“So they were going to the beach?” Lance asked Justin, not quite sure he was believing the younger man's story as he sipped his orange juice.
“If I'm lyin', I'm dyin',” Justin replied, taking a bite of his scrambled eggs. “Dawg, Joey was smiling and your sister was laughing. It was the best thing I've seen since the year started.” His eyes shifted and he grinned, seeing Joey come in looking half asleep.
“There's part of the beach bums now,” Justin said, watching Joey sit down. “You look half dead, Joe.”
“Not awake yet. Hungry,” Joey grunted, smiling at Lance. “What's that smile on your face for?”
“Why are you smiling like you are?” Lance fired back, watching Joey sip some ice water. “You and my sister have a fun time last night?”
Joey ran a hand through his hair and smirked. “Fun...being woken up at two in the morning and drug to the beach. Then back to the hotel dripping wet and cold.”
“I'm sure you bitched and complained the whole time, dawg.”
“Not a damn bit,” Joey smiled wider, smacking the table as he got up to go help himself to the buffet.
Lance just shook his head and laughed when he spotted his sister coming in with Rachel and JC. “You think you're fooling everyone? I know where you were,” he called out to her, watching her wave him off to go to Joey and kiss him soundly on the lips. It made him feel good to see them together, his eyes going from one couple to the other that had joined them. Rachel and JC looked good together. Relaxed. He figured they were just glad to have to no longer keep their relationship a secret. “We're missing Chris and Holly.”
“Holly said they were staying a couple more days in Miami and I don't figure they'll be up until noon or so,” Rachel told Lance, stealing a piece of Melissa's bacon off her plate when she sat down. “Thanks, Bass.”
“Get up and get your own damn bacon. Or make JC do it.”
“Fiesty,” Rachel remarked with a smile. “Was she that way last night, Joey?” Her eyes met JC's and then went back to Joey, watching him pull apart a cinnamon roll.
“No, she was bossy...” Joey started to say until Melissa's hand covered his mouth and he grunted and pulled her hand away. “And then I had her right where I wanted her,” Joey laughed as Melissa glared at him.
“Well we know that wasn't in the kitchen,” Justin fired back with a chuckle as Melissa flipped him off.
“Laugh it up, Timberdoofus,” Melissa said, slipping her hand under the table to find Joey's and squeeze it.
“I'm not too worried about starving,” Joey told him, spearing a piece of cantalope.
“When is everyone leaving?” Lance asked, listening to them all talk about plans. Everyone but Justin was heading back to Orlando, at least for a few days. He had his own plans to go home and then head to Mississippi to see his grandparents and other relatives. The meal progressed and they were all about to leave when Holly and Chris came strolling in.
“Don't have the player, hate the game,” Chris told them as they sat down among the snickers that were happening. “We had to do something cause Joey sounded like a wounded werewolf at almost four thirty this morning,” he stated, making them all laugh.
“I wasn't that loud,” Joey grumbled.
“Dude, you need a muzzle,” Chris told him, shaking his head. “Of course I could just be giving you shit too.”
“Take him somewhere and tie him up and leave him for three weeks,” Joey told Holly. “No one will kidnap him cause he's a pain in the ass.”
“Boys, play nice,” Rachel told them as they all chuckled. She knew they were joking and at the same time, they were all glad for a break. She was more than ready to have some time with JC uninterrupted. Time to figure out what they wanted to do exactly with them. She smiled at Melissa who was leaning on Joey with his arm around her. You'd never have thought the last six months happened, seeing them together.
“We're all still gonna get together before the tour starts up again at someone's house for a party, right?” Justin asked as they all nodded. “Good, we'll go to Lance's,” he said as Lance shrugged.
“I don't care, long as you bring the food. I got the drinks and the pool,” Lance told them all as they nodded, trying to set a date before they all went their different ways. “The Friday before we go back, then?” he asked, putting it in his phone and then sending it to all of them.
“Your sister shouldn't have me tied up by then,” Joey told Lance, bumping his shoulder.
“On that note, it's time to leave,” Lance said, hugging his sister. “You know Mom and Dad want to see you,” he reminded her as she nodded. “Love you.” He watched Melissa and Joey say goodbye to everyone and head back towards the elevator to get their stuff.
“Hundred bucks says they'll be married within two weeks of Joey being single,” Justin told them.
“I'll take a piece of that,” Chris said, shaking Justin's hand.
“Two hundred says they go to Vegas,” Lance told them both.
“That's just wrong,” Rachel told them, grinning. “But make it five Lance. Five hundred says they go to Vegas within the first week.”
Holly and JC just listened and gave one another a look and shrugged.
“The stipulation to this is you can't hint about it or the bet is no longer in play,” Holly told them all. “You can't suggest it.”
“I can't believe you're even betting on this. Everyone's gonna lose,” JC remarked, folding his arms over his chest. “They aren't going to elope in Vegas. Cheat themselves out of a real wedding? Not a damn chance.” He smiled when they all looked slightly crestfallen and declared the bet off. Even though he and Rachel could elope, he wasn't going to do that. And he knew Joey wouldn't either. He had other things to think about besides a wedding, glancing down at Rachel's left hand. He wanted a ring on her finger before it was time to go back on tour. That was his main focus besides them telling their families and deciding what to do. JC gave Rachel a smile, taking her hand as they walked towards the elevator themselves. “My mom invited me over for a late lunch,” he told her when the doors closed to take them up to their floor. “You could come too and we could tell them the good news,” he suggested.
Rachel blew out a breath and nodded slowly. “I'd rather tell them first than my family, I think. Your mom won't mind if you bring me along?” Rachel had met Karen Chasez quite a few times and spent some time with her, but it was still different than going home with this sort of thing. All she could do was pray it would go well.
“Of course not. She'll be thrilled. Dad, Tyler and Heather will too,” JC reassured her. “It will be fine.”
“That's what they all say,” Rachel muttered under her breath as they stepped off to go to their room. She stopped to hug Melissa one more time as her friend and Joey left. “Be good while you're with that guy. I've heard he's one of those guys who can get you in trouble.” She gave a sweet smile to Joey.
“I'm a perfect angel,” Joey said, taking Melissa's bag and heaving it on his shoulder with the other. “Geezus, Bambina. What's in this?”
“Clothes. I didn't know what to bring.”
“So her whole closet is in there,” Rachel told him, patting Joey on the cheek. “Have fun. See you in Orlando.”
“I might be in traction by then,” Joey said, glad when a bellboy came, tossing the bags on the cart. “Thank God. Let's hit it, Bass. We got things to do.”
Melissa nodded, waving bye to Rachel. “Have fun with JC.”
“We're going to tell his family,” Rachel replied making a yikes face.
“At least you're not telling them you're having Chris's alien baby.”
Rachel laughed hard, shaking her head. “That's just wrong, Mel. That would imply I had sex with Chris...I love Chris, just not like that.”
“Damn...that would be one ugly baby. Would look like Chris,” Joey said.
“Yeah, go on. You've ruined the moment for me, Fatone,” Rachel told him, shoving him towards the elevator. “Now I'm gonna have nightmares.”
“Aren't we all,” Joey said, smirking when Melissa giggled. He slipped an arm around her as he fished out car keys. Johnny had their personal cars brought from Orlando to the hotel and he was more than ready to get back home. Slipping on his Oakleys, Joey gave her a smile. “Let's go home, Bambina.”
“Sweet home Orlando,” Melissa cheered as Joey pulled out of the parking lot to head towards the interstate. She was looking forward to the time off and reclaiming some of her Joey time. “What's first on the agenda?” she asked after he'd set the cruise control and reached for her hand.
“Meeting with the real estate agent. We'll get back just in time to meet him at the office. It's Pete Truman...the guy I used to get the house I'm selling,” Joey told her, amazed how easy the conversation was between them once they got started. He'd decided he wasn't letting Melissa go; he wasn't losing her again. Joey had his soul back. He glanced out of the corner of his eye and saw Melissa yawning. “I blame that on you,” his voice got high pitched. “Oh Joey, let's go to the beach at three in the morning. Swim with me, make love to me..”
“Shut up, Fatone! That last part was your idea,” Melissa half yelled, grinning big.
“I didn't hear you griping at all, Bambina.”
“Yeah, well...” Melissa shrugged, squeezing his hand. “You seduced me.”
Joey snorted and gave her a knowing look. “You know damn well it was the other way around. Like any sane guy would resist what you were doing. I was trying to tell you stop.”
“I think there was a 'don't' before the 'stop', Joey.”
“Whatever, Melly. I'll have to tell my Nona you took advantage of me,” Joey said, smirking when Melissa just glared at him before leaning the seat back. He watched her get comfortable and turned the radio down a little. “Hey, Bambina.”
“Yeah?” Melissa opened her eyes to look at Joey, watching him drive.
“I love you.”
She smiled and sighed contentedly. “I love you too.”
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
Rachel squeezed JC's hand and smiled nervously. The closer they'd gotten to his parents house, the quieter she'd become after spending the first hour and a half on the way home discussing how they were going to tell his parents and the possible reactions. It had started off joking and funny and then got serious. Now they were close and she just sat beside JC in silence and tried not to panic. She looked at him and realized he was looking at her as if he was waiting on an answer. “Did you say something, C?”
JC nodded and gestured to the windshield. “I asked if you were ready to go in.” They were sitting in the driveway and had been for a few minutes. He wasn't going to rush Rachel since he was nervous himself. He'd told her that his parents and siblings would be thrilled, but at the same time he didn't want Rachel to stress out even more than she was. JC looked her over, giving her a smile. “Just take a deep breath,” he said, taking one himself, “and remember I love you.”
Rachel returned JC's smile. “I love you too,” she replied, kissing him softly on the lips before getting out of the car. A smile came to her face when the door opened and JC's siblings came out to greet him before he got to the door.
“How are you guys?” JC asked, hugging Heather and then Tyler giving them a grin.
“Good,” Heather replied, giving a look at Rachel. “Rachel, right?” she asked as Rachel nodded, looking at her hand in JC's.
“I sort of brought surprise company,” he told her as they all made their way inside the house. JC didn't want to, but let go of Rachel's hand long enough to greet his parents, accepting their hugs before they spotted Rachel. “I brought Rachel with me, I hope you don't mind,” he told his Mom, suddenly not sure what to say about it all. He knew they knew she and Lance were dating and that they had a lot to explain.
“Of course not, Josh,” Karen Chasez told him, giving Rachel a small smile and noting her smile back. Her eyes flicked to her son and back to Rachel. She decided not to say anything, sure that if something was going on that JC would tell her. “We're glad you could come, dear.”
“Thanks, I've been here before, but it's been a few years. Christmas party, I think.” Rachel had met all of the parents of the guys, but didn't see them near as frequently as she did the Fatone's or the Bass'. She let out a breath and was glad when they were all seated at the table, the conversation going on all around her as they passed food. Rachel's plate wasn't very full and her stomach was already queasy since it was the afternoon.
“Please don't tell me you're dieting,” Heather said, a smile on her face as she pointed a fork full of macaroni salad at Rachel. “If you are, I'm going and buying a bacon cheeseburger and shoving it down your throat.”
Rachel smiled, shaking her head no. “I just have bus lag from being on a traveling bus and everything,”she told the girl, eating some. She got the food swallowed and then sat a minute. She closed her eyes, praying that what she felt like was happening wasn't. “C, where's the restroom?” she asked quietly, swallowing again and getting up.
“I'll show you,” JC replied, getting up as well, leading her quickly to the downstairs bathroom. The door was shut and he heard the fan turn on and sighed heavily. He nearly jumped when he turned to see his mother standing there.
“If she needs anything, get it for her,” Karen told him, watching JC nod and blow out a breath. “What's wrong?” she asked him, frowning when she heard Rachel heave again.
Rachel got sick and then flushed the toilet, rinsing her mouth and getting a drink of water from a disposable plastic cup. She dug into her pocket and produced a breath mint. It made her stomach settle some and she prayed it would get her through lunch, even though she doubted she'd eat anything until later that night.
“Nothing's 'wrong' per se...” JC's voice trailed off. “We should have talked before lunch...” he was relieved when Rachel opened the door, looking slightly pale. JC turned to her, his eyes full of worry.
“I'm fine, JC,” she told him quietly, looking at Karen. “Did you tell her yet?” she asked him, hearing him say no.
“We're having a baby. Rachel and I have been dating for a few months and um..we just recently found out the good news,” JC said, pulling Rachel to him.
Karen teared up, hugging them both. “I think lunch can wait,” she said, hugging Rachel once more as she wiped tears. “How far along are you?”
“Almost six weeks,” Rachel told her before they went back toward the dining room. She sucked in a breath when she felt JC squeeze her hand. The other people that had been left sitting at the table looked up expectantly.
“JC and Rachel have something they would like to tell you,” Karen said after a few minutes of silence and seeing her oldest son pale a bit.
“I..I mean, Rachel..We're having a baby,” JC told them, giving them a smile.
“Really?” Heather looked at them, surprised.
“No way!” Tyler said, shaking his head.
A small smile crossed Roy Chasez's face as he looked at the young couple that looked scared to death and relieved at the same time. He could imagine they were thinking they would be coming into a firing squad. “Well, when did all this come about?” he asked, pushing his plate away. He could see they were not going to eat anymore since this news superceded eating. “I mean, the last thing we heard was that Rachel was dating Lance.”
“Well, that's a whole different story, but we can just tell you our side of it,” Rachel said, letting herself be led into the den after accepting the offer from Karen for some hot tea. She sat on the loveseat next to JC and clasped his hand tightly.
“Rachel and I started having feelings for one another around Thanksgiving. We didn't act on any of those feelings because Lance and Rachel were a couple and we didn't want anyone to know...” his voice trailed off. Lance being gay was part of the story but he didn't feel like he needed that to come out right then. He knew the parents all talked, but still. JC would keep that to himself. “Then New Year's rolled around and the whole fiasco with Joey and Melissa that Kristen orchestrated.”
Between JC and Rachel, the story fell into place. Nothing was said about Lance's sexuality, just that they'd not wanted anyone to know especially when they realized how much Kristen could make them miserable if she knew. When it was done, they both just sat there, waiting for more questions and reactions.
“My only question is what are your plans with each other?” Roy asked, watching them smile.
“I haven't proposed yet, but we want to get married. I told Rachel she could choose when, either before the baby is born or after,” JC told him. “We haven't told her family yet, so that's going to come sometime soon. And we aren't ready for it to go public, so if you could keep it to yourselves until we let you know, that would be appreciated.”
“I think I want to be married before the baby is born. I have to make a doctor's appointment now that I'm home for a bit,” Rachel told them. “We want to keep this out of the media as much as possible. If we have a wedding, I think we'd both prefer a private ceremony. Family and close friends only... I don't want it to be a circus. JC and I both have enough of that without adding the drama of what is going on now.”
“I think that's a wise decision,” Karen declared softly. “How do you two feel about being parents?”
“Terrified,” JC admitted, giving Rachel a small smile. “Terrified and excited.”
“That pretty much sums it up perfectly,” Rachel said. She felt better than she had the rest of the day now that the news was out to JC's family and no one's head was being cut off. “I was just so worried that you would be mad at me or JC,” she whispered, wiping a tear quickly.
Roy grabbed a kleenex box and handed it to JC to hand to her. “Why would we be mad at the news of a grandchild?” he asked, watching her shrug and dab her eyes as JC hugged her. “You two clearly love one another...and even if we weren't thrilled about the timing, which doesn't matter one way or the other to a baby, it's not up to us. Some of the greatest blessings are the things you don't plan.”
Author's Chapter Notes:
2 chapters in one night. I love you guys for reading. Thank you for sticking with this story.
Story Tags: joey
