Melissa found herself buried in boxes later after showering following her afternoon delight. Her eyes drifted toward the counter and she giggled think about what had taken place. She was going to have a hard time looking at the counter without thinking of her sitting on top of it with Joey buried deep in her.
Breaking down an empty box, she stacked it with the other empty boxes. She found instead of tossing the empty boxes out of her way, if she broke them down it gave her more room and looked like she did a lot more. With the boxes gone you could tell a difference. It actually looked like she was making some headway.
Moving sucked. She hated unpacking boxes and putting things away. It was tedious and seemed never ending. There was always another box to put away. With two houses converging into one, there were twice as many boxes. It was also very boring. She was stuck in the kitchen unpacking while Joey was tackling the living room. That room was the worse because boxes just sort of ended up in there off the truck. If the movers didn't know where to put it, they just stacked them into the living room. So Joey sat about going through the boxes and putting them in the rooms they were supposed to be in.
She had a goal of wanting the kitchen and living room somewhat unpacked. Any other room can wait. There was no rush. But they needed the kitchen and the living room of course where they could collapse after killing themselves unpacking. She preferred not to collapse on a couch still encased in saran wrap. Though, the saran wrap would certainly protect the fabric from certain...spills.
She needed a distraction. Something to take her mind off her earlier...activities. She reached for her cell phone on the bar intending to call Rachel to see if she wanted to come over before she remembered that her best friend was also in the middle of unpacking. Not to mention Rachel was also pregnant, battling morning sickness and going through a family crisis. Melissa still couldn't wrap her head around the fact that Jack Weatherly had offered both Rachel and JC twenty million dollars each to end their relationship.
'God, twenty million dollars,' Melissa thought shaking her head. Just to stop seeing someone. It was absolutely crazy. There was no amount of money she would accept to end her relationship with Joey. Not now, after they were finally back together were they belonged and not even before all the mess went down with Kristen. She didn't envy her friend's family problems a bit but was happy that Celeste seemed to come around, breaking the uptight Hampton mold.
"You look deep in thought."
Melissa started turning away from the kitchen window she'd been staring out unseeing. She whirled around see Joey walk into the kitchen. "How long have you been there?"
"A few minutes," he opened up the refrigerator and grabbed a bottle of water. He was hot. Give him a hundred degree warehouse with no air conditioner and ten hours of nonstop rehearsal any day over logging boxes from room to room, bending and straightening. He took a long gulp of the cold water. "Whatcha thinking about?" He asked leaning his hip against the counter. The entire counter space, including the island was covering with all the cooking paraphernalia, pots, pans, silverware, toaster, blender, dish towels, spices.
"Was thinking about what I would do with the money if my grandfather offered me a cool twenty million to dump you," she teased as she opened a drawer, sticking the silverware container inside. In the drawer beneath, she started tossing in the cooking utensils.
"Oh yeah," Joey arched an eyebrow. "What would you do Mel?"
"Hire someone to unpack all this crap while I sit outside by the pool while a good looking boy with rock hard abs, cut hips and shorts resting low on his hips serves me strawberry daiquiris."
"Please," he rolled his eyes. "If you're gonna lie to me at least make it believable."
"What about that is not believable?"
"Rock hard abs. Cut hips. You know damn well that is not the type of man you prefer. You and I both know you like a man with a little meat on his bones," he motioned toward himself. "A little cushion for the pushing."
"Mmmm," Melissa closed her eyes, a smile toying at her lips. "Forget Mr. Needs-To-Eat-A-Sandwich, he's Rachel's type anyway. Bring me a big ole burly man. Oh yeah..." She felt the air change around her seconds before she was drawn into a bone crushing hug and a claim-staking kiss.
"Damn right you want a big, burly man with meat on his bones," Joey muttered against her lips. "You know you lust after my body."
"Oh baby, baby," Melissa cooed. "Your body makes me so hot," she slid her hands around Joey's waist, slipping them into the back pockets of his jeans. She cupped his ass pulling him against her. "Just so you know I love your big ole butt. The thought of making love with someone like JC doesn't," she shook her head. "Doesn't do a thing for me."
"Think of about making love with JC often huh?" Joey teased. He reached up brushing a strand of hair from Melissa's face, tucking it behind her ear. "Just wait until I tell him."
"I can't get past not having anything to grab on to," she emphasized the words with a squeeze of her hands.
"So, have you earned another break?" Joey wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.
Melissa's laughed echoed in the room. "You're a horn dog." She pushed him away and slipped from his arms. "No more play time. We have work to do. You Mister need to get back in the living room and start empty boxes. And," she called, causing Joey to stop as he walked from the room. "Actually put the stuff away instead of just emptying the boxes."
"Damn," Joey muttered. "Slave driver."
"Faster you clear the boxes out the faster we can christen the living room," she giggled when Joey ran from the room. She turned back to the counter and started putting the drinking glasses away.
"Just so we're clear," Joey stuck his head back in. "You wouldn't dump me for twenty million, right?"
Melissa rolled her eyes as she looked at him. "Fatone, I wouldn't dump you five bucks."
Joey worked diligently in the living room, keeping a steady pace of unpacking boxes, breaking them down and clearing away the trash. The living room was slowly taking shape. It hadn't been long after he left the kitchen when he heard a radio start playing. When he heard Melissa's voice sing along, he shook his head. His heart was light and happy as he moved about the room, mixing both his things and Melissa's. He felt completely different now than he did a month ago. He started singing along to the radio under his breath.
When his stomach rumbled he looked at the time realizing they had worked right through lunch. He wondered if he could persuade Melissa to take a break. They had to eat and there was no law that said they had to get completely unpacked today. There was definitely no hurry. They had all the time in the world. Well... at least until they went back on tour, which he didn't want to think about just yet. He wanted to concentrate on spending time with Melissa and getting their relationship back to where it's supposed to be.
His cell phone rang in his pocket and he placed the framed photograph of Melissa and Lance he had just pulled from the box up on the entertainment center. By the third ring, he finally pulled the device from his pocket. When he saw the caller ID and braced himself. "Hello?"
"Hey Joey, Skip here," the lawyers voice came through the line. Joey found himself picking apart the man's tone. Did he sound happy? That meant something good. Or was it a fake happy and he was about to break some bad news. "How are you?"
"Good, good," Joey answered, keeping his tone light. His body had tensed and he waited; waited for the shoe to drop. "Just unpacking. Boxes everywhere."
"I hear ya, man," Skip's laughter was light and airy. "I don't envy you one bit. Last time I moved, I lost half my stuff. While I wasn't looking, the wife was slipping stuff out the backdoor to donate." When the laughter died, Skip got down to business. "I have news for you."
"Should I sit down?"
"No-no; not at all," Ship laughed and Joey felt himself start to relax. "I'm calling to inform you that you are a free man."
"I'm a free man?" Joey repeated dumbly.
"Yes. The judge signed the paperwork; your divorce is finalized."
Joey let an excited whoop. The final chain on his heart broke and fell away. There was nothing connecting to his previous life. He could finally box up this hellish year lock it in the 'never-to-be-opened' section of his heart and forget about it. He was finally free.
"What on earth is going on in here?"
Joey quickly finished up his conversation with Skip before shoving his phone back in his pocket. He grabbed Melissa in his arms and twirled them around the room sidestepping around boxes and furniture.
"What's gotten in to you?" Melissa laughed as he spun her away from him before pulled her back to him. "Did you find my stash of pot?"
"You have a stash of pot?" Joey asked staring down at his love. He couldn't keep the smile from his face.
"Judging by how weird you're acting I'd say not anymore," she teased. "Who was on the phone?"
"The bearer of some very good news!' Joey grinned. "My divorce is final. I am, according to the lovely state of Florida, a free man!"
"How free?" Melissa narrowed her eyes at him. Her heart pounded in her chest at Joey's words. He was officially divorced. Kristen was no longer a part of their loves. They can finally finally move on!
"Not free at all." He quickly amended. "Not one bit. I am one hundred percent taken. By you, always by you, forever by you." He leaned down a kissed her gently. He wrapped his arms around her giving a content sigh when she laid her head on his chest. This was life. "I think this calls for a celebration."
"What did you have in mind?" Melissa asked, leaning back in his arms so she could stare into his face. She trailed her hands up his chest palming his cheeks; her thumbs running over the goatee framing his mouth. "A public celebration or something a little more private?"
"Well..." he trailed off in thought, "A private celebration sounds real nice."
"We have all night for that," she smiled at him. "What did you really have in mind?"
"I don't know; I'm can't get past a private celebration," he ran his hands up and down her back. "We can go to the bedroom where the bed is made and we can forget about all these boxes out here. Celebrate the start of our life.”
Melissa rolled her eyes playfully. "Focus Joey, if you can," she smiled. "Now... celebrate."
"Celebrate."
"Where did you want to go?" Melissa watched as Joey stared off, trying to think for a moment before grinning widely at her.
"Upstairs."
Melissa groaned. "You have a one track mind." Her eyes narrowed as he grinned at her. "Stop messing with me or we will never go upstairs again."
"That's okay," Joey grinned. "You proved this morning we don't need to go upstairs." A blush swept across her face deepening his grin. "I love it when you get riled," he placed a chaste kiss on her lips. "I was thinking of calling the guys see if they wanted to go out. We'll hit up Tabu or something like that. We'll drink and dance the night away celebrating my non freedom."
"You want to go out? With the guys?" She raised her eyebrow at him. "The same guys whom you just got off tour with? Whom you've tripped over for the past few months being cooped up on the tour buses and in hotels?"
"Well... yeah," Joey said sheepishly. "And it's not like I can get away from them if I wanted to. You're Lance's sister."
"True." Melissa shook her head. "Okay. But a club? I don't think Rachel will be up for that."
"She can come, party hard - non alcoholic drinks of course - and forget about her messed up family. Of course she won't be able to hang all over JC which judging from yesterday will be hard for them to keep their hands to themselves."
"Like you don't have wandering hands."
Joey hummed. "But I'm allowed to touch you." To prove his point, his hands moved down her back over her behind, where he was sure to squeeze, before settling on her hips. "So let's call them up; celebrate my divorce, our new start and JC's impending fatherhood. The last one quietly of course. If everyone is busy, we'll stay here and have our own celebration."
"Alright. You call Chris and Justin. I'll call Rachel and Lance." She pulled away from Joey thinking it would be nice to have a fun night out with 'the gang' again. Aside from minor Weatherly drama, everyone was pretty damn happy for a change. That in itself was cause to celebrate.
Author's Chapter Notes:
The second part of this chapter. Enjoy.
Story Tags: joey
