"It's amazing how cute they are when they're not running around yelling and screaming." Rachel commented with a chuckle as she stood, peeking into the Family Room from where she stood in the kitchen. Aubrey and Megan came to stand beside her as they looked at their children camped out in front of the TV watching a Disney movie.
"Don't be fooled by the silence." Megan commented dryly.
"Oh, I'm not." Rachel assured her. "Trust me." She looked over at her two friends. "I'm glad you guys came this week." She said as she reached over and hugged Aubrey. "Since you guys moved to Tennessee I don't see you nearly as much as I want to."
"I'm glad we came too." Aubrey smiled. The three women went back into the kitchen and sat down at the table.
"We really need to do something about that." Rachel continued.
"About seeing each other more?" Aubrey asked. Rachel nodded. "If you can figure out a way, I'm all for it but it's going to be difficult now that I'm teaching and you two are busy doing the event planning thing, and JC's started his production company..."
"What about summer vacation?" Rachel asked. "You're not teaching then, and we could all meet up somewhere fun. Claire's old enough now that she's going to remember what we do and where we go."
"What about the baby?" Megan asked, pointing out Rachel's obvious belly. "You're going to have a newborn come summer. You really want to be going on some huge trip?"
"That's what you guys will be there for." Rachel grinned and they all laughed.
"Me?" Megan asked with a teasing grin. "I thought you and Aubrey were planning something together."
"How rude would that be?" Rachel asked with a laugh. "Planning a vacation with one friend right in front of another. I don't think so."
"Well," Megan drawled. "You two are the ones married to celebrities who happen to be best friends. I'm kind of the outsider here when it comes to that."
"Whatever!" Aubrey and Rachel both exclaimed at the same time making Megan laugh.
"Without you, I never would have met JC." Rachel reminded her.
"And by default that means I wouldn't have ever met Justin." Aubrey added.
"Not true." Rachel stated, pointing an accusatory finger at Aubrey.
"What?" Aubrey laughed.
"You told me about the first time you met Justin at the park, remember?" Rachel said. "That happened all on it's on without any interference from anyone."
"True." Aubrey nodded. "But I seriously doubt anything else would have happened if we hadn't been friends," she gestured back and forth between herself and Rachel, "and you hadn't been dating JC, which was all made possible because you," she pointed at Megan. "First met and married Jackson. It's all kind of twisted and confusing when I try to think about it but however it all worked out, I'm glad it did."
"Me too." Megan and Rachel replied simultaneously.
"Me three."
The girls looked up in surprise as Justin came into the kitchen, followed closely by Jackson and JC. "What did I just agree to?" He asked as he set the pizza boxes in his hands down on the counter.
"That you three are going to stay here with the kids tonight while we go out and party." Rachel replied straight faced. Aubrey and Megan had to fight hard to stifle their laughter as Justin narrowed his eyes at Rachel.
"Sure." He said, nodding his head. "We can do that. Right guys?" He asked over his shoulder.
"Yep." Jackson and JC both agreed as they set down the bags they had in their hands. While the girls had been home trying to get the kids settled down, the guys had been given the task of going out and bringing back something for dinner.
"We were thinking about having our own party here anyway." Justin continued. "We met a couple girls at the store just now that seemed like they knew how to party. I got one of their numbers. Bridgette...Bianca...what was her name, Jace?" He pulled his phone from his pocket and began scrolling through his contacts. "You girls have fun." He said with a smile as he glanced over at the table. "And remember to call a cab when it's time to come home. Don't want you driving when you're tipsy."
"Justin Timberlake." Aubrey spoke up from where she was sitting.
"Yes, dear?" He asked, turning to look at her innocently.
Aubrey leveled him with a stern gaze. "You better not be serious about having another girl's number in your phone."
Justin looked at her for a moment then snapped his phone closed. "Wouldn't dream of it." He told her with a charming smile as he shoved the phone back into his pocket.
"Good." Aubrey nodded and everyone laughed.
"What were you guys really talking about?" JC asked as he walked over to Rachel and put his arms around her shoulders as he stood behind her.
Rachel looked up at him. "We were just discussing all of the events that led up to us all being here right now." She told him. "And we were planning a summer vacation."
"Disneyland!" Justin chimed in excitedly.
Aubrey laughed. "He's been dying to take Randy there since he was born but I've been putting it off. I want him to remember actually going."
"He's four now. He'll remember." Justin insisted. "Let's do it!"
"You really want to go to Disneyland?" Megan asked. "It just doesn't seem like much of a vacation to do something right in my own backyard."
"Well, that's your problem." Justin countered teasingly. "We don't live here anymore, so it's not our backyard."
Megan rolled her eyes at him. "What about Orlando?" She asked. "We could do Disney World instead."
"No." Both Justin and JC shot her down.
"I never want to set foot inside that park again as long as I live." Justin replied, giving an exaggerated shudder.
"I second that." JC added with a chuckle.
"He has nightmares about it." Aubrey supplied, whispering conspiratorially to the rest of the adults with a mischievous grin.
"Hey!" Justin exclaimed, pointing a finger at his wife. She looked at him innocently. "Watch it, Aubrey Janae." He warned but she just laughed.
"Why do you want to go to Disneyland so badly if Disney World leaves such a bad taste in your mouth?" Jackson asked as he sat down beside Megan at the table.
"It's different." Justin replied. "One is the happiest place on Earth. The other is the place that sucked my childhood away from me." He replied dramatically.
"Oh brother!" Rachel replied with a roll of her eyes. Aubrey laughed.
"That was by your own choice." Megan pointed out.
"Regardless," Justin dismissed her comment. "I'm not going to Disney World."
"No one said you had to come." Rachel supplied.
Justin opened his mouth to respond but they were cut off as Claire walked into the kitchen. "Daddy?" She asked walking towards JC.
JC removed his arms from around Rachel and bent to pick up the little girl. "What, baby?" He asked as she put her arms around his neck.
"I need some pizza." Claire told him as she put a small hand on his cheek and looked him in the eye.
JC grinned. "You need some pizza?" He asked.
"Yes." She nodded solemnly.
"I haven't eaten all day." Claire sighed dramatically. "I'm hungry."
"Is that right?" He questioned, fighting-along with all of the adults-not to laugh. "All day?" He asked. Again Claire nodded, her big blue eyes looking at him imploringly. JC hugged her close. "Well, we better feed you." He chuckled. "Momma?" He asked, looking down at Rachel. "She hasn't eaten all day." He said, echoing Claire's dramatic tone. "Can she have some pizza?"
Rachel smiled as she stood. "Absolutely." She said, kissing Claire on the cheek. "Go tell Scotty, Emily and Randy to come in here." She told her daughter as JC set her back down on the floor. "Dinner's ready."
The kitchen was soon full to capacity as the four kids came in to join their parents. Pizza was distributed on paper plates, and everyone then made their way back out to the Family Room-talking and laughing as they waited to ring in the New Year.
