s right here.” Jimmy handed the phone to JC, who took it as though it were a bomb ready to explode.

“Annie?”

“Josh, I don’t give a fuck where you are or what you’re doing. Your daughter is about to have surgery and she is scared to death and wants you here! I’ve been trying to get a hold of you for an hour. One hour, Josh! Just get here and don’t give me any shit as to why you can’t!” Annie was sobbing by now but she didn’t care.

“I’m on my way, okay, Annie? Tell her I’m on my way.” JC was trying to be calm but the thought of Emma-Claire lying in a hospital bed about to go in for surgery made him more anxious than he’d ever been in any other situation.

“Emma’s about to have surgery and Annie’s been trying to get a hold of me and now I’m officially going to be the worst dad in the world,” JC muttered to Jimmy as he grabbed his things and ran out the door.

The freeway loomed before him and even though it was past midnight now, there were still as many cars on it then as there were during the day. JC managed to swerve in and out daring a cop to come and chase him now. He felt like an ass; a big, overgrown, stupid, selfish ass. He’d never heard Annie before like she’d been on the phone. And she’d been trying to get in touch with him and he’d been so caught up in his own world that he hadn’t even bothered to check his phone once.

His heart raced faster when he pulled into the hospital parking lot. An appendectomy was a common surgery. He’d always heard that. Except that now it was happening to his daughter and it felt world’s different than just a “common” surgery. It was surgery and it was happening to his little girl. There was nothing common about any of that.

“Where are you?” JC had called Annie as soon as he’d stepped inside the hospital.

“Fourth floor. Children’s wing.” Annie replied, her voice soft. “But they just wheeled her in for surgery, Josh.”

JC pressed his finger to the elevator button and kept pushing it over and over again as if he were a child waiting for all of the floors to light up. When the doors opened, he flew inside and all he could think about was that Emma-Claire had gone into that surgery without him there.
He was the worst father in the world.

 

Annie sat in the waiting room with her head in her hands, elbows propped on her thighs. She really had no idea what emotion to feel right now. JC had pulled a lot of crap but this was by far the worst. He was so caught up in his work that he had no time to even think about her or Emma-Claire. All he had to do was look at his phone once or twice each hour to see if they were okay.

She heard shuffling of feet and raised her head to see JC standing in the door of the waiting room, looking right at her. Her face was tearstained and her cheeks red from holding her hands on them too long.

“Annie.”

Annie didn’t move, only watched him as he walked over to her and knelt in front of her.

“I don’t even know what to say.” He pulled her into his arms and wrapped himself around her body. He felt her go limp and stiff against him. She wasn’t even trying to hug him back.

“She’ll be out in two hours.” Annie pushed him away and stood up, walking over to the door of the waiting room. “I’m going to get a cup of coffee down the hall.”

“Can’t you at least tell me what happened?” JC’s voice was almost pleading with her.

Annie took a breath and leaned against the doorframe. “She hadn’t been eating for most of the day. When I was getting her ready for bed, she threw up. I put her in our bed and two hours later she woke up screaming in pain. The kids I used to nanny for, one of them had the same symptoms with acute appendicitis. I brought her here and now she’s in surgery.” Annie’s voice had been monotone the entire time she spoke. She regarded JC as though he were something she didn’t want to touch.

“Baby, I-“

“I’m going to get coffee. I don’t think I should really talk to you right now. I don’t want to say anything I’ll regret later.” Annie turned around and walked out of the waiting room. Her heart was in her stomach and she felt tears returning to her eyes. She hadn’t wanted to be so cruel to JC but it almost felt as though she were running out of options. Missing tuck-ins was one thing, missing Emma-Claire’s play had been another, but now Emma-Claire was in surgery and JC had almost missed that.

When she returned to the waiting room, she saw JC standing up and staring out of the hospital window. He turned around and she looked away from him. She sat down on the other side of the room, coffee in hand, and her body completely blocking him off.

For a few minutes, nothing was said between either of them. The only sound that could be heard was the occasional guzzle of the water cooler near Annie. Doctors and nurses walking up and down the hall talking in medical code with each other. A patient who’d wheeled himself out into the hallway. Another family waited near JC and talked quietly about the next steps in their child’s chemo treatment. JC listened to them and was thankful that Emma-Claire’s surgery wasn’t life threatening. He looked over at Annie who was staring into space, doing whatever she could to avoid him.

“Ann,” said JC in a soft voice as he approached her.

Annie turned her head and JC saw tears brimming at her eyelids. She quickly wiped them away and rested her chin in her hand and finally looked at him.

“I know I messed up.” He knelt down in front of her, taking her hands in his.

“I can’t do this, Josh. It’s too hard.” Annie let a tear slip down her cheek.

“Can’t do what?” JC reached over and moved a strand of hair from her face.

“I can’t do this. Us.” Annie looked right into his eyes. “You keep making promises and I’m the one who has to let Emma down. Me. Not you. You’re holed away in that damn studio and you get back too late for everything. You didn’t even check your phone once today, Josh.”

JC couldn’t respond because she was right. He surveyed her face again and in all the times he had made a woman cry, it had never been for something as big and as serious as this.

Upon instinct, he reached for her and pulled her close, his lips resting on her forehead, his hands stroking her back and up into her hair. She let him hold her and cried into his chest. Annie didn’t want to relent but with him holding her like he was he wasn’t making it easy.

“I love you.” JC kissed her cheek and Annie lifted her head up to look right into his eyes. Those eyes that captivated her from the very beginning were doing exactly the same thing right then and there. “Don’t end this, Annie. I’ve learned my lesson.”

He kissed her again this time fully on the mouth, his hands cupping either side of her face. The kiss felt desperate and was mixed with her tears on his lips.

“You make it difficult to leave you.” Annie pulled away and wiped her cheek with the back of her hand.

“Then don’t.” JC stroked his thumb against her cheek and leaned in to kiss her again.

His lips felt right against hers and Annie couldn’t deny that. She’d been determined to break up with him tonight after what he’d done but kissing him and being close to him made her feel safe. He was here. He’d been late, but he was here.

Annie moved so that JC could sit next to her. The chairs had removable armrests and JC pulled it up so that Annie could easily lean in next to him. He held her close and neither of them said anything, just rested in silence.

 

“Miss Leighton?”

Annie woke suddenly to look up and see Emma-Claire’s doctor standing in front of her.

“Josh.” She nudged JC and JC opened his eyes and looked at her, then up at the doctor.

“Are you Emma-Claire’s father?” The doctor spoke to JC and he nodded. “Emma-Claire is out of surgery. She’s still asleep and will probably sleep the rest of the night. You can go in and see her and she’ll probably be ready to go either later today or tomorrow.”

JC rose from his seat and acknowledged the doctor. “Thanks. Which way is her room?”

“Follow me.” The doctor nodded at both JC and Annie, who was just getting to her feet.

JC laced his fingers through Annie’s and they followed the doctor down the hallway and into a set of rooms. The doctor opened a door that led into the room where Emma-Claire was sleeping. JC immediately walked over to her bedside and knelt next to his sleeping daughter.

“We’ll give you instructions on how to clean the area where we had to cut. For now you can visit with her and come back tomorrow,” said the doctor on his way out.

“I think we’re just gonna stay here,” JC replied without taking his eyes off of Emma-Claire. She was sound asleep and her face was content with the bliss of rest all over it. Annie situated herself on a chair across from the bed and watched as JC sang softly to his daughter as she slept. She would give him one more chance. As much as she knew that this should’ve been it for him, looking at him with Emma-Claire made her heart melt and she loved him too much to walk out now.

 

Three days later, Annie and JC had set up a bed for Emma-Claire on the couch in the living room. She was given strict orders not to do much and so JC had made sure she had every available amenity that she needed. The television was on from morning until her bedtime, any snacks she wanted to eat were in the kitchen, and JC had called Jimmy to tell him that he’d be out for the next week. Jimmy was all for this idea and told JC this over and over when JC had called to tell him his decision.

“But I miss my friends!” Emma-Claire was whining to Annie when Annie told her she couldn’t go back to school for another week.

“I know, babe, but you can’t do anything and it already takes a lot for you to walk to the bathroom.” Annie brushed a strand of hair away from Emma-Claire’s eyes and picked up a stuffed animal on the floor next to the couch. “Here. Want your brown bunny?”

“No.” Emma-Claire shook her head and pouted.

“It’s not gonna do you any good to be like that, honey.” Annie sighed and placed the stuffed bunny on the coffee table. “Want to watch a movie?”

Emma-Claire shrugged and nestled underneath the large quilt that Annie had put over her. Annie took that as a ‘yes’ and began to scroll through Netflix. When Emma-Claire finally agreed to Robin Hood, Annie hit ‘play’ on the remote control and stood to go check on JC, who was down in the basement playing in his recording studio.

JC was sitting in the sound booth, playing around with different controls and knobs and jumped when he felt Annie snake her arms around the front of him. He chuckled and turned to pull her into his lap.
“What’s up?” He kissed her lips, sliding his hand up to her thigh and around her waist.

“Emma’s watching a movie.” Annie kissed him back and played with the top button on his shirt.

“And you came down here to seduce me, right?” JC wriggled his eyebrows at her and Annie giggled.

“I was just coming to see what you were doing.” Annie shifted her weight and straddled him.

“That’s what it looks like. No sex at all, huh?” JC lifted up her shirt as he said this.

Annie hadn’t come down for sex but they’d been without for a few days because of Emma-Claire and the fact that things had been strained between them. She was suddenly feeling frisky and threw her shirt behind her, letting it land on the control panel.

“No sex.” Annie lifted herself up and slid her yoga pants down past her knees.

“Good. I didn’t think you wanted it anyway.” JC was busying himself by taking off jeans.

“Hm. Maybe I lied.” Annie reached behind her and undid her bra, throwing it across the tiny room.

“You shouldn’t lie, baby.” JC pulled her closer and Annie looked down and smiled upon seeing his erection seeping through the opening in his boxers. “See something you want?”

Annie kissed him fiercely and soon they were going at it hard and fast. The chair JC was sitting in rolled away from the soundboard and against the wall. Annie pressed her hands onto the wall above JC’s head and rocked with him in a desperate attempt to come as quickly as possible.

“I really was just coming to check on you.” Annie breathed into JC’s ear when they were finished. She stood up and went to pull on her yoga pants.

“You should do that more often.” JC sat in his chair, still in somewhat of a daze, and watched Annie dress again.

“You should be at home more often and maybe I would.” Annie walked back over to him and placed her hands on either side of his arms. She kissed him again.

“I think it’s safe to say we’ve fucked in every room in this house.” JC mused, finally standing to his feet and walking over to where his jeans were puddled near the soundboard.

“Not every.” Annie shook her head and pulled her hair out of the back of her shirt. “We’ve yet to do it in Emma’s room and I’m pretty sure that’s never gonna happen.”

“Oh, yeah, no, definitely not!” JC shook his head and followed Annie out of the studio.

As soon as they were upstairs, Annie heard her phone buzzing from the kitchen. JC went into the living room and sat across from Emma-Claire to watch Robin Hood with her while Annie went to grab the call.

“Annie, guess what?!” It was Megan on the other line. She was nearly screeching on the other end.

“What?!” Annie walked back into the living room and sat down next to JC.

“Well, Derek and I were talking and I was telling him about you and how you were dating JC and he told me he used to work with JC when he was a producer a few years ago!”

“Oh, really?” Annie was trying to be just as enthusiastic but she knew that JC worked with a lot of producers and Derek was probably just one in a few hundred or so that he’d collaborated with.

“Yeah. They used to hang out a lot. Is JC there? Ask him if he remembers Derek Stefano.”

Annie sighed and knew that Megan would persist on this subject for a while if she didn’t ask JC. She turned to her boyfriend and said, “Megan wants to know if you remember Derek Stefano.”

JC looked curious for a second and then nodded. “Yeah, I remember him. We did a lot of work together right after Celebrity was released.”

“He remembers him,” Annie said to Megan.

“Perfect! Well, anyway, Derek’s also friends with Lance and Michael. I know, what are the odds, right? And he wanted all of us to go out –you, me, him, JC, Lance, Michael- this weekend.”

“We’ll have to see how Emma is. And there’d be no one to watch her.”

“Jamie and Carey already told me they’d babysit Emma since her nanny’s sleeping with the boss.”

“You’re funny.”

“Oh you know I can’t help it! Anyway, just let me know.”

“Okay, Meg. I’ll talk to JC. Bye.”

“Bye, Ann!”

Annie hung up and placed the phone next to her on the couch. “Megan and Derek want all of us to go out this weekend. Apparently Jamie and Carey said they’d look after Emma-Claire so we can go.”

JC shrugged. “Sounds fun, I guess. I haven’t talked to Derek in ages. It’ll be good to catch up with him.” His phone rang and he reached for it but looked at Annie first. “This will take two seconds.”

“Josh, I don’t care if you take a phone call!” Annie rolled her eyes and settled in next to him, pulling his arm around her.

“Hello? Hey, man. Yeah, she’s fine. She’s watching television on the couch with me and Annie. What? No. I can’t right now. I took the week off. Sure. Sounds good. I’ll talk to you next week, then. Bye.” He hung up and looked at Annie with a proud expression on his face. “See? I’m not taking any gigs this week.”

Annie had to force a smile at him. She had to force it because she wondered what other weeks would look like once Emma-Claire was well again. Instead of starting an argument, she nodded and leaned into him while Robin Hood pined away for Maid Marian.

“I never get to do anything fun with you and Daddy!’ Emma-Claire whined. She was standing in the doorway of the bathroom that Annie shared with JC while Annie put on her make-up. It was Saturday evening and Annie was getting ready for a night out with JC, Megan and Derek, and Lance and Michael. Jamie and Carey would be arriving at any minute to watch Emma-Claire, who clearly was not happy with the arrangement for the night.

“Emma, you know that’s not true.” Annie shook her head and looked at the little girl in the mirror. “And you know you’d be bored. It’s a bunch of grown-ups out at dinner. There won’t be any other kids and you probably wouldn’t like the food anyway.” Annie applied eye shadow and then eyeliner. “Plus, you get to play with Jamie and Carey. And they’re a lot of fun!”

Emma-Claire sighed and leaned against the doorframe. “Can we play tomorrow, then?”

“Of course, silly girl.” Annie winked at Emma-Claire and looked through her make-up bag for her blush. She checked the time on her phone and tried not to be exasperated at JC, who had yet to come home from the studio. He swore he’d be back before it was time to go, but they were supposed to be leaving in a half hour and he’d neither called or texted about when he’d be coming home.

Annie finished applying her make-up and walked out of the bathroom with Emma-Claire at her heel. She went into the large walk-in closet and began to debate about what she should wear. The restaurant was upscale and trendy, or at least that’s what Megan had told her earlier that day when she’d called to find out what Annie would be wearing. She decided on a strapless black dress that hugged her in all the right places and matched them with a pair of strappy black sandals.

“That’s pretty, Annie!” Emma-Claire said, giving her approval. Annie grinned at her and placed the dress on the bed.

“Okay, while I’m getting dressed why don’t you go and clean up your toys in the living room.” Annie instructed and Emma-Claire didn’t hesitate at all before dashing outside of the bedroom. Annie looked down at the dress and knew JC would be more than excited when he saw her in it. In the last few days, he’d made attempts at being more attentive, though he still wasn’t able to divvy up his time like he should have between work and home. There had been a few small arguments about it, but he’d sworn to her that tonight he’d be on time and they’d have a great time with their friends.

Just as Annie finished putting her hair up in a ponytail, her phone buzzed and she picked it up, seeing JC’s number flash across the screen.

“Hey,” she answered and sat down on the edge of the bed.

“I’m going to be later than I thought,” was JC’s response.

“Josh-“

“I know, baby, I know. I’ll just meet you at the restaurant, okay? I promise I’ll be there as soon as possible.”

“How soon is that?”

“Don’t order without me.” JC assured her, making it seem as though he’d be there shortly after everyone arrived.

“Okay, if you say so.” Annie sighed into the phone and JC told her goodbye. She stood to her feet and finished getting ready.

Annie hated walking into the restaurant alone. It was loud and busy, as were most places in L.A. on a Saturday night. She’d left Emma-Claire in the capable hands of Jamie and Carey, who’d promised the child lots of ice cream and movies before Annie left. She looked around the bar and waved at Lance and Michael who were sipping on martinis. They waved her over and Annie smiled as she ambled over to them.

“Where’s C?” Lance asked her, pulling out a bar stool for her. Annie hopped up on the stool and pulled her dress down as far as it would go as to not expose more than need be.

“Late,” Annie answered and looked at the bartender. “Gin and Soda.” He nodded and turned to grab her drink.

“Is he on his way?” Michael eased his way over to her and propped his arm on the bar.

“Supposedly.” Annie turned to the entrance of the restaurant. “Any word from Derek or Megan?”

“No. Then again, I kind of forgot what they look like.” Lance shrugged and took a gulp of his martini.

Annie pulled out her phone and sighed upon not seeing anything from JC or Megan. It didn’t help that her best friend was just as scatterbrained as her boyfriend. Just then a message from Megan popped up:

On our way! Five min.

“Megan and Derek are on their way.” Annie put her phone on the bar. “Who knows about Josh.”

“Are things still, I mean, are you guys okay?” Lance ventured to ask.

“Sometimes.” Annie wanted to say more but now wasn’t the time or the place. “It’s fine most of the time, I’ll just say that for now.”

Lance nodded. “I get it,” he said and patted her leg.

At that minute, Annie’s phone buzzed again and she grabbed it seeing it was a text from JC:

Go on and get drinks w/o me. See you soon.

Annie shook her head and put her phone away. No sense in responding. She knew it could be a while before he arrived.

 

JC finished locking up the studio and grabbed the extra shirt he’d brought with him that morning. He dashed into the bathroom near the entrance and quickly changed, knowing that by the time he arrived he’d be almost an hour late. He also knew the look on Annie’s face would be less than one that was pleased or happy with him. There was nothing he could do. The session had run over and he needed to make sure everything was set for the following day. But he knew, he knew none of that would fly with Annie. He hated seeing her disappointed and lately, he was getting that vibe from her, no matter how much they made love or spent time together, he was starting to feel that it was going to be impossible to make her completely happy.

 

“…so anyway, we’re driving and all of the sudden this cow comes out of nowhere and Lance has to swerve to miss it…” Michael was recounting a story of the last time he and Lance had gone back to Mississippi to visit Lance’s family. Annie had barely been paying attention. Drinks had come to the table as had appetizers. They were all holding off on ordering their main course until JC arrived, but it had been over an hour since Annie had last heard from him. Their server had come back and forth to refill drinks and Annie knew their was only so many appetizers they could order before they’d be full and it would be pointless to order a main course.

“Let’s just get our food,” she finally spoke once Michael had finished the story and laughter had ceased. Megan looked over at her friend and winced at the sullen expression that was on Annie’s face.

“Are you sure?” Megan asked. “We can wait.”

“It’s after nine. I know we’re all hungry and there’s only so much finger food you can eat before you’re full.” Annie finished off her gin and tonic and sat back in her seat.

“Fine.” Lance looked over at their server and waved him over. “Is everyone ready then?”

Before they could respond, JC entered the restaurant and hurried over to the table. He grinned at Annie as though nothing were wrong or out of sorts and pulled out the chair that was empty next to her.

“Hey.” JC leaned over to peck Annie’s cheek and then began making the rounds of greeting around the table. “Derek, man, it’s so good to see you! Sorry I’m late. Things at the studio got out of hand.”

Annie said nothing, only played with the tiny straw in her drink. She made eye contact with Megan, who rolled her eyes towards JC, who was catching up with Derek. JC placed a hand on Annie’s thigh and squeezed it, then moved closer to her and kissed the side of her forehead.

“Hey baby.” JC kissed her again but Annie only eyed him and went back to her drink. The tension at the table began to build and Annie could sense all eyes were on them. It wasn’t a secret that she’d been upset with him for being late and now that he was here, she wasn’t relenting.

“Um.” Lance cleared his throat. “So, JC, how’s Emma doing?”

“Oh yeah, I heard about her surgery. That must have been really scary for you guys,” said Derek, looking from JC to Annie.

“God, you’re telling me.” JC shook his head. “But I was just glad I got to the hospital in time. Poor baby girl.”

Annie was biting her tongue by now. She held in a breath and finally let it out. “In time for what?” Annie suddenly heard herself speaking and it was too late to take it back.

“In time for the surgery.” JC said it as though it were common knowledge that he’d been there in time to see Emma-Claire rolled into surgery.

“I cannot imagine seeing your little girl having to go into surgery,” Derek was saying, while Annie brooded silent in her seat. Megan kicked her under the table and jerked her head towards the bathrooms. Annie nodded and excused herself with Megan before JC could say anything.

“What the hell is going on with you two?” Megan demanded as soon as they entered the ladies room.

“He wasn’t even at the hospital until after Emma was in surgery first of all and second of all, he waltzes in here like he’s not almost an hour and a half late with the same fucking excuse he’s had for a month now! The studio, the studio, the studio! I feel like the studio is just a code name for another woman or something.” Annie leaned against the wall of the small entrance of the bathroom. She felt tears on the brink of rolling down her cheeks and quickly shook her head as though that would make them magically disappear.

“Oh, Ann, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize it had gotten to that point.” Megan put a hand on Annie’s shoulder and squeezed it.

“No, I mean, we still are fine when he’s not being all about himself. But it’s just, I don’t know, I don’t think he gets how much he isn’t around. And he acts like it’s no big deal when it is. It’s a huge deal. Emma-Claire asks about him constantly. I’m not her mother but I sure as hell feel like it because I do more for her than her father does lately.” Annie had let the tears fall but was controlling her speech as not to sound weepy.

“I don’t know what to say, Annie.” Megan wanted to offer advice to her friend but Annie knew that there was no situation quite like the one she had with JC. “Look, why don’t you calm down and come back to the table. I’ll tell the others that you’re on your way, okay?”

“Fine. Okay.” Annie could only nod and went over to the mirror to reapply the eye make up that was now rolling down her cheeks.

“Where’s Annie?” JC asked when Megan returned without her.

“Oh, um, she’s coming. She just had a little make-up mishap.” Megan gave an assured smile to JC and caught up on the conversation.

“JC’s telling us about the night Emma went to the hospital,” Derek said to Megan as she squeezed in next to him.

“So, anyway, I got there as soon as Annie called and they wheeled her to surgery just after I got to the waiting room. And it was a longer process than I thought but the doctor told us that we came just in time and-“

“He told us that?” Annie interrupted and JC whipped his head around to see her standing next to him. She’d caught the last snippet of his monologue and was floored that he could so easily forget what had really happened. “No, Josh, he told me that.”

“Well, I meant to say he told you but then you relayed it to me, right?” JC was trying to force a smile but was finding it difficult with the expression on Annie’s face.

“Yeah, I did. After you came and she was already in surgery!” Her tone was sharp and the whole table got quiet.

“Annie, does it matter? The point is, we were both there, and-“ JC started to say until Annie grabbed her purse and cut him off.

“It matters a lot, Josh.” She looked at the table of people and pursed her lips before she spoke again. “I’m gonna go. Have a great night. I’m just not up for this tonight.” She walked away before anyone else could say anything to her.

JC stood so fast he nearly knocked over his chair. He flew out of the restaurant and met Annie at valet where she was getting her car.

“What are you doing, Annie?” JC demanded. “What the hell was that back there? You can’t just leave!”

“I can leave, Josh. I’m not going to sit there while you tell lie after lie about Emma-Claire. I’m tired of it all, Josh. I can’t do this anymore.” Annie almost couldn’t believe the words that had come out of her mouth but they were true and she knew it had been coming for a while now.
“Stop being dramatic!” JC snapped and only then realized what he’d said.

At that minute, Annie’s car came rolling up next to the valet station. She handed over a few dollars to the driver and got in her car before JC could take back his retort to her.

The tears flowed freely down her cheeks as she drove back to the house. It had all come down to this and it had been this way for weeks now, no matter how much they apologized to each other. She loved Emma-Claire and she loved JC but Annie could only take so much with his work and she wasn’t cut out for it. Tonight had been proof. Or perhaps tonight had just been the last straw and she should’ve left him weeks ago.

Or never started dating him in the first place.

 

JC prayed that there weren’t any cops as he flew down the freeway back to the house. He had to talk to her and apologize. The look on her face had been one he’d not seen before. Shock and disdain and sadness all rolled into one. He had to get to her and tell her he was sorry. He knew he’d embellished the truth but he also knew he didn’t want to look like the worst father in the world, which is how he’d felt the night of Emma-Claire’s surgery.

When he pulled into the driveway, he was relieved to find Annie’s car parked in its usual spot in front of the garage. He turned the car off and went over to hers, placing his hand on the hood. It was still quite warm and JC knew that she must have only just gotten home a few minutes ago. Jamie’s car was also gone so he knew she was alone with just Emma-Claire, who was most likely now asleep.

He walked into the house and found it quieter than he’d expected. The downstairs was dark and the only signs of life were toys that hadn’t been put away by Emma-Claire in front of the television. JC headed for the stairs and climbed them one at a time, already wondering what he’d find in their bedroom.

Annie was throwing her clothes on the bed and digging through the walk-in closet to try and find her suitcase. She’d made a comment to Jamie and Carey that she’d call them tomorrow and fill them in but that things weren’t good and she was moving out the next day. To where, she had no idea. Tonight she would sleep in the guest room and that was all she knew.

Her mind hadn’t quite wrapped around the fact that she was really going to break up with JC. It had been coming for a while and she knew it, she’d just squelched it and decided not to deal with it. She’d forgiven and forgiven until she was exhausted from it. There was no sense in staying around except for Emma-Claire and Annie knew that she’d have to let her go, too. There was no way she could still work for JC and be around the only man who’d made her crazy like he had and still be able to function with Emma-Claire.

Annie knew from the beginning that it had been a big risk to date her boss in the first place and now it had boiled down to this. She had to leave. She had to hug Emma-Claire goodbye for the final time tomorrow morning and it killed her inside to think of that.

She heard him open the door to their bedroom but didn’t stop throwing her clothes into her suitcase.

“Annie, what are you doing?” His voice was soft and tender and Annie almost forgot why she was doing this.

She didn’t answer him, only began to throw her clothes in faster and went back into the walk-in closet to begin retrieving shoes and jewelry.

“Annie.” JC went over to the closet and blocked her from walking out of it. “No, talk to me!”

“I’m done.” Annie sniffed and wiped a stray tear away from her cheek. “We’re done, Josh. I’m tired of this.” She pushed him away and walked out of the closet and over to the bed where her suitcase was displayed.

“Don’t be stupid, Annie, this is us. Me and you. You know we do this. We fight and we make up and-“

“Yeah, Josh, we fight a lot now. You care more about that studio and all of your damn work there than you do about me or your own daughter. This isn’t easy for me to do. I love you and I love Emma-Claire as if she were my flesh and blood, but I can’t keep being your doormat. Tonight you lied to our friends. And not to mention you acted like it wasn’t any big deal that you were as late as you were. You don’t think of anyone else but yourself and I’m over it.” Annie’s tears flooded her cheeks now and she didn’t bother to wipe them away.  She zipped up her suitcase and pulled it off the bed. “I’ll sleep in the guest room tonight and see if I can stay with Megan tomorrow.”

“Annie-“ JC couldn’t finish what he wanted to tell her because he didn’t really know what it was that he could say to change her mind. She was beyond any point of reconciliation. And it was his fault. He’d blown it once again.

“Goodbye, Josh.” Annie took her suitcase and walked out of the room, not bothering to look back at him.

Numb. That was the best way to describe what JC felt the next morning. His alarm went off but he ignored it. He lay awake in bed, glancing over at the side where Annie would’ve slept. She couldn’t have meant it. He would talk her out of it. He had to. Not only for the sake of their relationship but also for Emma-Claire. His daughter had been through enough loss in her life to have to go through something else. And even though Annie hadn’t died, he knew it would feel like death if she left.

He wasn’t going to let that happen.

He finally rose out of bed and stumbled over to the bedroom door. It was still dark outside and he had to be careful walking down the dimly lit hallway to the guest room. He didn’t knock; he opened it and saw Annie asleep in the guest bed.

Walking around to the other side of the bed, he slid next to her beneath the covers and touched her arm. She jumped and woke up, immediately turning to face him.

“Josh-“

“No, Annie, please. Listen to me. Last night I know I was wrong and I know that I-“

“Josh, don’t do this. It’s over. It’s just not going to work. You have your stuff and right now it’s just not right.”

Annie sat up in bed and moved away from JC. She shook her head at him and sucked in a breath before she spoke again. “I don’t want to leave Emma. In fact, leaving her breaks my heart because I know all that she’s been through. But I also know that you’ve got a lot to work out and I guess I’m just too selfish to be put on the back burner in this relationship.”

“But what if we tried again. C’mon, Annie. You know we love each other and this is just something we have to work out!” He tried to pull her towards him but Annie swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood up.

“No.”

The tone of her voice surprised her. It was soft but firm. She meant every word.

She’d hardly slept the night before, only falling into a deep sleep shortly before JC had entered the guest room. Her thoughts were consumed with Emma-Claire and how she would have to tell her she was going to leave.

“Annie-“

“Josh, I think you should go now. Please. I need to get the rest of my stuff out of here. I’ll fix Emma breakfast but then I’m going.” Annie walked over to her suitcase that she’d propped up against the dresser. JC watched her set it down on the floor and dig through her clothes to pull out something to wear for that day.

“How are you going to tell Emma?” JC asked her the one question that she had no idea how to answer.

Annie shrugged and couldn’t look up at him. “I don’t know, honestly.” It would be the hardest thing she’d ever have to do. Leaving Josh was hard enough. Leaving Emma-Claire would be devastating. She would lose them both on the same day.

 

The sun had just begun to stream through the sliding glass doors in the kitchen when Annie made it downstairs. She looked outside to the pool house and a million thoughts entered her head. The time that Emma-Claire got sick and JC had rushed her over because he’d had no idea how to handle it. The few times she and Emma-Claire had played on the floor of the small living room during the day. The many times she and JC had made love in the bed in the loft. She shook her head. If she thought about it any longer, she might change her mind and she was not going to do that.

Taking out a pan for Emma-Claire’s eggs, Annie turned the stovetop on and began to root through the refrigerator for the orange juice. She heard tiny footsteps behind her and the familiar sigh that escaped Emma-Claire’s lips as she climbed into the breakfast nook.

“Hi, Annie.” The child’s voice was groggy and barely audible. It still melted Annie’s heart and she had to stop herself from crying before she turned around.

“Hey, Emma.” Annie flashed a tiny smile at her and went back to making the eggs.

“Where’s Daddy?” Emma-Claire splayed her hands on the table and began to softly drum her fingers.

“He’s upstairs.” Annie cracked an egg into the pan. “He’ll be down soon.”

As if on cue, Annie heard footsteps on the stairs and knew JC would walk into the kitchen any second.

“Hi, Daddy.” Emma-Claire yawned as she greeted her father. JC only nodded at her and looked over at Annie. His gut instinct was to go and kiss her like he’d done before when he saw her at the stove making breakfast. He knew that was out of the question.

Annie ignored him and poured a glass of orange juice for Emma-Claire. Her arm brushed against JC’s shoulder as she passed him and placed the glass on the table.

“Can I watch TV after breakfast?” Emma-Claire asked and Annie just smiled and nodded at her.

“I think Annie needs to talk to you before you watch television, Emma.” JC spoke before Annie had a chance to respond. “She has something important to tell you.”

Annie shot a glare at JC and bit her tongue. There were several things that crossed her mind that she desperately wanted to yell to him but she wouldn’t do it.

“What is it?” Emma-Claire ignored the orange juice in front of her and her eyes were glued on Annie.

“Eat your breakfast and then we’re going to go and sit in your play house for a little while.” It had come to Annie’s mind at the last minute that that was where she would tell Emma-Claire the news.

 

“Is Daddy coming, too?” Emma-Claire asked as she followed Annie out to the playhouse.

“No, Emma. It’s just you and me.” Annie had tried to force a smile but it didn’t come so easy. She opened the door to the playhouse and sat down in the middle of the floor. Emma-Claire turned on the twinkle lights, even though the sun was bright outside. She loved those lights no matter what time of day it was. She settled across from Annie, her legs crossed, elbows resting on her legs, her chin in her hands, and waited patiently for Annie to speak.

“Emma, I love you so much. You’re the closest thing I’ve ever had to a little girl of my own.” Annie heard the words she was speaking but still couldn’t believe what she was going to say. “But, Emma, it’s time for me to go. I have to go. Your Daddy and I are not going to be boyfriend and girlfriend any more and I can’t live with you.”

“But you can still come see me, right Annie?” Emma-Claire’s lower lip trembled and she began to cry. “Please, Annie? Why don’t you want to be my daddy’s girlfriend anymore?”

“Honey, it’s just that your daddy is really busy. He has his work and he has you and right now he and I can’t be together. I want him to have his time with you, Emma-Claire.” It was the best way Annie knew how to word it. She didn’t want to make JC out to be a bad person to his daughter. And she knew that this way it wouldn’t look like it was either of their faults.

“Do you love my daddy?” Emma-Claire had crawled into Annie’s lap and was sniffling against her.

Annie didn’t answer right away. She would love JC for a long time to come. He’d be difficult to get over and she knew it wouldn’t be an easy fix.

“I love him very much, Em. But I also love you and I want you both to have more time together.”

“I don’t want you to leave, Annie.” Emma-Claire was weeping into Annie’s shoulder. Annie let her cry because at that moment, it was all Annie could do not to let out a sob.

“I’ll come and visit, Emma. I promise.” Annie smoothed out the child’s brown locks and held Emma-Claire tightly against her. Her heart had never hurt like it was hurting right now. It felt as thought someone was ripping it out of her body and soon Annie gave into her tears and cried right along with Emma-Claire.

 

JC stood back and watched Annie and Emma-Claire walking back to the house. Their faces were both red from crying and he could see that Annie was still wiping away tears. Had it really been his fault? Was he to take all of the blame? It didn’t seem like it should be that way to him. He’d done the best he could. Yes, he’d exaggerated the night before at the restaurant and he knew there had been plenty of times that he’d neglected a promise to Annie or Emma-Claire. But JC didn’t understand why it couldn’t be worked out. They loved each other and they loved Emma-Claire and whatever hurdles that came or were to come they could learn to get over them. That’s what JC thought and desperately wanted Annie to think the same thing.

The twosome walked inside the house and bypassed JC in the kitchen before he saw Emma-Claire following Annie up the stairs. He sauntered behind and looked up as they disappeared into the guest room. He lingered at the bottom step, debating about whether or not he should follow them and try to talk to Annie. He already knew it would do no good.

Minutes later, Annie was at the top of the stairs with her two suitcases and Emma-Claire next to her. They walked down the stairs together and when she reached the bottom stair, Annie put her suitcases down and was eye to eye with JC.

“Megan’s about to pull into the driveway,” she said and watched his face to gauge his response. Immediately his blue eyes fixated on hers and she could almost sense his pain.

“Annie.” JC reached for her hand and she let him squeeze it. “Don’t do this.”

“I have to.” Annie let her hand linger in his for a few seconds before she pulled away.

He heard the sound of Megan’s car pulling into the driveway. Annie knelt down to Emma-Claire, who’d begun to cry again and clung to Annie.

“No, Annie. Don’t leave me!” Emma-Claire’s little arms nearly choked Annie around her neck but she didn’t stop her. “Please, Annie. Please don’t!”

“I’m sorry, Emma-Claire. I’m so sorry.” Annie pulled away but Emma-Claire’s grip was too tight. It was then that JC had to intervene and pull his daughter away from Annie. She watched as Emma-Claire kicked and screamed and reached for her all at once. Annie turned away and didn’t look back as she opened the door and walked out of JC’s house.

“Annie!” Emma-Claire wailed, fighting against her father’s grip around her waist. “I want Annie!”

“Shh, baby girl.” JC was trying to be calm for his daughter but couldn’t stop his own tears from starting to roll down his cheeks.

 

“You did what you had to do, Ann.” Megan was trying to be reassuring as she pulled onto the freeway. “You guys were falling apart. It was obvious last night. You never get mad enough to walk out and last night you couldn’t stand to even be in the same room with him.”

Annie heard what Megan was saying but she stared out of the passenger seat window and brushed away the tears that slid down her cheeks. She had loved Emma-Claire as though she were her own daughter. And JC had been so unexpected but she’d fallen in love and fallen hard.

 

JC had stayed downstairs most of the day while Emma-Claire holed herself up in her bedroom. He would occasionally hear her talking to herself while she played with her Barbie dolls or set up for a tea party. When he’d called her for lunch she came to the top of the stairs and stoically told him she wasn’t hungry.

“Want to go get tacos, honey?” JC stood in the doorway of Emma-Claire’s room and watched her stiffen when he spoke.

“No.” Emma-Claire responded in a soft voice and went back to playing. Her room was covered in toys, her bed still unmade, and she was still in her pajamas. It was nearing 6:30 that evening and JC had decided it had been long enough. They needed to get out of the house.

“Well, we’re going out to dinner. So let’s get you out of your pajamas and-“

“No!” Emma-Claire snapped at him and folded her arms across her chest. Her eyes glared at her father and dared him to step further into her room.

“Emma, stop being like that. You’ve been up here all day. We’re going to eat.” JC stepped into her bedroom and went to the closet where her clothes hung. He pulled out a yellow sundress and went to pick her up off the floor.

“No no no!” Emma-Claire’s voice hit a pitch that JC had never heard from her before.

“Emma-“

“You made Annie leave! You made her go away!” Emma-Claire backed away from her father and moved towards her bed. “I don’t like you right now, Daddy.”

“I didn’t make her go away, Emma. Come over here and put on this pretty dress so we can go to dinner.” JC sat on the other side of the bed and Emma-Claire defiantly shook her head.

“I don’t wanna!”

JC had never seen his daughter react like this before. Normally when she didn’t want to do things, she’d pout but she’d never once thrown a tantrum.

“Emma-Claire, stop acting like that! You better do what I tell you to do or I’ll give you a time out and you won’t play with your toys at all tomorrow!” JC didn’t notice that he was yelling at her. Emma-Claire didn’t budge. “Emma-Claire Chasez you better get your ass over here and do what I tell you to do!”

Emma-Claire let out a small gasp and looked wide-eyed at her father. In the process of yelling at her, he’d raised his hand as though he was about to slap her. Her sobs turned to sniffles and hiccups and suddenly she looked scared to death.

JC looked up at his raised hand and slowly brought it down to his side. He couldn’t believe what he was about to do. She was a four-year-old who’d just lost the third mother figure in her life in a matter of months. And he wasn’t helping by yelling at her. They were both upset and they were both hot headed.

Annie’s departure had caused more grief than he’d ever thought possible.

 

“Vodka and cranberry or Rum and coke?”

Megan was playing bartender later that evening at her apartment. Annie had spent most of the day crying on the couch and trying to figure out what the hell she was supposed to do next. Megan had given her space and in the meantime had gone to the grocery store to purchase alcohol and every flavor of Ben and Jerry’s that was in stock.

“Can I just drink straight rum?” Annie mumbled in response. She was curled on the couch with a box of tissues and hugging a pillow.

“Sure.” Megan took a glass out of the cabinet and filled it with Malibu. “But um, I’m gonna add just a little bit of Coke.”

“Fine. Whatever.”

Megan tipped off the top with Diet Coke and went over to Annie, placing it on the coffee table in front of her. She went back to the kitchen and pulled out the five containers of ice cream and got out two spoons from the cutlery drawer.

“Dig in,” Megan said as she sat down across from Annie after she’d displayed the ice cream in front of her.

An hour later both girls were drunk and had started getting giddy. They’d trash talked JC to no end and then started in on their other exes and then had started to just take digs at men in general.

Megan heard her phone ringing from the kitchen and stumbled as she stood from the couch, making Annie burst out laughing.

“It’s Derek!” Megan nearly yelled at Annie.

“Don’t answer it. He’s a man. All men are douche bags, remember?” Annie called back.

“Derek?” Megan slurred into the phone.

“Megan? Are you drunk?”

“No! I’m, I’m a little tipsy. But I’m not drunk.” Megan hiccupped and then giggled.

“You’re drunk. I was calling to see if you wanted to come over tonight.”

“I can’t. Annie and JC broke up and we’re drinking and eating ice cream.” Megan looked over at Annie who had started working on a pint of “Half-Baked.”

“And tell him all men are douche bags!” Annie yelled to her friend.

“Annie says all men are douche bags,” Megan said into the phone.

“That’s nice, Megan. Real nice.” Derek scoffed and Megan knew immediately she’d insulted him.

“Oh, but not you!” She tried to recover and keep a calm about herself that she hadn’t presented when she’d first answered the phone.

“Yeah, whatever. I’ll call you tomorrow. Go deal with your friend.”

Derek hung up and Megan groaned as she walked back to the couch. “He’s gonna be so pissed tomorrow. Oh well. I’ll just promise him lots of sexual favors.”

Annie dipped her spoon into the ice cream and scooped out a large helping. She examined it before slowly biting into it.

“Do you think he misses me?” Annie finally asked after the two friends had been silent for a few moments.

“Of course he does. He’s an idiot for being an ass to you!” Megan held up a glass filled with vodka and cranberry juice. “Here’s to you for being smart and getting the hell out of that!”

Annie could only half-heartedly hold up her own glass. She missed him and she missed Emma-Claire.

It was going to be a long week.

 

JC stumbled down the stairs in the early morning hours of the following Monday. He’d gone a week without hearing anything from Annie. Whenever his phone buzzed, he jumped for it hoping it would be her but it never was. Emma-Claire had given up hope of asking about her, even though she would make it clear to her father that he wasn’t fixing her lunch like Annie did, didn’t tuck her in like Annie had, and didn’t know how to play Barbies the right way. He knew it was his daughter’s way of punishing him for letting Annie leave.

On this particular Monday he had to have Emma-Claire at school by 9 and was hoping to come back to the house and clean up a little. It had more or less gotten into disarray since Annie had been gone. He’d also hoped to get downstairs and try to do a little bit in the studio, but the gusto he’d had for his all-girl band had suddenly dissipated once Annie had left. In fact, there wasn’t much he felt like doing at all. Jimmy had told him to just take a few weeks off to clear his head, but JC was determined to try and get back in the game, otherwise he’d sit around and mope.

He was doing a pretty good job of moping.

He opened the refrigerator and stared into it as if it held the answer to his problem. Pulling out the milk, he placed it on the counter and then sighed before shutting the door. Instinctively, he looked out at the back patio and over to the pool house. Even if Annie had just moved back there and was still Emma-Claire’s nanny it would be better than what he had now, which was not seeing her at all.

Then again, if he saw her everyday it would only remind him that she wasn’t his girlfriend anymore.

“Daddy.”

JC turned his head to see Emma-Claire standing in the doorway of the kitchen clutching a stuffed bunny. He smiled at his daughter and sauntered towards her, kneeling down and collecting her into his arms for a hug.

“Hi, princess. You hungry?” He kissed her cheek and Emma-Claire rested her head on his shoulder. She wasn’t as passive towards him as she’d been last week but JC knew it was because she was four and she relied on him too much. Annie was gone and right now it didn’t look hopeful that she’d ever be back.

“Uh huh.” Emma-Claire pulled away from JC and walked over to the breakfast nook, pulling herself up into the booth. She splayed her hands across the table and kicked her feet in a nonchalant manner while she watched her father start breakfast.

JC dug around for a pan to make eggs, then poured a cup of coffee for himself and a glass of milk for Emma-Claire. He caught her eye as he placed the milk in front of her and they smiled at each other. JC didn’t have to guess that she was wondering when she’d see Annie again because even though she’d stopped asking, it was still written all over her face.

He wished he had an answer for her. He wished he knew himself. And he wondered if she missed them just as much as they missed her.

 

Annie shut off her laptop and leaned back into the sofa at Starbucks. She picked up her mug and sipped the lukewarm coffee that had been sitting in front of her for the last half hour while she’d been job-hunting online. It seemed that no one was hiring and the nanny positions she looked at only made her feel guilty for even thinking of going somewhere else.

Being away from JC and Emma-Claire had been absolutely awful. She thought of them every second of every day and every morning woke up with a pain in her stomach thinking of them. She was still receiving a paycheck from JC for the next two weeks but after that she was down to the small savings account that had about $350 left in it.

She had to find a job and get her mind off of her ex-boyfriend and the one child that had felt like a daughter to her. She had to do it fast, too.

Her phone vibrated in her pocket and Annie immediately reached for it, silently hoping it was him. She knew it wouldn’t be. He wasn’t going to be the first one to break this silent treatment they had going on with each other. She looked down at the caller id and smiled when she saw it was Patsy McGriffin.

“I heard you’re not working for JC anymore?” Patsy had cut the formalities and immediately went for details.

“It’s a long story.” Annie didn’t feel like going into details over the phone so when Patsy suggested they meet for lunch at a bistro in Bel Air, Annie had agreed almost immediately. Patsy had even agreed to pick her up when she found out that Annie’s car was a lease from JC and was still at his house.

At 11:30, Annie walked out of the Starbucks she’d been sitting in all morning and hopped into the passenger seat of Patsy’s Lexus. After hugs had been given and Patsy had filled her in on Ruby and Henry, Annie began to spill everything that had happened between her and JC. By the time they pulled up to the bistro for lunch, Annie was nearly in tears recalling the ordeal.

“It sounds like he needs to get his priorities straight.” Patsy sipped on her water after they’d ordered. “You can’t be with someone who doesn’t know how to work and family. And he put too much responsibility on you. I know that Corbin and I were late a few times but we would never put anything over our children.”

“He was doing great for about a week or two. And then he took his girl band off to Korea and came back and everything changed.” Annie rested her elbow on the table, cupping her chin in her hand.

“Give him another few days and then maybe you can take little Emma-Claire out for lunch. Don’t let her suffer through this, Annie. It’s not her fault that her father did what he did. And she’s lost so much already. I would hate to see her have to go through losing someone else.” Patsy reached for a piece of bread and began to butter it. “You’re eventually going to have to cross paths with him anyway. You know even if you don’t call Emma-Claire this week, you’re going to want to call her sooner or later. She needs you, Annie.”

Annie only nodded and played with the straw in her water. She desperately wanted to see Emma-Claire. But she also desperately wanted to see JC.

 

He was staring at his phone while Emma-Claire watched television later that night. It was almost as though he expected it to light up and for her name to appear on the id. But it was silent and didn’t ring. He sat back against the couch and looked over at Emma-Claire who was glued to a show on Nickelodeon. Looking back at the phone, JC stood and walked into the kitchen. He leaned against the counter and made sure he was out of earshot of his daughter.

 

Annie had been dozing on and off on Megan’s couch. They’d been watching a marathon of Entourage on HBO Go and as entertaining as it was, Annie’s head had been swimming earlier with thoughts of JC and Emma-Claire. Megan had tried to be supportive and get her friend’s mind off of thing, but after three episodes of Entourage, she was losing.

Annie shifted on the couch and that’s when she jumped at the sound of her phone ringing. She pulled it out from under her and nearly lost her breath when she saw who it was on the other end.

“It’s JC.” Annie looked over at Megan, who immediately paused the episode and waited for Annie to make a move.

“Answer it.” Megan prodded and gestured with her hand at Annie. “It’s been a week. I think you’re ok.”

Annie glanced again at the phone and stood to walk into the other room before she answered.

“Hello?”

 

JC breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing her voice.

“Hi.”

He waited for her to respond and nervously tapped his fingers on the countertop.

“Hey. What’s up?” He finally spoke and cleared his throat to rid himself of any nervousness.

“You called me. Is everything okay with Emma?” Annie didn’t dare let on that she was missing him or that she cared that he had called. It had to be about Emma if it was about anything

“Emma’s fine. She misses you. I-“ JC stopped himself before he let his guard down. “I was calling to see if you might want to stop by and see her or, I don’t know, do something with her?”

Annie was smiling on the other end of the line but remained calm. “I was actually going to call in a few days and see if I could take her for ice cream or something,” she said and hoped her voice didn’t sound as shaky as she felt.

“Great.” JC cleared his throat and wiped a smudge off of the counter top. “What about Friday afternoon?”

“Friday’s good.”

“Okay. I can pick you up or-“

“I’ll get Megan to drop me off.” Annie stopped him before he could go any further. There was no way she could be alone with him, even if Emma-Claire was in the backseat.

“Oh. Okay.” He was trying to remain cool and collected but she’d almost sounded as though she were snapping at him. There was silence for a few seconds until he spoke again. “Annie, I haven’t been to work in about a week. I’ve been all about Emma.”

“It’s not about you giving up work completely. It’s about finding a balance and I don’t think you know how to do that.” Annie’s response was the truth and JC had to accept it. “You have to find how to do work and raise a child. I didn’t ever expect you to give up your job completely because you love it too much. But you know it was coming between us way too much. More than it ever should have.”

“I want to prove to you that it can change, Annie.” He sounded wistful to her and it was all she could do to not break.

“Not yet, Josh. I’m sorry. It’s going to take longer than a week.”

“I miss you, Ann.”

“What time should I tell Megan to be at the ice cream shop?”

JC grimaced. She wasn’t even going to respond to what he’d told her. “Three,” he said. “I’ll drop her off and pick her up at 4:30.”

“See you then.”

Annie didn’t wait for him to say goodbye. She hung up and walked back into the other room where Megan looked as though she was sitting on pins and needles waiting for Annie to get off the phone.

“Any chance you can drop me off at the ice cream shop near his house on Friday at three?” Annie knew Megan wanted details but really there weren’t any to give.

“Uh huh. Yes. Sure. Whatever. What did he say?” Megan asked in a hasty tone.

“He said he hadn’t worked in a week and wanted to try again but I told him a week didn’t cut it.” Annie plopped back down on the sofa and looked at Jeremy Piven who was paused on the television. “Can we go back to the show now?”

“Oh Annie, you know you miss him!” Megan ignored her request and instead turned the television off. Annie went to protest but Megan cut her off. “Okay, yes, he was an ass. He never had time for you or Emma and I get that but you’ve been miserable for the last week and it just sucks seeing you like that.”

“I’m not going to give in to him that easily. He has to understand that. Just because he’s given up work for a week means nothing. I’m not going to risk going back to him and having to fight for it all over again.” Annie pulled her legs to her chest and rested her chin on her knees. She was thoughtful for a moment and then said, “I think I’m going to reapply at Ohio State for a Masters degree.”

“Move back to Ohio?!” Megan gasped. “Annie, don’t make hasty decisions before-“

“I’m not.” Annie cut her off. “I think it’s probably a good thing for me to get out of L.A. and be done with the whole scene.”

“So you’re running away?” Megan asked.

“I’m not running away.” Annie looked up at her friend. “I’m doing what I need to do. The best thing for me is to say goodbye to Emma-Claire on Friday and not ever see Josh again.”

Megan picked up her phone and stared at it, letting out a huff before tapping on JC’s name under her contacts. She had to call him and tell him what Annie was planning. Moving back to Ohio to attend graduate school sounded great on paper. Megan knew Annie’s dreams of getting her Master’s degree had been thwarted at least twice now and it had been a huge goal for her.

But it didn’t need to be now. There were more important matters in Annie’s life. She just didn’t want to own up to it. And that’s why Megan was going to take control.

Megan normally didn’t interfere in her friends’ love lives but this was an emergency. Annie would thank her later, that was if Annie ever found out.

“Hello?” JC answered on the first ring.

“Josh, it’s Megan. Look I don’t have a lot of time to explain but here it goes. Annie’s planning moving back to Ohio…”

JC didn’t hear anything else Megan was telling him. He’d been in the middle of a recording session and had looked down to see her number flashing on his iPhone. He’d only answered because he knew Megan was dropping Annie off later that afternoon.

His mouth was suddenly dry and his heart and his stomach felt as if they’d switched places.

“She’s leaving?” It was all he could get out.

“Yeah. She’s planning on telling Emma-Claire goodbye today.”

JC was silent. Just that morning Emma-Claire had been jumping up and down squealing with delight that she was going to see Annie. He couldn’t bear to see his daughter after he picked her up from getting ice cream. He didn’t want to see that look of complete and utter devastation on her little face.

“Well, she can’t.”

Megan rolled her eyes. That was his answer?

“She’s going to.”

JC let out a slow breath. Then, “Ok. Thanks for letting me know.”

Megan was about to say something else when the phone went dead. He’d hung up. She groaned and shook her head, walking out of her room. She was about to join Annie in the living room when she heard Annie’s phone ringing.

Annie had been busy all morning on her laptop filling out the online application for graduate school. She jumped when she heard her phone buzzing on the arm of the couch. Without looking up from the screen, she reached for it and answered.

“Hello?”

“What’s this I hear about you leaving and going back to Ohio? And you were really going to tell Emma goodbye today? You couldn’t have waited until I prepped her a little bit?”

Annie bit her lip and whipped her head around to see Megan sheepishly looking at her from the hallway. Megan winced at the look Annie had thrown at her.  She’d never seen that look on her friend’s face before and suddenly Megan felt awful for what she’d done.

“I was going to tell you, Josh, but I just –“

“You just…what, Annie? Look, I know I fucked things up for us and I take full responsibility for all that but you can’t take out your anger on my daughter!” JC had never raised his voice that much at Annie and he was even taken aback by his tone.

“I’m not taking anything out on Emma! You know I love that little girl like my own daughter, Josh. But I can’t sit around here knowing you’re in the same city and expect my life to go on.”

Don’t cry. Don’t cry. Don’t cry. Annie’s inner monologue was useless. Tears began to fall almost immediately as she continued to talk to him.

“I can’t be with you and I made the mistake of falling in love with you and with your daughter. And now I’m paying for it because I know if I stay here and see you with some other woman it will kill me. So I have to get out of here and get over you. Okay? I don’t want to hurt anyone. But I know I’m going to hurt Emma. I know it. And it breaks my heart.”

JC could barely understand her through her tears.  She was sobbing now and it was uncontrollable.

“Annie, ok. Ok. I get it. I-I’m sorry. I should’ve known or…or something.” He wasn’t making any sense of anything and he knew it. “Look, I’ll tell Emma you have something important to tell her okay? I just feel like she needs to be somewhat prepared, you know?”

Annie’s sniffs were her only response.

“I’ll see you at 3.”

He hung up and looked up at the girls behind the glass partition. He waved them on, letting them know the recording session was over. He needed to get back to Emma-Claire.

 

“Before you yell at me, I was only trying to help.” Megan was soon by Annie’s side as Annie sobbed into her friend’s shoulder. “I shouldn’t have said anything. I guess I was just thinking of Emma and…and I don’t know. It just seems like you’re rushing into this and I don’t want you to have any regrets.”

Annie pulled away from her friend. “I know. I’m not mad. I’m frustrated. I’m frustrated with this whole situation. I shouldn’t have ever gone to work for him. I should’ve just gone back to Ohio after I was done at the McGriffin’s.”

Megan smoothed out Annie’s brown hair. “But you didn’t go back. You stayed and for a while you know it was pretty great.”

Annie snorted and wiped a tear with the back of her hand.

“Annie, it was! You said yourself he was the best sex you ever had!”

Megan didn’t need to remind her. Annie would probably never get those images of JC on top of her out of her mind. 

“I know everything happens for a reason.” Annie rested her head on the back of the couch. “But I just wish sometimes we knew what was at stake before it happened. The last thing in the world I want to do is tell Emma that I’m leaving.”

“Annie, do you really want to go? I mean, really?” Megan put a hand on Annie’s leg. “Because you don’t have to-“
“Yes, I do.” Annie was adamant. “Because if I don’t leave then I’ll never get over him and I have to get out of L.A. to get over him.”

Megan didn’t say anything. She could already tell by the look on Annie’s face if she thought that would ever happen.

 

Emma-Claire clung tightly to her father’s hand as they made their way to the ice cream shop. She was literally dragging him down the sidewalk to get to Annie. JC was pulling her back so she wouldn’t run into other patrons at the sidewalk café next to the ice cream shop.

“There she is!” Emma-Claire squealed with delight and JC looked up and saw Annie sitting at a table outside. She wore denim shorts and a long-sleeved t-shirt. Her brown hair was pulled back into a low ponytail and sunglasses covered her brown eyes.

Annie was glad she remembered her sunglasses. JC couldn’t see how bloodshot her eyes were. Nor could he see that she couldn’t take her eyes off of him. He wore his LA black cap that had more or less become a staple of his now. A tight white undershirt tucked into his black jeans showed off his chiseled chest.

“Annie!” Emma-Claire nearly threw herself onto Annie’s lap. Her little arms could barely reach around Annie’s neck until Annie pulled her up into her arms.

“Hey, girl.” Annie kissed Emma-Claire’s cheek. “I missed you.”

“I missed you, too!” Emma-Claire seemed to squeal with every word. She looked over at JC. “Okay, Daddy, you can go now!”

JC smirked at his daughter and looked over at Annie. “Hey.”

Annie, still thankful for the sunglasses, nodded at him. “Hi.”

JC looked back at Emma-Claire. “Okay, I’ll see you later. Y’all have fun.” He turned away before he could sneak one last look at Annie.

Almost immediately after ordering their ice cream, Emma-Claire went into a spiel about everything Annie had missed out on. New friends at school, swimming lessons at her house, Uncle Lance and Uncle Michael coming over for dinner. Finally, Annie pointed out that Emma-Claire’s ice cream was going to melt if she didn’t start to eat it.

“Emma, there’s something I need to tell you.” Annie knew it had to be now or she’d never get the news out before JC came back.

“Are you gonna move back with me Daddy?” Emma-Claire had been mid-bite into chocolate brownie ice cream.

Annie winced and slowly shook her head. “No. No, honey. I’m not.”

Emma-Claire looked down at her bowl of chocolate soup and then back at Annie.

“Emma, I have to go back to my house. I need to go be with my mommy and daddy for a little bit.” It was the easiest way to break the news.

“Do they live here, too?” Emma-Claire asked.

“No, honey, they live in another city. I would have to take a plane there.”

“Will you be far away?” Emma-Claire’s voice was shaky and Annie knew she was bound to burst into tears at any minute.

Annie looked at the little girls sitting across from her and felt even worse than she had before she’d come here.

“I will, Emma.” Annie opened her arms and Emma-Claire pushed herself off her seat and walked over to her. She leaned into Annie and soft sobs began to emit soft cries.

Soon, Annie was crying as well. And that was all they could do. Just sit there and cry.

May – Two Months Later

 

“Emma, come down for breakfast.” JC stood at the bottom of the stairs and waited for his daughter to come out of her bedroom. He’d gotten to bed late and it wasn’t until he’d gotten up to go to the bathroom at six that morning that he realized he’d forgotten to set his alarm. Emma-Claire would get to pre-school just in time. At least he hoped so, anyway.

In the last two months, he’d found a rhythm. He’d decided it best to take a hiatus from the band and Jimmy had encouraged that he spend the extra time at home and not hire another nanny. JC knew that was impossible. He was still trying to get over the last one.

Emma-Claire appeared at the top of the steps in a mismatched outfit of pink denim shorts and an old worn out t-shirt. JC shook his head and made his way up to her. He still hadn’t caught on that she needed help dressing herself, no matter how many times she tried.

“Let’s get you a new shirt.” He grinned down at her and she made a face.

“But I like this one, Daddy.”

“It doesn’t even match. C’mon, baby.” He walked into her room, which was now a mess of clothes and toys strewn everywhere. Cleanliness wasn’t really at the top of his list as a father.

He quickly changed her into a matching top, ran a brush through her hair, and double-checked to make sure she looked presentable before they both made their way back downstairs. Emma-Claire immediately asked for Lucky Charms and after he looked at the time, JC relented because she would certainly be late if he did anything other than cereal.

Once she was fed and put in the car, he made the familiar trek down to the Lutheran church to drop her off. He was cordial with her teacher like always, kissed his daughter goodbye, and got back in the car. He had three hours to kill and he had no idea what to do first. It was a pattern now. He could’ve gone back home and worked some in his studio, but he knew himself too well to know it would only make him want to go back to work right away.

Instead, he drove over to Starbucks, grabbed his iPad, and decided to catch up on some forgotten emails and texts. Just as soon as he’d ordered, his phone buzzed and he looked down to see a reminder.

Emma-Claire’s Birthday is Saturday.

“Shit.” He sighed loudly and shook his head while he waited on his coffee. In all of the chaos of losing Annie and being a single father now with really nothing else happening, JC had forgotten his daughter’s upcoming fifth birthday. And being that he’d never celebrated it with her, he had no idea where to even begin.

He sat down by the window and immediately began an internet search on “five-year-old birthday party for girls.” A myriad of things came up from ladybugs to princesses to ice cream.

“JC?”

JC looked up from his iPad and smiled immediately when he saw Megan standing next to his seat.

“Hey, Megan. How are you?” He stood to give her a quick hug, then offered her the seat across from him, which she took.

“Good. How are you?” It was the most formal she’d been with him in a long time.

“You know..just..hanging in there…” He trailed off, not knowing what else to say. They both knew it had been difficult with Annie gone now.

“Yeah. I’m sure.” Megan brought the Starbucks cup to her lips and took a sip. “How’s Emma-Claire?”

“She’s good.” JC nodded his head and showed her the iPad displayed with pictures of little girls’ birthday parties. “Just trying to figure out what to do for her birthday. It’s on Saturday and to be honest, I had forgotten.”

“You have a pool. It’s pretty warm outside. Just give her a good old-fashioned pool party.” Megan suggested and JC contemplated the idea.

“Yeah. I guess. But you know. I gotta get invites out and I don’t even know all her friends in her class or-“

Megan shook her hand and put a hand up to interrupt him. “JC, it’s not that complicated. Look, when you pick her up today, mention to her teacher that her birthday is Saturday and you’d like to do a little party in class for her Friday. Pick up cupcakes at Safeway and bring them in for the party. Ask her tonight two or three friends she’d like to have come over on Saturday for a little pool party. You can go to Party City and just get a bunch of pink stuff or something for decorations. Get a pizza, get a cake, and fruit punch. Voila.”

JC stared at Megan in amazement. She’d just spouted off a lot of information that made it seem so easy to throw a kid a birthday party in a matter of seconds.

“How did you –“ He started to ask and Megan laughed aloud.

“I’m a nanny. I’ve been one for a long time. It’s a good thing my kiddos go to school around here, otherwise I don’t know what you would’ve done.” She was teasing but JC felt like she was probably right.

They were silent for a few seconds while they sipped on their coffees and finally JC spoke.

“How is she?”

Megan looked up from her drink and hesitated before she answered him. She didn’t want to give him too much information because she knew Annie wouldn’t have wanted her to do that, but she liked JC and the question was bound to come up sooner or later.

“She’s fine. She’s back in Ohio. Her first class starts in about two weeks. She’s been keeping busy with babysitting her sister’s kids and she got a part-time job answering phones for her dad’s business.” It was all the truth and Megan felt proud of herself for not divulging that much information about her friend.

“Does she..I mean, well..never mind.” JC shook his head and tapped on his iPad.

“She misses you.” Megan couldn’t help but tell him that. His face had been so sad when she hadn’t mentioned him.

“She does?”

“Of course she does. She’s not just going to get over you in two months. You guys shared a lot of stuff. And she misses Emma-Claire a lot.” Megan knew she should’ve just stopped talking right then but continued anyway. “She told me the other night that she’s excited about starting school again, but that it was going to take a while before she stopped thinking about you guys.”

JC didn’t say anything, only stared off into space. He cleared his throat and took a gulp of his coffee.

“Hey, I have to go. I have a list of stuff I need to get done today for my boss.” Megan stood and JC followed suit. She gave him a quick hug and smiled at him. “Let me know how the party goes.”

“I will. Thanks again, Megan. For…for everything you said.” JC squeezed her arm before Megan turned to leave. He groaned inwardly and rubbed his forehead. He sat down once more and finished his coffee, doing what he could to focus on anything except missing Annie.

 

“I can invite three friends to my party?” Emma-Claire asked him later that day. They were sitting in her playhouse after she’d taken her nap and JC was letting his daughter pour him a fake cup of tea from her tea set.

“Yep. Any three from school.” JC replied and picked up his pink teacup. “I’ll call their mommy’s tonight and see if it’s ok.” He’d also cleared it with Miss Morton to have a small little party for Emma-Claire on Friday, which made her doubly excited.

“Hmm.” Emma-Claire put down the teapot and strummed her little fingers on her chin as if deep in thought. JC tried his best not to laugh out loud at the expression on his daughter’s face and sipped some fake tea. “I want Ava and Harper and Molly. And can we invite Uncle Lance and Uncle Michael?”

“Sure.” JC nodded. He was just taking out his phone to make a note of the girls and to text Lance and Michael, when Emma-Claire spoke again.

“Can we invite Annie?”

JC looked up at her and they both stared at each other. “Emma,” said JC, doing his best not to show disappointment to her. “I don’t think she can make it. You know she doesn’t live here anymore and-“

“Just ask her, Daddy!” Emma-Claire insisted. “She’ll want to be here for my party!”

 

Annie couldn’t fall asleep. She had had one too many cappuccinos that day trying to make up for not sleeping the night before. It was becoming a habit, this lack of sleep, and she wondered when she started school if it would finally cease and she’d be able to rest through the night again. She tossed to one side and looked at her phone, which was next to her on the nightstand. It had to have been past midnight now but she picked it up and figured a game or two of Candy Crush wouldn’t hurt.

What she saw on her screen made her stomach turn in knots. It was a text from JC.

Emma’s bday is on Sat. Having a party. She really wants you there. I can pay for a ticket but def get it if you can’t come. Let me know.

Annie stared at the text and read it over and over again until she practically had it memorized. There was no way she could see him right now, but the fact that it was for Emma-Claire’s birthday changed everything. It sounded absolutely absurd to think of flying all the way from Ohio to L.A. for a birthday party, but at the same time, it was for a child who’d, for the most part, felt like her own.

She debated about whether or not to respond right away or wait until the next morning. Holding the phone in her hand, she bit her lip and started typing.

 

JC’s phone had been resting on his stomach while he watched TV in the living room. He felt it vibrate against him and looked at it. His eyes widened in surprise when he saw who the text was from.

Hey. I might be able to make it work for Emma-Claire. Just let me know details and I’ll see what I can do.

His mouth felt dry and he sat straight up, texting her back again.

Great she’ll be so excited when I tell her. You can stay in the pool house.

Annie grimaced when she saw his response. No, it was not a good idea to stay in the pool house and she knew it.

I’ll just stay at Megan’s but thanks anyway.

JC frowned at that response, though he knew she’d probably stay at Megan’s anyway.

Ok, cool. Party will prob start around noon. Tell Megan she’s welcome to come too.

Annie sat up in bed and started and stopped a message back to him several times before she finally sent it.

I will. See you Saturday.

She’d wanted to say more. She’d wanted to tell him how much she missed him, how she really couldn’t wait to see him and Emma-Claire, and how she thought about them both everyday since she’d been away. But no, the response she’d given was the appropriate one. There was no sense in saying anything else.

See ya.

JC debated about telling her he couldn’t wait to see her but the way these messages had been so surfaced and formal, he figured a quick goodnight was the best he could give her.

 

“You’re coming to L.A. on Saturday? Annie, that’s awesome!” Megan was practically yelling on the other end of the line and Annie had to hold her phone away from her ear.

“It’s for Emma’s birthday. I’ll fly in Friday evening and fly back on Sunday. Can you pick me up and take me back to the airport?”

“Of course.” Megan answered and Annie could hear the strain in her voice.

“What?”

“No. Nothing. It’s just…I mean, you sure you just don’t want to let JC pick you up or-“

“No. The less time I spend around him, the better. It’ll be enough just to have to see him at the party on Saturday. Which by the way, he invited you to come along.”

“Sweet. I’ll see if I can make it.”

“Ok. My flight gets in around seven but I’ll text you the details tomorrow.”

“Sure, ok. I’m excited to see you on Friday. I know you’re not coming for long, but we’ll try to squeeze in a lot on Friday and some of Saturday before you head back.”

Annie smiled at the thought of being back with her L.A. friends. Anything would be better than hanging out with her sister night after night. She loved Maggie but Maggie was also a mom and her older sister. She was tired of being told what she should do and feeling like Maggie was bossing her around as though they were kids again.

“That sounds great, Megs. I can’t wait. I’ll talk to you later, then.”

“Bye, Ann.”

Annie hung up and tried to let it sink in that she was going to see JC again, much sooner than she’d ever expected to see him. She vowed not to be weak and let him see her in the vulnerable state she seemed to feel like she was in most of the time now. No, she would be strong and she would let him know she was just there for Emma-Claire.

She just wished she could believe everything she was trying to force herself to believe.

Megan was waiting for Annie when she stepped off the bus at the Flyaway station. Annie grinned upon seeing her friend and, after dodging the mass exodus of people getting off the bus, briskly walked over to Megan.

“It’s so good to see you!” Megan threw her arms around Annie’s neck. “Carey and Jamie are waiting for us back at my apartment. We figured you’d be tired and want a night in.”

“I’m fine with whatever.” Annie tried to suppress a yawn, but it was too late. She’d boarded the plane in Ohio hours ago and was feeling every bit of jet lag.

“That’s exactly why we’re staying in.” Megan chuckled at her friend as they got into the car. “How was the flight?”

“Not too bad. I tried to sleep but, you know, stuff kept me awake.” Annie looked over at Megan. “I still can’t believe I did this.”

“Did what? Come for Emma’s birthday?” Megan turned onto the freeway, cursed at a driver who’d cut her off immediately, and then went back to her question. “So, as I was saying, you can’t believe you came for Emma’s birthday?”

“You know what I mean.” Annie replied. “Emma’s birthday is one thing. Seeing Josh is another.”

“How do you think it’s gonna go when you see him tomorrow?”

Annie had thought about that since the ticket had been purchased to come out to L.A. in the first place. She’d imagined it a hundred times or more. But it was a situation she knew was simply unimaginable until it happened.

“I have no idea.” Annie sunk back into the seat and was quiet for the rest of the drive to Megan’s apartment.

 

On Saturday, JC’s backyard was filled with a mini-Ferris wheel, a bounce castle, a magician, a balloon artist, Emma-Claire’s entire preschool class, a few parents, Lance, and Michael. JC was busy walking back and forth from the house to the pool making sure the little ones were jumping in with supervision. Most of the parents had kept guard near the shallow end since many of their kids weren’t swimming in the deep end quite yet. Emma-Claire was on the Ferris wheel for her fourth go around with Lance and Michael, who had uncomfortably squeezed in on either side of her.

JC had decided to just go ahead and invite Emma-Claire’s whole class not thinking all ten children would show up.

“Of course they all showed up. You know their moms were probably all huge fans of yours or the band or something.” Lance told him before the party got into gear. “Do you have enough cake?”

“I ordered two sheet cakes from the bakery. They’re in the other refrigerator.” JC gestured toward the garage where the extra refrigerator was.

“Two? Dude, you’ll have enough cake to feed her class twice.” Lance shook his head and walked away. JC then realized he’d probably overdone it with the rides and the magician and when the food truck rolled around to the backyard, Lance and Michael were gaping at him from the top of the Ferris wheel.

But to JC, it didn’t matter at the end of the day. Because it was all for Emma-Claire and he knew she’d probably never had a birthday party like this before, so it was worth it to him to splurge like this.

He was also distracted every two minutes waiting for Annie to appear. He hadn’t heard from her since she’d landed and only hoped she was still going to make an appearance.

“Okay, Emma-Claire, I think Uncle Michael and I are going to take a rest from the Ferris wheel.” Lance was saying as he, Michael, and Emma-Claire walked over to JC.

“That’s probably a good idea. The magician is gonna start soon, honey. Why don’t you-“ JC was interrupted by Emma-Claire’s shriek of joy. He turned around to see her running right into Annie’s arms and his heart sank.

 

Annie and Megan had walked around to the back of the house and come through the gate. They were both taken aback by everything going on in front of them. Megan was just about to make a comment to Annie about the balloon artist, when they heard a squeal of delight from across the yard.

Emma-Claire was racing toward them, her arms held out to Annie. Annie knelt down and squeezed the child tightly against her.

“You came!” Emma-Claire pulled away from Annie and giggled with ecstasy.

“I did. It’s your birthday. I couldn’t miss your birthday.” Annie kissed her cheek and slowly stood to her feet, not wanting to look up. She could feel JC’s eyes on her. Instead, she kept her gaze down at the child and listened intently at everything Emma-Claire was saying to her.

“Glad you could make it.” JC was standing only feet from her and yet he felt like he was a million miles away.

Annie forced herself to look up at him and gave him a nervous smile. “Hey. Yeah, sorry we’re late.”

“Traffic. L.A. You know how it goes.” Megan was trying to break the tension. “Hey Lance and Michael! How are you?”

“We just rode the Ferris wheel four times in a row. We’re a little dizzy.” Michael also was trying to keep it light and airy. For JC and Annie, it felt as though they were both frozen in front of one another.

“Well, how about we get something to eat, Ann.” Megan nudged Annie, who quickly nodded and followed Megan over to the food truck. Emma-Claire stuck close by, introducing her former nanny to all of her friends while they walked past them.

“How are you?” Lance asked JC, watching Annie and Megan leave.

JC shook his head. “She still takes my breath away.”

“I’ve never heard you say anything like that before about a girl.” Lance looked from JC over to Annie and back again.

“I never felt like I do with any of the rest of them,” said JC.

“I know. I saw you with the rest of them.” Lance saw Annie look behind her to glance at JC who was still staring at her. “You gotta do something, man. You can’t just have her be here the whole time and not say anything. I mean, you two barely even spoke to each other.”

“I get it, I know.” JC was trying not to reply with irritation, but he knew he’d come off that way. He couldn’t help it. It was easy for him to go into defense mode here. After all, he was the one that had ruined it.

“Okay. Well, if you know, then maybe do something about it.” Lance walked away with Michael and left JC standing alone.

 

“So…are you just gonna let him stand over there pining after you.” Megan whispered to Annie while the magician was demonstrating a disappearing handkerchief trick.

“I’m here for Emma-Claire.” Annie was firm in her response. Of course she’d noticed him standing at a distance and had caught him eyeing her whenever she’d turned to look his way. She was just as guilty because she’d been doing the same thing.

“Oh geez.” Megan rolled her eyes at her friend. “You’re ridiculous, Annie. You know you’ve been just as miserable without him as he’s been without you.”

“And you know how much he messed everything up when we were together. I was more of a parent to Emma than he was!” Annie whispered back in a sharp tone.

A few parents turned their heads and Annie and Megan ducked away from the crowd.

“A person can change,” Megan said.

“Yeah, but not in two months.” Annie retorted.

“Fine, have it your way.” Megan began to walk away.

“Where are you going?” Annie turned around to beckon her back.

“To catch up with Lance and Michael. I’ll be back in a second.”

Megan headed over to the food truck where Lance and Michael had stationed themselves during the magician act.

“Are you having as much fun as we are watching JC and Annie?” Michael asked Megan when she walked over to them.

“It’s a barrel of laughs.” Megan replied with a sarcastic tone.

“It would be fun if they were suddenly here alone together.” Lance’s suggestion made Megan turn her head quickly.

“How the hell are you going to do that? There are a thousand people here. I told him earlier this week to just invite a few friends of hers and he went and turned this into a small county fair. It’s going to be impossible to get them alone.”

“Megan, all these people have to leave eventually. I mean, the kids have naptime scheduled at some point I would guess. And Michael and I have to leave in about an hour. And so do you.” Lance gave her a pointed look.

“Where am I going?” Megan asked, puzzled at his look to her.

“You can follow us. We’ll go get grown-up food. Invite Derek. We’ll make it a double date.” Lance suggested. “And sneak out before Annie has a chance to notice. I’m sure she’ll be so busy with Emma-Claire she won’t have time to say much when you tell her you’re leaving.”

“How will she get back to my place?” Megan wanted to know. “I’m not coming all the way back here to-“

“JC will take her back. Tomorrow. That is, if she wants to go back to your place.” Lance raised his eyebrow and Megan caught on.

“This is why I’m marrying him. For his brains.” Michael reached over to kiss Lance’s cheek.

“I don’t know, Lance. She’s still pretty upset with him.” Megan looked over once more at Annie, who was pretending to be into the magician’s act but was still subtly looking over at JC.

“Well, it’s worth a shot. If it backfires, then I guess we have our answer and we’ll just have to all live in misery.” Lance sighed and leaned against the side of the truck.

Megan didn’t say anything for a minute. Then, “So an hour, huh?”

Lance grinned at her. “Yep. We’ll just all walk out casually like it’s no big deal.”

Megan nodded and had to smile. Perhaps this was what really needed to happen for JC and Annie to start up something again. A conversation, for starters, would be better than the awkward glances at one another.

 

Megan, Lance, and Michael didn’t even have to wait another hour. After the magician was finished, Emma-Claire blew out the candles on her cake and opened her birthday presents. When that was done, a few kids did the Ferris wheel and the bounce castle and after that, parents started to trickle out with their children.

“Hey, JC, we’re gone, too.” Lance came over to JC who was watching Annie and Emma-Claire tell everyone goodbye. “Thanks for inviting us.”

“Thank Emma. She’s the one who insisted y’all come over.” JC smiled at his friends. “Thanks for coming.”

“Sure.” Lance nodded and slapped JC on the back. He looked over at Megan, who winked at him.

“Okay, Ann, I’m gone.” Megan called to Annie and followed Lance and Michael.

“Wait! What?” Annie let go of Emma-Claire’s hand and ran over to Megan. “What do you mean you’re gone?”

“Well, Lance and Michael asked me and Derek to go out to dinner with them so I need to get home.” Megan told her as though it was no big deal that she was leaving Annie alone.

“Um, well that’s great, Megan, but how the hell am I supposed to get home?” Annie hissed.

“I’m sure JC can take you.” Megan answered and then looked across the yard at JC, calling out to him. “Hey, JC! Can you take Annie back to my place? Derek and I are going out with Lance and Michael.”

“Really, Josh, if you can’t-“ Annie started but Megan cut her off.

“And I think she needs more time with Emma-Claire.” Megan nudged Annie. “You’re not going to leave that kid when you hardly got to see her. Just chill and let JC take you home!”

“Are you kidding me?” Annie tried hard not to raise her voice. “Megan, I do not want to be left here with Josh!”

“You’re not just with Josh. Emma-Claire’s here, too. Now, I have to go. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Megan waved to Annie and ran to catch up with Lance and Michael.

“Megan!” Annie started to race after her, but Emma-Claire grabbed her hand.

“Annie, come jump with me on the bouncy thing!” Emma-Claire summoned to her and pulled on her arm.

Annie knew there was no way she was getting out of this. Megan disappeared behind the gate with Lance and Michael. She watched in desperation as the rest of the kids started to head out as well.

“C’mon, Annie! Jump on it with me!” Emma-Claire had already crawled inside the bounce castle and was jumping up and down as fast as she could go.

Annie did as was asked and crept inside the structure with her. She tried to enjoy herself. Here she was with her favorite little girl in the world and she knew this day was about Emma-Claire, not about her feeling as though her best friend in L.A. had abandoned her. She knew Megan too well and knew that this must have been planned so that she and JC would reconcile. Annie started to wonder how she would get back at Megan. She was terrible at plotting revenge but this might just give her a good push in that direction.

“Hey.” JC poked his head inside. “Um, the guy’s here to get the bounce house and the Ferris wheel.”

“Okay.” Annie looked down at Emma-Claire. “Looks like we have to get out, girl.”

“Five more minutes, Daddy. Pleeeee-aaase!” Emma-Claire begged JC and he could only smile in response.

“Okay. But that’s it. I’ll tell him to start with the Ferris wheel.” JC told her and then quickly glanced up at Annie. “Um, just let me know when you want to go home. Sorry they left you.”

Annie shook her head and forced a smile. “No, it’s fine. I can help you clean up. It’s the least I can do. And I’ll get to spend more time with Emma.”

“Yeah. True.” He looked at Emma-Claire. “Five minutes, baby girl. And then you have to get out.” JC turned around and walked away, glancing back at Annie once more.

“Are you gonna spend the night here, Annie?” Emma-Claire asked, bouncing on her knees. Annie was sitting cross-legged with her hands behind her, letting Emma-Claire’s movements spring her every so often.

“No, Em. Sorry. I’m staying with Megan.” Annie saw Emma-Claire’s face pull a frown and tried her best to cheer her up next. “But I’m gonna stay with you for a while more, okay? It’s your birthday. And you better start jumping cause we don’t have much time.” Annie stood up and pulled Emma-Claire up with her.

JC could hear the giggles from Emma-Claire and Annie in the bounce castle. He was starting to clean up some from the party, but their laughing was distracting him and he couldn’t help but stop and watch. It seemed so normal for Annie to be there at his house, playing with Emma-Claire. He’d missed this kind of normal. The house had seemed so empty without Annie around now.

“Excuse me, Mr. Chasez?” An employee from the party company that JC had rented the attractions from was speaking to him.

“Yeah?” JC broke his gaze from Annie and Emma-Claire.

“We gotta start breaking down the bounce house.”

“Yeah. Sure. No problem.” JC nodded and walked back over to the castle. “Emma, honey, you gotta get out of there now.”

Emma-Claire stopped jumping and even though she protested for another five minutes, reluctantly stepped out and Annie followed.

“Can I get a bouncy castle for Christmas?” Emma-Claire asked JC as she and Annie followed him back to where the presents were stacked.

“Maybe. But you got a ton of stuff today, girl.” He began to take Frozen doll boxes and other toys Emma-Claire had received and stack them in his arms.

“Need help?” Annie asked, coming closer to him.

“Uh, yeah, sure.” JC handed her a few presents. His fingers grazed hers and Annie glanced up at him. “Sorry.”

“It’s okay.” Annie smiled and went around him into the house.

Emma-Claire skipped ahead of both adults and into the living room. She’d learned how to access Netflix without supervision now and was already watching one of her favorite kids’ programs.

“I guess we’ll let the birthday girl skip out on cleaning,” Annie said and JC chuckled.

“Yeah. Um, so I can take you back to Megan’s any time. Kinda shitty how they just left you here.” JC hated the way they were interacting. As though they’d never dated or slept together or had a relationship. They were talking to each other so surfaced and he hated it.

“I’ll stay a little longer if it’s okay. I want to hang out with Emma as much as I can.” Annie started sorting the boxes of presents on the kitchen counter. “And there’s a huge mess outside from the party. I’d feel bad leaving you alone with that.”

JC shrugged. “It’s no big deal. I got it.” He decided if they were just going to pretend like nothing had ever happened between them, he’d just go along with it. It was easier than expecting Annie to tell him she wanted him back.

JC walked back outside and began to clean up but Annie followed him.

“Are we just gonna be like this from now on?” Annie couldn’t believe it had come out of her mouth. But she was just as tired of the formalities as he was. Only she wasn’t afraid to say something.

“Well, I don’t know what you want. I mean, I don’t know what to say to you anymore, Ann. You want me to just pretend nothing happened, we’ll pretend nothing happened.” JC was gathering plates and cups from the picnic table left by the partygoers and not making eye contact with her.

“You think this was easy for me?” Annie went over to him and put her hand on top of his, compelling him to look at her. “I was scared as shit coming here today. I didn’t know what to expect.”

“Well, judging by the way it went, I’d say you did a fine job of just ignoring me.” JC moved away from her and over to another patio table.

“I wasn’t ignoring you.” Annie almost snapped at him, but held her tongue. “I..I didn’t know what to say to you.”

JC squinted up at her through the sunlight then went back to cleaning without saying anything back to her.

“So you’re not gonna say anything now?” Annie ventured to ask in a softer tone.

JC let out a sigh and rubbed his eyes with his thumb and index finger. “Annie, it’s impossible to know what to say to you right now. I’ve wanted you back here for the last two months you’ve been gone. And now you’re here. You’re standing closer to me than you have in a long time. And I have no clue what the fuck to tell you. I know all of it was my fault, okay? I take full ownership in that. But neither of us knows what the hell to tell each other.” He shook his head and inched his way closer to her. “I don’t know what to do, either.” JC was standing in front of her and Annie could only gaze up at him. “So I guess we’re just going to have to keep being surfaced and shit to each other until we decide what to do.”

Annie could only nod in agreement.

“I guess so.”

They stared at each other in silence until JC finally broke and cupped her chin in his hand.

“Josh-“ Annie started to say but JC stifled her protest and kissed her.

“Josh, no.” Annie pulled away from him.

JC sighed and shook his head at her. “Don’t be so damn stubborn.”

Annie folded her arms across her chest and looked down at the ground, then back at him. “You know we’re no good together.”

“That’s bullshit. We’re great together.”

They were still standing inches from one another as if in a standoff. Annie stared at him as if he were crazy.

“We were great together.” She turned her back to him and, as though nothing had just happened between them, walked over to the pool and began to pick up discarded napkins and plates left over from birthday cake.

JC followed her and grabbed her arm gently, pulling her away from cleaning. “We still are great together. Give it another chance.”

Annie responded with an incredulous laugh. “Another chance? Josh, come on. That’s ridiculous. I gave you a lot of chances and you blew every one of them.”

“You know what? Fine. If that’s how you want to play this.” JC moved away from her and stormed over to the other side of the pool.

“I’m not playing anything!” Annie called over to him. “I’m just being honest!”

“I told you I was sorry.” JC muttered, loud enough for her to hear him.

“And I get you’re sorry. But I can’t do what I did again. My heart is too important to go through what I had to go through with you. And if I had to lose Emma again…” Annie trailed off and looked back at the house as though she were looking at Emma-Claire. “Well, I can’t. I’m sorry.”

JC could only nod in response. “Fine. Fine, if that’s how you want to do it.” He grabbed more trash next to the pool and off the patio furniture, then went over to the picnic table and threw everything into a large trash bag. He slung the nearly full bag over his shoulder and headed back into the house.

Annie watched him and knew he was beyond upset. There was nothing she could do. It had been hard enough to come back for Emma-Claire’s birthday. And as much as she wanted to ignore the kiss that had just happened, she couldn’t. It had felt incredible and if she had been honest with him, she would have told him not to stop. But Annie’s sanity and her heart were more important right now than getting caught up once more in JC Chasez.

Reluctantly, she took the trash she held in her hands and went back into the house. JC was standing in the middle of the kitchen looking off into space.

“Here,” she said, tossing the plates and cups into the garbage bag. “I’ll go and see if there’s anything else.”

JC didn’t say anything in response, instead went into the living room with Emma-Claire.

Annie huffed and turned back around. She checked her phone and saw no messages from Megan and that made her more irritated with her friend. It was nearing six in the evening and Emma-Claire went to bed in two and a half hours. She could ask JC to take her back, but she wanted to be with the child until it was time for tuck in. She already knew Emma-Claire would ask her for that. And then what was JC supposed to do? He couldn’t leave his child alone and Annie already knew Megan wasn’t coming back.

“Hey.” Annie appeared in the doorway of the living room and JC looked up from watching an episode of The Magic School Bus with Emma-Claire. He waited for her to continue. “I’ll just sleep in the pool house tonight. I’d like to tuck in Emma-Claire and after that, it’ll be impossible for you to leave. And I don’t think Megan’s coming back.”

“You’re gonna spend the night, Annie?” Emma-Claire jumped up on her knees and smiled from ear to ear.

Annie smiled back at her. “Yeah, I think so. If it’s okay with your dad.”

“Fine with me.” JC turned away and went back to the television.

“And everything’s cleaned up outside.” Annie continued. “I’ll take some of these garbage bags to the garage.”

“You don’t have to, Annie.” JC turned and faced her again. “I’ll get it. I think Emma would rather you come in here and hang out.”

Annie moved a piece of hair behind her ear and walked into the living room, sitting on the couch across from them. She stared at the television but wasn’t paying any attention to anything on it.

“I’m hungry, Dad.” Emma-Claire announced a few minutes later.

“Hungry? Em, you ate a ton of birthday cake and I saw you sneaking pizza all day.” JC laughed at his daughter and she sighed in frustration at him.

“But that was a long time ago!” She told him in protest.

“Well, baby, I can see what we have or –“

“I can make pancakes.” Annie spoke up and Emma-Claire’s eyes widened and immediately she jumped off the couch.

“Yay! I’ll help you, Annie!” She was in the kitchen before Annie had a chance to get off the couch.

“Is that okay?” Annie looked over at JC.

“Sure. As long as you don’t mind.” JC turned off the television and stood up. “I’ll handle the trash while you’re cooking.”

In a half hour, they were all sitting down at the breakfast nook with a plate of pancakes in front of them. Annie had made chocolate chip pancakes and the kitchen table was adorned with whipped cream, syrup, butter, and powdered sugar.

“So much for a diet.” JC chuckled, taking three pancakes off the stack.

“Diet? Please.” Annie shook her head at him. “Judging from the looks of things, you need to eat all of these.”
“No!” Emma-Claire interrupted. “No, Daddy, you can’t have all the pancakes. Save some for me!”

“Don’t worry, baby doll. You can have as many as you want.” He covered his pancakes with whipped cream and dug into them. “Mmm. Annie, these are awesome. You always make good pancakes.”

Annie grinned at him. “Thanks.”

Dinner went well and Annie started to relax a bit more. It almost felt like old times. Annie and JC were able to be cordial to one another and conversation became easy once more.

“I’ll clean up.” JC offered, standing and collecting the plates. “That way you and Emma can start bedtime.”

“Already?” Emma-Claire whined. “But I’m five now. Can’t I stay up longer?”

JC smiled at his daughter. “Maybe in a few months. But you’ve had a long day and you’ve been yawning all through dinner. Go get a bath and Annie will tuck you in.”

Emma-Claire obeyed and hopped down from the bench and headed upstairs.

“Thanks,” JC said to Annie.

“I love cooking.” Annie just shrugged and went to follow Emma-Claire.

“No, I mean, you didn’t have to come back. I’m sorry about earlier. I’m just...”

“Used to getting your way?” She couldn’t help but jab him a little.

JC pulled a face and stared at her. “Yeah. Sure. If that’s what you call it.”

“I call it like I see it.” Annie turned away and headed upstairs.

 

“When will I see you again?” Emma-Claire wanted to know, once Annie finished reading her a story.

Annie placed the book on her nightstand and placed a hand on Emma-Claire’s arm. “I don’t know, babe. Maybe I can come out this summer.”

Emma-Claire’s eyes filled with tears and she sniffed. “I thought you were gonna be my new mommy. Cause you were my daddy’s girlfriend.”

Annie could only give a slow nod in response. She leaned down and pecked Emma-Claire’s cheek. “I love you, Em. And one day you’re going to have an awesome new mommy, I hope.”

“I love you, too.” Emma-Claire yawned and Annie wiped away a single tear on the child’s cheek. “Can you stay til I wake up tomorrow?”

Annie smiled. “I promise I won’t leave until I hug you goodbye.”

“Okay.” She seemed to be satisfied with that response and closed her eyes. Annie got up from the side of the bed and walked out of the room, checking back to see Emma-Claire already turned on her side and asleep.

She walked downstairs and found JC in the kitchen scraping pancake batter off the griddle.

“Um, I’m gonna go to the pool house.” Annie told him. “See you tomorrow.”

JC sighed and put the griddle in the sink. “Ok.” He regarded her. “Can I talk you into a glass of wine?”

Annie shook her head. “No. But thanks.”

“Ok.” JC didn’t know what else to say to her. “Well, goodnight, I guess.”

“Goodnight.” Annie smiled at him and walked over to the sliding glass doors. It felt all too familiar. She’d just done this a few months ago, before she and JC were anything more than boss and employee. And Emma-Claire was just a little girl that she was nannying for.

“Wait,” JC said and Annie glanced over at him.

“What?”

“Thanks again. For coming out here and for dinner and all.”

“No problem. I’m glad I did.” Annie opened the sliding glass door and walked outside. The sun was just slipping behind the clouds as she made her way to the pool house. She felt his eyes on her until she slipped inside.

It hadn’t been used in months now and Annie noticed a few items she’d left behind. An old bathing suit hung in the bathroom. A coffee mug was in the sink and Annie immediately threw it away from mold growing in it. She made a face at how she’d left the place. It was obvious she was in a hurry to move over to JC’s.

Settling on the couch, she turned on the television and aimlessly flipped through the channels. She was still in her shorts and top from that afternoon and knew she’d just have to sleep in her underwear that night. There wasn’t anyway she was going back to the main house to ask JC for a t-shirt now.

JC stood in the kitchen and had watched the activity in the pool house, or what he could see anyway from his vantage point. The light was on and he knew she was probably curled up on the sofa. He groaned inwardly and wished she’d just slept upstairs in the guest room. He still had so much to say to her.

After a few more moments, JC turned off the light in the kitchen and headed into the living room.

 

Annie realized just how often JC even ventured to the pool house judging from the lack of anything in the refrigerator, the bathroom, and the loft upstairs. The sheets had been stripped from her last time in that bed and were in a ball on the floor next to it. It was getting close to 10:30, but for Annie and jet lag, it was more like midnight. She was tired but she didn’t want to sleep on old sheets that had been rolled up for months on end.

“Fine.” She huffed and opened the door to go outside and across to the main house. The kitchen light was off and she figured JC was upstairs by now. She would just go to the linen closet by the half bath downstairs and grab the needed sheets. It wouldn’t take long and she could finally go to sleep.

She opened the sliding glass door and crept inside.

“Hello?” JC called from the living room.

Shit. Annie thought to herself. He was still downstairs.

“It’s just me. I’m coming to grab some clean sheets.” Annie replied and went into the living room. “You don’t really hang out in that pool house too often, huh?”

“Nope.” JC answered. “Need help?”

“No, I got it.” Annie headed down the hall and grabbed a fitted sheet and a duvet. It was only when she came back into the living room she saw what JC had been watching. The 2013 VMA reunion. He’d paused it but there it was, plain as day. All five members of Nsync standing in a row.

“You caught me.” JC smiled sheepishly at her. “Sometimes I watch it when I get homesick for the stage.”

Annie leaned against the wall, holding the sheet and duvet against her. “That was a great performance you guys gave.”

JC nodded and looked back at it. “Wish it had been longer.”

“I think most of America wished that, too.” Annie agreed. “My sister went crazy mad when it was only five seconds long.”

JC laughed. “Yeah, well, remember who we were dancing with.”

“Whatever. He wouldn’t be where he is today without you guys.” Annie scoffed. “And really, Josh, you gave a hell of a performance. You should think about going solo again.”

JC brushed off her comment. “Hell no. I did that. It backfired. I’m content. I’ve got my kid and Girl Radical.”

“I don’t believe you.” Annie heard herself saying to him. “I think you’d rather be a solo artist. Maybe you just don’t know it.”

“Well, now’s not the time.” JC answered. “But thanks for your vote of encouragement.”

“Sure.” Annie wanted to leave, but for some reason, she felt compelled to stay. “Rewind it. I want to watch it.”

“No way.” JC shook his head. “It’s embarrassing enough you saw me watching a performance of myself.”

“Oh stop pretending you’re above that. Rewind it, please.” Annie put the sheet and duvet on the floor next to the couch and sat down next to him.

“Fine.” JC rewound it and stopped it right when Justin took the stage with the other four. Annie looked from the TV to JC and saw him mouthing the lyrics to “Gone” and “Girlfriend” and “Bye, Bye Bye.” She could see the spark in his eyes as he looked at his friends dancing and singing. It was clear they were all enjoying themselves, but particularly JC.

“Okay. There.” JC stopped the YouTube clip. “You’ve seen us all making asses out of ourselves.”

“Shut up.” Annie playfully hit his arm. “You were not making asses of yourselves! The general public was hoping for a tour!”

“Yeah, well, we knew how that would turn out. We’d just be Justin’s back-up singers.” JC mumbled and Annie could see the hurt in his eyes.

“You miss it, don’t you?” Her voice and tone were both soft.

He looked at her and then back at the television. “Yeah. But Justin told us before we went on, ‘Enjoy it. It won’t ever be like it was.’ And he’s right. It wouldn’t be the same. We’d be his back-up singers and he knows it.”

They sat in silence for a few seconds and Annie grabbed the remote out of his hand. “Here.” She pointed it at the TV. “Let’s watch stupid YouTube videos. That always makes me feel better.”

JC watched as Annie scrolled through YouTube and finally landed on the Buzzfeed channel. “Here’s one. Guys Explain the Vagina.”

“Are you kidding me?” JC shook his head. “This is stupid. I know about the vagina.” He eyed her and then said, “You should know that.”

Annie blushed but ignored his comment. “It’s funny. You need funny right now. You’re sad and I don’t want to leave you sad.”

“Fine.” JC leaned back against the couch and the clip resumed.

An hour later they had watched at least six Buzzfeed videos and had now moved on to clips from The Tonight Show. Annie had moved closer to him, her arm touching his, and every time she laughed, JC could feel her body move against his. Before she knew it, Annie was snuggled against him and they were both laughing at a sketch Jimmy Fallon was doing with Ryan Reynolds.

“Oh shit.” Annie yawned and looked at the time on her phone. “Josh, it’s past midnight. I have to go to bed.” She looked at the pile of sheets on the floor. “I also have to make the bed.”

“Just sleep in the guest room. It has sheets on the bed and it’s all made up.” JC urged her.

Annie agreed, forgetting that she had been trying to ignore anything other than surfaced conversation with him earlier. They both stood at the same time and Annie was so tired she bumped into him. He wrapped his arms around her and chuckled.

“Come on, sleepy. Let’s get you upstairs.” JC turned off the television and the lights in the living room and followed behind Annie.

She stopped at the guest room and turned around. “Thanks for tonight, Josh.”

“It was fun.” JC moved closer to her. He held his arms out for a hug and Annie obliged.

“I’ve missed you.” JC whispered. “I’ve missed this.”

Annie felt everything in her turn on. The feelings that she’d been trying to shut off all evening were now coursing through every vein in her body.

“I’ve missed it, too.” She knew if she lifted her head it was all over. She could feel his heart beating against her cheek.

“Look at me.” JC’s voice was low and just above a whisper. “Please.”

Annie let out a shaky sigh. What had she been thinking would happen? That she could come back here and not let herself be affected by him? The kiss from earlier that day was proof that there was still something between them. She’d tried her hardest not to let herself slip back into that habit of being turned on by JC Chasez. But she was failing. She was failing hard.

Looking up, her eyes met his and JC didn’t move to kiss her, which took Annie off guard. He chuckled instead.

“What?” She asked, her voice groggy.

“You puckered your lips.” JC’s thumb circled her cheek. “You want me to kiss you or something?”

“No.” Annie lied.

“You’re still gonna be like that, huh?” JC moved his other hand around her waist and pulled her against him. He could feel her starting to sweat.

“I can’t. We can’t.” Annie couldn’t form a sentence. She was too tired and it was Josh for god’s sake. “I-you-you can’t…I can’t…”

“Shut up, Annie.” JC bent down and kissed her. This time she didn’t pull away. She opened her mouth and let his tongue meet hers. She was dizzy and when he pulled her down the hallway to his room, she didn’t stop him.

“What should I do about your flight tomorrow?” JC asked in between undressing her and kissing her. He threw his shirt over his head and sat down on the bed, pulling her between his legs.

“What do you mean?” Annie unhooked her bra and straddled him. She was a little embarrassed for having worn old panties and a bra that didn’t match. Then again, the thought of having sex with JC that night had been the furthest thing from her mind.

JC took one of her breasts in his hand and bent down. His tongue circled her nipple, slowly and deliberately. He stopped for a minute and said, “I mean I don’t think you’re going back to Ohio.” He took her other breast and gave it equal attention. Then he took both in his hands and rubbed his thumbs gently around both of her nipples. Annie was slowly moving against him and gasping at his gesture.

“What…what makes you say that?” Her arms clung to his neck and she looked down to watch him continue to pleasure her. JC moved one hand between her legs and placed his thumb in the middle.

“I don’t know. Just a hunch.” He moved the wet fabric aside and his thumb found her clit. “What do you think?” He began to rub her there and Annie rolled off of him onto her back so that he had better access.

JC hovered over her, one hand propped next to her head, the other in between her legs. He moved her hair from her neckline and his lips began to suck the skin below her earlobe.

“I can’t think.” Annie groaned as JC rubbed her clit with more pressure.

He pulled his thumb away and placed both hands on either side of her. He kissed his way down her body, stopping at her stomach to suck the skin around her navel before moving down further. In one swift gesture, he tore her panties away from her body and was soon face to face with her center.

“You can’t think? Huh. That’s a shame.” JC moved her legs apart and parted her center. His tongue teased her slit and Annie arched her back and slapped the bed. He hadn’t even made her come yet and she was already like this. He licked her and his hands wrapped around her thighs, bringing her even closer until his face was buried in between her legs.

“Joshhh.” Annie moaned above him and JC looked up at her.

“You’re already saying my name, mama? I ain’t even started yet.” His tongue did a dance from her clit to her insides and continued in a slow and deliberate manner. He would stop every so often and blow on her, which only made Annie groan and pull at his hair.

“Baby, please!” Annie gasped and felt herself about to let go.

JC twirled his tongue around her clit. He let go of one of her legs so that his fingers could inch their way inside of her.

“Ohhhhh.” Annie moaned, feeling his tongue and his fingers at the same time.

JC slid two fingers in and moved them in and out before adding a third, which made Annie scream.

“Shh. You’re really loud.” JC mumbled between her thighs, knowing it was driving her crazy. “You almost there, baby?” He started going in and out at a faster pace and flicked his tongue on her clit over and over until Annie couldn’t take it anymore.

“Uhhh!” She held onto the sheets next to her as her body convulsed beneath him. JC kept going and didn’t stop until Annie stopped shaking.

“Did you like that?” He began to crawl on top of her and somewhere between him going down and moving back up, he’d lost his jeans and boxer briefs.

“What the hell, Josh?” Annie was still twitching and coming off of her orgasm, but JC didn’t give her a chance to stop before he pushed himself inside of her.

“I just wanted…to remind you…of what we were like…together.” JC grunted as they began to make love. “Oh god, Annie, you feel so good.”

Annie moved with him and wrapped her legs around his waist, arching her back so that she could feel him completely inside of her.

“Go slow, baby. Make it last.” Annie whispered, and JC slowed down the pace, feeling just how good it felt to be inside of her again.

“It’s hard when it’s you.” JC sighed and continued to pump into her. “You make me come so fast, baby.”

He pulled out of her before he came. “Get on top of me.” He told her. “I want to watch you.” He lay on his back and Annie deftly rolled on top of him, sliding down on his hardened member. She began to ride him and he watched her moving on top of him.

“Annie.” JC moaned. “Baby, that feels so good.”

Annie moved faster and splayed her hands on his chest. “Are you almost there, Josh?”

“Uh huh.” JC closed his eyes, his hands clutched the bedframe behind him and soon his release came. He moved within her, his fingers on her clit again, causing her to come seconds later. Collapsing on top of him, they both smiled at each other.

“So.” JC finally spoke and Annie rolled off of him. “About that plane ticket?”

“Cancel the damn ticket.” Annie stood and looked down at him before she went into the bathroom. “I’m not going anywhere.”

“You’re doing what?” Maggie shrieked on the other end of the phone the next day.

“I’m staying. Josh and I….made up.” Annie looked over at JC, who was smiling in bed at her as she talked on the phone.

“Annie, what about school? You’re giving up a graduate degree?”

JC squeezed Annie’s arm. “Tell her you’re young. And I didn’t go to school and I’m doing fine.”

Annie shushed him and then went back to her sister. “It’s not a huge deal, Maggie. You can withdrawal up to two weeks after classes start. I’m calling the registrar on Monday.”

Maggie was quiet. Then, “Ok. If this is what you really want. I mean, are you sure this time?”

Annie looked over at JC and grinned. “I’m more than sure.”

JC tugged her arm, pulling her back down into bed. “Get off the phone. Tell your sister you’ll call her later. Emma’s gonna be up soon.”

“Maggie, I need to go. I’ll figure out getting my stuff back and let you know.”

Maggie heaved a sigh. “Ok, Ann. I trust your judgment. I just…I want you to be sure.”

JC was kissing Annie’s neck and her shoulder and Annie was having a hard time concentrating on her sister’s voice.

“Uhh..uh huh. I know, I know. Maggie, I gotta go, okay? I love you! Bye!” Annie hung up and leaned back into JC. His hands moved up and down her arms and his lips sucked gently on her neck.

“Mm.” Annie closed her eyes and relaxed against him.

“You’re here.” JC whispered into her ear, biting it before pulling her hair back and kissing the back of her neck. “I can’t believe you’re here again. I mean, it feels so normal. But at the same time…I don’t know. I kind of feel like I’m gonna wake up and you’re going to be gone.”

Annie turned around and faced him. She wrapped her arms around his neck, their foreheads touching. “I’m not going anywhere.” She kissed him. “But don’t give me a reason to go anywhere.”

JC rested his hands on her bare waist, his fingers gently pressing into her skin. “Baby, I swear. I think I’m done with the girl band thing. I need to focus on Emma. And I need to focus on you.”

Annie’s eyes met JC’s and they stared at each other for a few moments.

“Really?” Annie whispered.

“Yeah. Really.” JC smiled at her. “Kiss me.”

 

“She’s still asleep?” JC asked Annie, when they had emerged from the bedroom. Emma-Claire’s door was still closed and it was now much past the time she normally awoke. “Oh god she’s not starting to sleep in til noon is she?”

Annie chuckled. “No, she’s five, not fifteen.” She knocked on the door. “Emma-Claire?”

“Yeah?” The tiny voice behind the door answered.

“You’re awake?” JC asked and turned the knob.

Annie and JC smiled at what they saw behind the door. Emma-Claire was sitting up in bed with five or six books piled around her. She had one opened and was reading quietly in bed.

“You didn’t go downstairs?” JC walked into her bedroom, Annie right behind him.

“No. I wanted to read.” Emma-Claire put the book in her lap and looked up at JC and Annie. “Annie, are you wearing Daddy’s t-shirt and shorts?”

Annie blushed and looked down at the oversized t-shirt and boxer shorts that were rolled at the waist so they wouldn’t fall off of her.

“Yes.” Annie cleared her throat. “Emma, guess what?”

“What?” Emma-Claire asked.

“I’m not going back to Ohio. I’m gonna stay here. With you and Daddy.” Annie sat down the child’s bed and Emma-Claire jumped into Annie’s lap, her arms thrown around her neck.

“Really? And are you Daddy’s girlfriend again?” Emma-Claire clung to Annie tightly and looked from Annie to JC and back again.

“Yeah.” Annie grinned at JC and kissed Emma-Claire’s cheek.

“And you’re not leaving again?” Emma-Claire placed both of her hands on Annie’s cheeks.

Annie glanced up at JC, then back at Emma-Claire. “No. I’m not leaving again.”

“I won’t let her.” JC spoke up and moved closer to Annie and Emma-Claire.

“Good!” Emma-Claire squealed and kissed Annie’s cheek. “Can we have breakfast now?”

Annie laughed. “Yes. We can have breakfast now.” She stood with Emma-Claire still in her arms, the little girl’s legs wrapped around Annie’s waist. Annie put her down and she ran towards the stairs, bounding down them and beating the adults to the kitchen.

“I meant what I said.” JC pulled Annie aside before they went downstairs. “I’m not gonna let you leave this time because I’m not going to give you a reason to want to go.”

Annie smiled. “I believe you, Josh.”

JC pulled her into his arms and kissed her. “Too bad five-year-olds can’t make breakfast. I’d like to take you back to bed.”

As if on cue, Emma-Claire bellowed from downstairs. “Daddy! Annie! I’m hungry!”

Annie giggled into JC’s mouth, pulling away from JC. “Well, they can’t. Come on. I think we’re going to have plenty of time for all of that.”

“Good.” JC kissed her once more. “C’mon, Annie the Nanny. Let’s go have breakfast.”