"She's gorgeous, Ma." JC grinned from ear to ear as he spoke to his mother on the phone.

He held the baby girl in his arms, touching the side of her small cheek with the tip of his finger. "She's got Laura's hair and nose. Her lips are perfect. And her eyes...We don't really know yet, but the nurse thinks they are going to be blue like mine."

He gently rocked the baby the in his arms. "Well they said not to check and that all ten fingers and ten toes were there, but I had to see for myself...Yeah, they're all there." he laughed as a tear rolled down his cheek. "Lacey Karen Chasez...Yeah I know. Everything I'd wanted. Laura was amazing...Yeah my hand is still recovering. It's going to take at least a week to regain my blood supply." he chuckled.

He and his mother talked for another 5 minutes before he reluctantly hung up. He walked around the room with the baby in his arms. She was born 5 pounds, 6 ounces and was so tiny that JC was almost afraid to hold her at first. But he was now having a hard time letting her go. He sang softly to the newborn as she slept and looked over at Laura, who was sleeping after her long and arduous labor.

"There are a few nurses in the hall that say you do that professionally." Betty commented as she crept into the room to take Laura's vitals.

"Yeah." he smiled. Nurse Betty gently took the baby from him and placed her back in the bassinette. She explained that she needed to take her down the hall for a few tests and she would bring her back shortly. JC walked out behind them to grab himself a cup of coffee. He bumped into the Laura's mother as she coming in. They briefly hugged and JC explained everything to her and told her to wait there for them to bring back her granddaughter. When he returned Mrs. Charles was by her daughters side, rocking her grandbaby back to sleep.

"She was a champ." he whispered.

Mrs. Charles smiled. "Well she would be. She's my daughter." JC was pleased to see how things between Laura and her mother had completely changed. He didn't know why and was curious to find out.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"When we first met, you hardly hugged your daughter. And now it seems like you are a completely different person. Don't get me wrong, I love this side of you, but I've been wondering...Why the sudden change of heart?"

"Well, just like yourself, Joshua, someone pulled the wool over my eyes. It took me a very long time to figure out what was really going on. I also felt I needed someone to blame for every single thing that happened to me and she was an easy target. Now all I can do is hope that the time I am spending now will somehow make up for the time that I stupidly lost."

JC asked her what she meant about him also being fooled by someone. She desperately wanted to tell him, but knew he needed to find out on his own. But by then, it probably would be too late. Just as she was about to speak, Laura spoke her mother's name. Mrs. Charles got up and kissed her daughter's forehead, leaving JC once again without any answers.

The decision was to stay with Laura until she was safely out of the hospital and home settled in with their daughter. He'd been gone an entire week and the anxiety within Rachel was building by the hour. When he returned home, he talked about Lacey for days on end and had millions of pictures of her sprawled all around the house. Rachel even had to admit to herself that the tiny baby was adorable. But the constant deluge of calls to Laura was making her feel uneasy. Especially late at night, when JC would leave the room to talk to her on his cell phone. She didn't like it at all, and this was yet another topic of argument between them.

JC was fed up. He couldn't stand the constant bickering and wondered out loud if this was going to be the norm after they got married. It led to an eight hour discussion of their future and eventually a reconciliation. Day by day, things seemed to be getting back on track between the couple. They were doing last minute planning for the wedding and searching through a million brochures to figure out the perfect spot to spend their honeymoon together.

"How are my grandchildren?" Karen asked as she and her son took their ritual Sunday walk in the park.

"Their good. Lacey is lifting her head up now. Laura says it may take 6 months or more to find out her true eye color. But right now, they are bluish. I'm not worried. As long as she is healthy. Nikki is talking and walking more. Rachel and I may take him to Disney World for his birthday. He's obsessed with Goofy right now."

Karen smiled and listened to her son continue to tell her stories of his two children. "When am I going to be able to see her? She's almost two months old now."

I had planned to go up there next week, but work has me stuck here. Laura promised to bring her here though. She's starting to get like me and guys now." he laughed. "She went and chartered a private jet for her and baby. Something about too many people."

"Well if I had the money, I would too. You don't know what kind of germs people are carrying these days."

JC was usually distant from the conversation; Always staring off into space or zoning out on the conversation. She could sense that there was something bothering him. It was as though he were waiting for her to ask him what was wrong, because the moment she did, he broke down. With his head on his moms shoulder he looked up at the trees and said, "I feel like such a jerk."

"Why?"

"When I went to the hospital to see my baby, everything felt right. I was complete. I am totally connected to my baby girl. But ever since Rachel has told me Nikki is my son, something's been a little off. I haven't been able to connect with him, the way I have with Lacey. And I feel like shit, cause that's my son. But something doesn't feel right in my heart.  I didn't notice the difference until after she was born.  It just doesn't feel the same."

"I don't know what to tell you sweetie. It could possibly be because you weren't physically there when Nikky was born, so that feeling of excitement and joy is lost to you with him. And that isn't your fault."

"No, I don't think it's that, mom."

"Then what?"

"I don't know. I just don't the feel the same."

"That might change as the two of you start to bond more. You've been away from each other during the most important year of his life. It's hard to make up for lost time."

JC explained the same thing to Justin later on that same week. "Well, JC, all I can tell you is that if you feel something isn't right, then you should go with that gut instinct and figure out why."

"What the hell do you mean? I know he's my son. I got the papers to prove it."

As of that day, Justin didn't have any proof to the contrary. "I just mean that you need to look within yourself for the answer to that question, JC. It could just be that instead of living the life you've always dreamed of, you are living the life you feel you have to."

"Yeah, bro. I appreciate this thing you call a pep talk, but it's not helping me with my problem. Don't you have date with Cassandra you need to be getting ready for?"

Justin looked down at his watch.  "Oh shit, you're right! I'll talk to you about this later." He grabbed his phone off the top of the piano and headed out the door, before popping his head back into the living room, "Yo JC, I'll help you figure that out soon, Bud."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hallie stood in the kitchen by the stove boiling some water. She didn't hear a thing when she was suddenly lifted off the ground and spun around by someone who was howling. She looked down and recognized Justin's watch and sprung free from his grasp. "What the fuck, Justin! You almost gave me a heart attack!"

"I think I got it!" he exclaimed kissing her hard on the cheek.

"Well how many dates did it take?"

"Two, but I think I have hit the jackpot now, baby."

"What are you two yelling about in here?" Laura asked as she walked into the kitchen holding the baby close to her shoulder. Hallie nudged him with her elbow and knew they would need to do something to avert the topic.

"Ohhhh. Gimme my neice." Making a goofy face, Justin took the baby in his arms and walked into the other room talking to her. "...Yes, cause you daddy, as great as he may be, is kinda...well...stupid at times, Lacey."

"Justin." Laura scolded.

"What? She doesn't know what I'm sayin'."

"But I do. Now stop!" She threw a towel at him and handed Hallie two bottles to place in the water.

The next day, Laura decided to take the baby out to the studio with Justin to see JC. He wasn't expecting them until Friday, but they had gotten a earlier flight in on Wedsnesday.

"Oh my God, look at the baby!" Tom yelled out from his chair before getting up to greet Laura and the newborn. "No you don't have the baby in a matching Juicy Cotour outfit! I didn't know they made them this small!"

"Hallie had one of her friends hook us up."

"Hey, Tommy." she leaned up and gave him a hug.

JC walked out of the bathroom and was pleasantly surprised to see the two of them standing there. "Isn't she a little princess, Tom."

"Yes, she is. I'm upset about this outfit. Is Juicy written on the butt like yours is?"

Laura smirked as she moved the blanket away and showed him. The baby even had on a pair of matching white Nike's with the logo in light pink to match the outfits. "Ha Ha. That's so cute! I see you got your figure back rather quickly."

"Oh please, my fat ass was in the gym day and night trying to work all that off."

"You look incredible." Tom commented as he twirled her around to see the rest of her. JC was thinking the same thing as his eyes ran up and down the length of her body. Laura handed him the baby and found a seat on a nearby stool. JC gave the tiny baby a million light kisses on the cheek, "Muah, muah, muah...Daddy missed you so much. Come on, let's go show you off to everyone else."

Laura was too busy catching up with Tom and a few other producers to notice JC slip out of the room and down the hall passed Hallie and Justin who were busy talking. "Was that ugly uncle Justin and mean Aunty Hallie with the loud mouths?"

As he was making his rounds in the gloating department, JC bumped into Jerry, who was in a neighboring room working with a new group. He noticed the baby right away and congratulated JC. But being the businessman he was, he decided to take care of a little business while he had him there. JC followed Jerry to his car to discuss a production deal that he'd gotten wind of a few days prior. While the two men were talking, Laura made her way outside to find out where the heck he had run off to with their daughter. She said a quick hello to Jerry before taking the baby inside for her scheduled feeding. As she was walking away she heard little Nikki yell, "Da da! Da da!" and watched Rachel and Nikki walking up from the parking lot.

Almost simultaneously Jerry and JC turned around. Nikki rushed over to the them and grabbed a hold of the tall man's leg and put his arms out to be picked up. Laura looked on in embarrassment for JC as he stood there and watched his son clinging to Jerry for dear life.