On Friday, the set was ready and the reason for the delay of the pilot was that one of the other judges, Mandy Moore, had come down with the flu and she still had not been well. She was replaced with Willa Ford, who immediately had come onto JC, despite flashing a huge diamond ring on her left hand. The other judge was Drew Lachey, whom JC was happy to have sitting between him and Willa. JC had put his duffel bag with his plane ticket in a spare dressing room that he'd claimed as his own and was counting down the hours until he could get his ride to the airport.

"A lot on your mind?" Drew asked, a few minutes before the taping began. "You look deep in thought."

JC laughed softly, "A little. I'm flying out tonight to see my girlfriend. Just excited,"

Drew nodded, "Understandable. Better than being here," he muttered and JC raised his eyebrows. "Oh please, don't think I begged to do this. We've got enough of these dumb talent shows on live TV. I just figured it might be nice to see if I missed any of it. Turns out, I don't." So Drew could understand, JC thought.

"You don't miss it out here?" JC turned in his chair to face him, so that Willa wouldn't be privy to their conversation. "I mean, you like doing the family thing, right?"

"Oh, absolutely," Drew replied. "I enjoyed fame and Hollywood when I was younger, but now all I want to do is go home to my wife and kids. I figure I'd do this show, if it even gets picked up, and then be done."

"I'm kind of going through the same thing," JC told him and Drew smiled.

"Oh yeah? You engaged?" Drew asked, a little above a whisper.

JC shook his head, "No, not yet. But I met this girl last month visiting my cousin in Georgia. And the minute I saw her, I knew. I can't explain it, I just knew. So she's in Georgia and I left to film the pilot and all I can think about is flying back to her tonight."

"I don't blame you," Drew nodded. "But wow, a month. That's awesome. I hope it works out."

Suddenly, the lights dimmed and the audience began clapping and cheering wildly. Some generic announcer walked out, who was supposed to be a cross between Ryan Seacrest and Carson Daly, but was just plain awful. He smiled a little too much and kept winking at the judges in such a way that it made JC uncomfortable. The acts came and went, each one possessing little talent and a lot of fake glitz about them. JC would give his opinion, much like he had on America's Best Dance Crew, and everything he and Drew said, Willa disagreed with. He soon understood that this was what the producers wanted and during a break, Willa flashed a flirtatious grin at both men and said, "I was told I had to be the bitch." JC thought he heard Drew mutter, "Well played," and had to stifle laughing out loud.

Finally, the pilot was wrapped and the audience slowly trickled out of the soundstage. JC grabbed his phone, shook Drew's hand, avoided eye contact with Willa, and literally sprinted back to his dressing room. Gail met him there with a smug look on her face as he grabbed his things.

"You sure I can't talk you into filming the rest?" she raised an eyebrow.

"Do you really think there'll be anymore? That was awful. And who's that announcer?" JC didn't wait for her to answer, only slipped out the door. 

"Call me when you land!" Gail called after him. 

JC made it to the airport nearly two hours before his flight took off. He didn't care. He figured the closer he was to the gate, the closer he was to boarding the plane and heading back to Georgia. He grabbed a beer at a bar near his gate and nursed it, all the while texting James back and forth. He looked at the clock nearly every five minutes and inwardly groaned, seeing the minutes tick by slowly. This, he knew, was going to be the longest flight of his life. 

James stood anxiously at the gate arrival at the Savannah Airport. With Sutton at her side, holding her hand, she looked down the long hall where JC would soon emerge. The night before had been the longest night of her life. She'd slept horribly, a part of her wondering if he'd made it on the plane or if the flight had been delayed. He texted her up until he'd boarded, but she continuously checked her phone every so often throughout the night. That morning, James had awoken at five, having only slept a couple of hours. His plane would land at 8:00 that morning. Sutton had woken up shortly after and they'd both had a quick breakfast of cereal and toast, and had left the house at 6:30.

And now, here they both stood, smiles plastered on their faces waiting for him to pop around that corner. 

"There he is!" Sutton shrieked, jumping up and down, her brown curls bobbing. Sure enough, James looked up to see JC striding toward them, a baseball cap on his head, his duffel thrown behind him. When he spotted her, his pace quickened, and he passed other passengers to get to where she and Sutton were standing. Soon his arms were enveloped around her waist, his lips pressed against hers in a kiss that felt as though they'd waited a lifetime for. Sutton was not to be ignored and JC soon swooped her up in his arms and threw her in the air. She let out a loud giggle and didn't let go as he threw her on his shoulders.

Hours later, James rested her chin on JC's chest, looking up at him as he dozed off and on. They'd barely managed to make it inside after dropping off Sutton at her grandparents before they were ripping at each other's clothes, hardly making it up the stairs and into her bedroom. James was reveling in how good it felt to be with him. He'd known exactly how to please her and touch her and the whole morning had been spent wrapped in each other. Kissing him, she snuggled against him and closed her eyes. She felt his fingers begin to trace her shoulder and looked up at him to see him smiling at her.

"I thought you were asleep," she said, as his lips met hers. 

"I was," his eyes were closed, "but just knowing I'm here with you makes it impossible to really sleep."

She stared at him for a minute and then resumed her position cuddled against him. "Josh," she hesitated to ask it but it had been on the forefront of her mind the whole week. "Are you sure you're not going to get bored here? I don't want you to just be existing here with nothing to keep you occupied."

JC rolled to his side, propping himself up on his elbow and looking down at her. "I think after twenty years of this, it might be time for a rest," he said. "And it just means I have more time to spend with you. I don't have to worry about meetings or set times or anything else. I finally get to have a normal relationship with a normal woman." He leaned down to kiss her and soon she'd pulled him on top of her yet again. 

JC spent the next few weeks coming to Brewster's and sitting in the table by the window with his iPad and laptop both out and headphones on. He was writing lyrics to songs and a few times, Kaylie would giggle with Madison about hearing him sing aloud, forgetting other people could hear him. James smiled to herself watching him at work and one day, went over and sat down across from him, two cups of fresh coffee in both hands.

"Hey, Pavarotti," she teased, tapping him gently on the arm. He'd just hummed a little louder than normal and other customers in the shop had looked over, amused. "Thanks for the concert, but we can all hear you."

JC took off his headphones and took the coffee from James. "Sorry, babe," he pulled the screen on his laptop down and sipped the coffee. "Was I really that loud?"

James nodded and grinned, "Yeah, but it's okay. I like hearing you sing." She rested her chin in her hands and saw a glimpse of frustration across her boyfriend's face. "What is it?"

JC sighed and looked at her sheepishly, "Well, it's just, I'm getting to where I don't know what to-"

"What to do with yourself?" she finished for him. "I figured that might happen."
He saw her looking worried immediately and knew what she was thinking. He immediately shook his head. "I'm not going back to L.A., James. Don't think that, okay?"

"I know, but you're bored. I could offer you a job here, but I don't think you'd enjoy barista life," James cracked a small smile. 

"I'll figure something out," JC told her, and leaned back in his chair. "I already ordered a moving company to get some of my stuff brought out here. By the way, what do you say you and I start looking for a place of our own?"

James nearly spilled coffee down the front of her Brewster's t-shirt. A place of their own? Not that it wasn't as if they weren't already living together, of course. JC had moved out of the guest room and into her room more or less. And Chad had teased that it felt as though they were the new version of Three's Company, even though he was hardly at home long enough to say he lived there anymore. Usually, he stayed with Lane or was out of town on his Atlanta project so much that James had started to think of the house as more hers than Chad's. But move out with JC? Was it too soon? What would Sutton think? She knew her daughter adored JC and the feeling was mutual, but Sutton loved Chad's house and James knew she wouldn't be able to afford anything like the kind of house Chad owned.

"Is it too soon?" she voiced her concern. "I mean, it's been almost two months. Is that too fast?"

"What part of this relationship has been slow?" JC reminded her, and he had a point. "Just look. Not buy. That's all I'm suggesting."

James nodded. "Right. Yeah, I think we could start looking. Don't say anything to Sutton about it just yet, okay? We can start looking this weekend, maybe."

JC reached over and stroked her hand. "Are you okay with that? We don't have to. It was just a suggestion. We can wait if you want-"

"No," James shook her head. "No, I want to. You're right." 

Later that evening, James and Chad sat out on the back patio watching the sun as it gave its last glimpses of light over the marsh. JC had been inside making a long, overdue phone call to his parents (at least that's what Chad's mother had voiced earlier that day when she'd stopped by and JC knew he'd better let them know he was still alive). Chad had spoken to JC shortly after JC had left Brewster's that afternoon. He'd told Chad about James' awkward reaction to his suggestion of moving in together and Chad had assured him it was due to James' past history with that damned Clay. But he'd promised his cousin he'd talk to James about it, as Chad felt he was really the only one who could sometimes talk sense into his best friend.

"So, doll, I hear you and Josh might be doing a little house hunting?" Chad spoke up, taking a sip of wine. "I think that's a fantastic idea. I mean, don't get me wrong, I'd miss you and Little Diva like crazy, but we'd all be in the same city. Not like we wouldn't still see each other all the time."

James was silent and ran her finger around the rim of her wine glass. 
Chad sighed. "James, he's not Clay-"

"I know he's not Clay!" James snapped, then quickly apologized, realizing how she'd sounded. "I know he's not," she repeated in a softer tone. "But he said today he was getting bored with himself here. How do I know he's not going to leave one day?"

"Do you think he loves you?" Chad looked at her square in the eye. 

"I know he does," James answered without hesitation. 

"He's not going to leave you. You have to trust him on that," he reached over and grabbed her hand. "I can't pound it into your head, but I wish I could and I'm sure he wishes he could do the same."

"Does he think I don't trust him?" James looked at her best friend with a worried expression on her face.

"I think he knows you've been through a lot and what happened in the past damaged you so much that you have a hard time trusting anyone," Chad answered truthfully. 

James looked down at her wine and then up at Chad. "You're right. God, I hate how well you know me." She stood to her feet and went over to Chad, hugging him and then kissing his cheek. "I'll go talk to him."

She went inside and found JC laying across the couch, the phone to his ear. He was nodding at whatever was being said on the other line and agreeing every so often to whatever it was his mother was telling him. James walked towards him and sat down next to him. Almost automatically, he pulled her down next to him and spooned her against him as he finished his conversation.

"Yeah, yeah I will, Mom. Tell Dad hello. Love you. 'Bye," JC put his phone in his back pocket and gently began placing kisses on James' neck. "My parents might come in town in a few weeks. They want to meet you."

James turned on her other side to face him and placed her fingers on his face, gently tracing his cheekbone. "I'm sorry about today," she said quietly. "I just want you to know I trust you and it's nothing you've done, it's me and what I went through, you know? But I love you and I want a house with you." she kissed him long and deep on the mouth. "Okay?"

JC kissed her back before replying. "Okay. And I understand. We can take as long as you want to start looking," his lips met hers again and before long, James realized if they didn't go upstairs, Chad might walk in on something that would embarrass all of them and might make the process of looking for a house even quicker. 

As she fell asleep that night, James' thoughts were still on what JC had said to her earlier that day, about how he was finding it hard to know what to do with himself anymore here in Grayson. She had racked her brain all day and thought of nothing. Hearing his breathing become slower and knowing he was asleep next to her, James' eyes grew heavy and she told herself she'd think about it tomorrow.