"I wish I could go with you," McKenzie sighed, staring out the window as they grew closer to the school.

"Maybe we'll see if Mel and Briahna want to go to the mall on Saturday. We'll shop ‘til we drop." Rachel gave her daughter a quick glance when she gave a less than enthusiastic response at the thought of hanging out at the mall all day with her best friend. "I'm beginning to think you like JC more than me."

"Duh Mom," McKenzie rolled her eyes. "I don't like him more than you."

"Just checking."

"Is JC coming to Colorado?"

"I don't know. I haven't asked him." Rachel hadn't asked him yet because their Colorado Christmas trip was still such a long ways away. She hadn't wanted to plan ahead in their relationship for fear something would happen. It had been foolish on her part. The way she felt for JC... she would move in with him today marry him tomorrow given the opportunity. She was gone.

"Are you going to?"

"Yeah I'm going to."

"Good."

"You really have taken to him." Rachel said as she slowed as she hit the line of cars pulling in to the school for morning drop off. Morning car line flowed pretty quickly.

"Is that bad?" McKenzie asked, looking at her mom.

"No! No sweetie. Not at all." Rachel was quick to say. "Besides... he's pretty taken with you too."

"But of course," McKenzie grinned. "I am amazing."

Rachel laughed. "That you are, Kenz." She spared her daughter a glance as she pulled into the parking lot. "Something on your mind?"

"Do you think it's weird that I like him?"

"Weird? Why on earth would I think it's weird?"

McKenzie shrugged as she unbuckled her seatbelt as her mother drew closer to the drop off point. "What are you doing?" She asked when her mother pulled out of line and into the parking lot and parked in the first available spot. "Mom?"

"Listen to me," Rachel said after she put the vehicle in park and turned to face her daughter. She glanced at the clock on the dash, eyeballing the time. "You know the hardest thing about dating for a parent?"

McKenzie shook her head.

"Finding someone who accepts the fact that you have a child. Who understands there is someone else in my life that I have to put first. Finding someone who will love that child even though they aren't theirs. It doesn't matter how much I like a guy if he doesn't connect with you... if you don't like him... the relationship ends."

"He's come to every single one of my track meets so far..."

"So you don't want him to?"

"No!" McKenzie said quickly. "I want him to come! I like it when he's there. Is it weird that he does? A lot of other parents don't come. And he's not even my dad and he comes."

"That's one of the best parts about dating." Rachel smiled. "Finding the person who does even though he doesn't have to. Kenz, JC wants to come to your track meets. I don't make him come. He wants to. Just like he wants to be at your piano recital and your band concert and all those other million events you fill my calendar up with." She teased, causing McKenzie to laugh.

"A couple girls made a comment and I don't know..."

"Don't let that get to you Kenzi. I told you, people suck. Especially teenage girls. Ignore them. I know it's hard," Rachel added seeing McKenzie open her mouth. "I was a teenage girl once too. And you don't have a brother who became a heartthrob."

"No I'm just the girl who can possibly get them to meet Justin."

"I've met Justin. He ain't nothing to write home about. Besides," she grinned. "You got the best out of them."

"Yeah? Who is that? Uncle Lance? JC? Joey?"

"Yes." Rachel answered with a laugh.

"What about Chris?"

"Only with adult supervision." Rachel chuckled and patted McKenzie's knee. "Don't listen to what anyone says okay? JC's gonna come to everything you have going on if he can make it because that's the type of person he is. If you want to take a million pictures, take them. God knows I love seeing your smiling face without some random SnapChat filter. Though I did love the photo of you, JC, and Tyler with the mouse filter. Hey," she stopped her daughter from gather her things and climbing from the car. "You make whatever relationship you want with JC, okay? There is no manual. There is no right way. It's what you and JC make it. Personally I think what you guys are building right now is great. I love seeing it."

"Thanks Mom," McKenzie grinned and climbed from the car. She gave her mom a wave and zigzagged through the parking lot to the front of the school. Inside she went to her locker and dropped both her school bag and her track bag at her feet as she put in her combination. When it was open, she bent down and unzipped her book bag. Grabbing her agenda, she opened it to the front page where a few photos were paper clipped. Scotch tape sat on the top shelf on her locker for this very reason. Breaking off two pieces she began to tape the new photos in to open spaces. When she was finished, she looked at the inside door of her locker. It was covered in photos of her and Briahna, her and other friends. Her with her mom. Photos of her and Uncle Lance and Michael. Photos of One Direction she had ripped from magazines. Single photos of Harry Styles. Taylor Swift. Unicorns, kittens, and musical notes. Now there was a photo of her and JC from dinner Monday night she had swiped from Karen's Facebook. It was a simple photo of them smiling for the camera. Along the bottom of the photo she had taken a black sharpie and in bubble letters colored in #teamKenC.

Right in the center was the best photo of all though. The selfie she had taken of her, JC, and her mom. She smiled as she looked at it. Grabbing her phone she took a photo of the locker door with the new additions posting it to Facebook before she powered her phone down for the day.

"Hey Kenz."

McKenzie looked up and grinned seeing Briahna. "Hey! Give me a minute." She quickly emptied her book bag out and grabbed the books she needed before shoving her track bag in and slamming the locker closed. "What are you doing on Saturday?" She asked as she fell into step with her best friend.

*~*

 "Hey!" Heather grinned as she pulled open JC's door and greeted Rachel. "We're slow moving today." She stood to the side allowing Rachel to enter. "We're gonna need the biggest cup of coffee we can find."

"Rough night?"

"Longest game of Monopoly ever." Heather explained walking into the kitchen.

"It wouldn't have been the longest game if you had just quit," Tyler said as he took a drink from his coffee cup.

"And lose?" Heather gasped. "Never!"

"Then suffer the consequences."

"The consequences being never being able to play Monopoly again because half the pieces gotten strewn around my living room when you flipped the game off the coffee table and stormed off in a fit." JC said as he walked into the kitchen after hearing the doorbell. He'd been in his room finishing getting dressed. He would have liked to answer the door but he had been slow moving after all the alcohol consumed the night before. He went to Rachel and pulled her into his arms, giving her a kiss. "Hey."

"That's how Monopoly is supposed to end." Heather said.

"Hey," Rachel wrapped her arms around his waist. She gave him a hug.  "We weren't allowed playing Monopoly in our house because that's how the game ended all the time." She said as she broke the hug.

"Please no lovey-dovey shit until I've had more coffee," Heather turned from her brother and his girlfriend to top off her coffee cup.

"I don't know how Drew stays with you." JC asked.

"Leg shackles," Tyler supplied.

"I get new ones each year for Christmas." Drew sent Heather a wink.

"They go perfect with her whip," Tyler quipped as his wife walked into the room.

"You promised you wouldn't tell anyone about the whip!" Sarah gasped. She grinned seeing Tyler blush.

"There should be a viewer distraction advised warning with you guys." Rachel laughed.

"Please," Drew rolled his eyes. "This conversation is nothing compared to the one that's gonna happen as soon as you guys climb in that car."

"Like your conversation is gonna be G-rated when we leave." Heather chuckled.

"Oh yeah," Sarah laughed. "The moment we walk out that door the house will be filled with vulgar stories, crass jokes. How big it is. How many times you've scored. Who you did it with and where."

"Don't forget the number will be inflated as per usual."

"There no inflation going on with me," Drew grinned causing his wife to laugh.

"I need coffee." JC said, interrupting the conversation. "Do you want a cup?" He asked Rachel.

"Please."

"So how was the carpool line?"

"Kenzi had an issue this morning. She's still trying to work some things out."

"What's going on? Is she okay?" JC turned around at Rachel's statements.

"Yeah, I think so. I think the issue this morning had to do with teenage girl drama."

Heather groaned. "Oh I hate teenage girl drama."

"You always had a lot of it." JC teased. He wanted to continue questioning Rachel about what had happened with McKenzie. He didn't want them to backtrack on the ground they had made. He wanted to make sure they continued moving forward.

"A lot of it had to do with you, Mouseketeer." Heather made a face at JC. "A lot of my friends were only my friends because they wanted to meet you."

"Kenzi's had to deal with that a little bit when we moved here. Thankfully it wasn't too bad. It helped that Briahna already went to the same school. Eased the whole NSYNC thing. Also helped that Kenzi doesn't even know Justin. She doesn't remember meeting him. Apparently being Lance's niece must mean hanging out with him constantly." She rolled her eyes. "So glad I was out of school before they blew up in the United States. I can't imagine what it would have been like if I had been in high school in 2000. Probably completely miserable."

"I bet it would have been awesome." Drew grinned.

"Oh yeah. For a guy. All the girls who would sleep with you to get closer to the brother who was in a boyband." Heather held her coffee cup in one hand while she scrolled on Facebook. "You couldn't pay me enough to go back to high school."

"Oh hell no," Sarah agreed. "The drama. The backstabbing. The cliques."

"Sounds like Thanksgiving at your house." Tyler grinned as everyone burst out laughing.

"Look at that JC, you made Kenzi's locker at school." Heather  slide her phone across the kitchen island toward her brother.

JC snatched the phone from the counter and held it up seeing the photo of the inside of a school locker. It was a college of photos. He grinned seeing the photo of him with McKenzie and Rachel. The photo was currently the background on his phone and had been since McKenzie had sent it to him Monday night.

"Not the first time C's graced the inside of a teenager's locker."

"Probably the first time in about ten years though," Tyler laughed as he looked at the screen over JC's shoulder.

"Probably not the first time he's graced a Bass locker." Heather glanced at Rachel with a sly look.

Rachel laughed. "He didn't grace mine in high school."

"Who'd you hang up in your locker?" Tyler asked, grinning when he saw Rachel blush. "This outta be good."

"I put a lot of people in my locker at school."

"Like who?" JC asked, interested at the new piece of information about Rachel before he had truly known her.

"Luke Perry."

"Well of course," Heather stated. "Every girl in the 90s had him hanging in their locker and on their bedroom wall."

"Damon Pampolina."

"Damon?" JC asked, raising an eyebrow. "Seriously?"

Rachel blushed harder. Damon had been on the Mickey Mouse Club with JC. "Joey McIntyre."

"Oh, it was all about Jordan Knight." Heather shook her head.

"JTT."

"Oh yeah," Sarah nodded. "Now you're talking. Zachary Ty Bryan."

"Zach Morris."

"John Stamos." Heather gave a dreamy sigh. "I loved when I was sick and got to stay home from school and he was on General Hospital."

"I wanna get back to Damon," JC interrupted staring at Rachel. "You had Damon in your locker?"

"Tony Lucca too."

"Why not just kick him when he's down?" Tyler laughed.

"You sensing some competition Bro?" Heather grinned.

"I had this huge picture of..."

"Let me guess," Heather interrupted her husband. "Pamela Anderson."

"The entire female cast of Baywatch." Sarah suggested.

"Dude, Kelly Kapowski." Drew said shaking his head. "Of course then Show Girls came out and it was all about Jessie Spano."

"Winnie Cooper. Alyssa Milano."

"Jennie Garth and Shannen Doherty."

"Debbie Gibson and Tiffany."

"If McKenzie was standing here right now, she would be asking who we were talking about." Rachel laughed. "She'd be completely lost."

"You gotta introduce her to Home Improvement and Saved By The Bell!"

"Show her a teenage JC on Mickey Mouse Club."

"She's already seen every video of JC on that show." That she was sure of. Before she knew McKenzie's ulterior motive, she had asked a lot of questions. She knew she was watching old videos on YouTube. Had thought McKenzie was just checking out the new person.

"And she still likes him? Even with that hair cut?" Tyler reached out and ruffled his brother's hair only to have JC slap his hand away.

"Jealous?" JC grinned.

"Tyler hasn't seen that much hair since he was five." Heather laughed. "That's when his started thinning."

"Fuck off." Tyler slapped his sister's hand away as she rubbed the stubble on his head from his buzz cut.

"I don't even have to see the photo Kenzi posted to know her locker is probably covered from top to bottom in One Direction. Harry Styles specifically."

"The next generation of boy band crazies." Heather said remembering what it was alike when her brother was at the top and in the middle of the pandemonium.

"Aren't they on tour?" Sarah asked. "You taking her to see them?"

Rachel nodded. "I lost the coin toss with Joey. I wouldn't be surprised if he rigged it. He took the girls to see them last year. Melissa and I stayed home and drank wine. Thanking God it was Joey there instead."

"What's wrong with One Direction?"

"Nothing. It's the thousands and thousands of screaming girls."

"You should be used to screaming girls."

"Somehow it's different on this side. Don't ask me how."

"Because you're old." Tyler laughed and dodged his wife's swat.

"That's probably it." Rachel laughed. "But Mel and I are gonna relive our late teens and party it up in Vegas Memorial Day weekend. We're gonna find our inner teen fan girls that have been shoved away due to motherhood and adult responsibilities and release them at the Backstreet Boys concert. Where we may or may not rush the stage and tackle Nick Carter."

"Maybe I should come and chaperone."

Rachel laughed at JC's remark though it did have promise. A short weekend in Vegas with JC had great appeal. Being together for three days and two nights. Sharing a room. She grinned at him as she thought of the possibilities.

"Get a room," Heather said as she dumped the rest of her coffee in the sink.

"I'm thinking about it." Rachel hid her grin behind her coffee cup as she finished it off.

"Alright," Heather announced. "Think about a room later. You have a date with us girls today. No boys allowed."

"Pity." Rachel eyes JC up and down.

"Keep it up and I'm getting the hose." Heather drawled. She took Rachel's coffee cup and put it in the sink. "Time to go. We only have so many hours."

"Just send an SOS if Heather gets to be too much," JC said as he pulled Rachel to him as Heather and Sarah grabbed their purses and said goodbye to their husbands.

"We won't rescue you, but you can send one." Drew laughed.

"Don't let her drive." JC told Rachel with a chuckle.

"Fuck off JC. I'm a great driver."

"Maybe I'll see you before I head back home." Rachel pressed her lips to his in a soft kiss.

"Count on it." JC whispered kissing her again.

"You'd be in my locker now." Rachel sent him a wink as she pulled away.

"I can drive you know," Heather said as she climbed into the passenger seat of Rachel's car. Sarah climbed in the back.

"It's easier if I drive. I know where everything is." Rachel started the car and pulled away from JC's house. "You can still yell at drivers and give the bird."

"Don't give her that permission." Sarah said. "She's gonna do that now."

"Don't worry. It happens all the time here. People just think it's a greeting now."

"You should hit up Victoria's Secret." Sarah said later as they came upon the store. They were already loaded down with bags after hitting up many of the stores including H&M, Macy's, and Bloomingdales. They day had been filled with so many laughs Rachel's stomach hurt.

"Why?"

"So the next time you get some alone time with my brother you make him forget his name." Heather winked and shifted her bags to one hand. She looped her arm through Rachel's and pulled her toward the lingerie store.

"Oh no," Rachel shook her head and tried to stop but Heather just continued to pull her.

"Come on. I know that look in your eye earlier. You were planning on dragging him to Vegas." She grinned triumphantly when Rachel blushed. "Exactly."

"You can find the perfect set to go with that beautiful little black dress we saw at Bloomingdales."

"The perfect pair of heels at Macy's."

"Oh yeah. Add in the smoky eye effect, curls in your hair... JC won't know what hit him." Heather grinned. "He'll be eating out of the palm of your hand."

"He slips that black dress off and see you wearing something..." Sarah paused as she looked at the racks they were standing near. She grinned and pulled the black lacy bra off the rack and held it up in front of her. "Like this," she gave it a little shake.

"Along with these," Heather held up a pair of black lace bikini panties.

"Along with those heels..."

"You'd kill him."

"I don't need all that..." Rachel said. Her face was on fire as she stared at the bra and panty set Heather and Sarah were holding. They were gorgeous.

"We know that," Sarah rolled her eyes. "Men are so damn easy you could be wearing a trash bag and they'd drool."

"Yeah," Heather laughed. "You should know this after all. I bet you wore some pretty enticing stuff for Kenzi's father."

Rachel felt the blood rush from her face at Heather's words. She swallowed roughly as the lunch she had eaten earlier threatened to return.

"Rachel?" Sarah frowned, staring at her friend. "Are you okay?"

"We were just teasing," Heather furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "You don't have to get any of this stuff. My brother is so far gone on you..." She saw Rachel's eyes fill with tears.

Rachel pleaded with her stomach to settle but it still rolled. With panicking eyes, she looked around and spotted the sign for the restrooms. "I...I..." she gave up and dropped her bags, quickly running from the store with a hand of her mouth.

"What happened?" Sarah asked confused.

"I don't know." Heather was just as lost.

"I'm gonna check on her." Sarah left her bags with Heather and quickly went off toward the bathrooms.

Heather picked up all their bags and walked from the store toward the bathrooms. Putting the bags down at her feet she dug out her phone.

‘Is there something going on with Rachel?' Heather sent JC a text. She wondered if the woman could be pregnant. She was certain that if Rachel was, it would be too soon to know based on when she knew she and JC started dating.

‘Well she is voluntarily hanging out with you.'

Heather rolled her eyes at JC's response. ‘I'm serious JC. Is something going on?'

‘Why? What happened?'

‘We were just teasing her and all of a sudden she looked like she was about to throw up. She started crying and rushed into the bathroom.'

Heather groaned when her phone started to ring. "Yes."

"What did you say to her?"

Gone was the teasing light from the first message. JC's voice was serious. Heather sighed. "I don't know. We were just teasing her about you. We've been doing it all day. She was fine. She was laughing. She had hearts in her eyes."

"Then what happened?" JC said slowly.

"We were in Victoria's Secret. We were trying to get her to buy something. We had a whole outfit in mind that was gonna knock you dead. She wasn't sure. We told her to do it. I know she didn't need to get it. She could wear a Mr. Hefty garbage bag and you'd still drool. I just reminded her that she probably wore pretty enticing stuff for McKenzie's father."

"What?" JC whispered feeling himself pale.

"Just because she has a child doesn't mean she has to give up the sexy underwear."

"Please telling me you're joking. That you didn't say that."

"JC what's going on?" Heather looked up and saw Rachel and Sarah coming back down the corridor that led to the bathrooms. Rachel's face was pale and splotchy. Her eyes were wet. Sarah had a comforting arm around her shoulders. "Never mind. Here she comes." She ended the call even as she heard JC squawking in her ear. "Rachel! Are you okay? What's wrong?"

"Sorry guys," Rachel sniffled.

"No, we're sorry," Sarah said. "We were just teasing you about JC. We didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

"Maybe we came on a little too strong." Heather said quickly. She pulled Rachel into a hug. "Come on. Let's sit down." She picked up all the bags and led them into the center of the main walkway where chairs had been set up for shoppers to rest their feet. She knew the benches were mostly used by husbands waiting while their wives shopped.

"I'm sorry." Rachel whispered again, grabbing a tissue Sarah had handed her from her purse.

"You can tell us what's wrong," Sarah said softly from her place next to Rachel. "Maybe we can help."

"If its new relationship jitters, you don't have to worry about it." Heather ignored her ringing phone. "JC is head over heels in love with you. Seriously. I've never seen him like this with anyone."

"It's not... it's not that." Rachel said quietly. Her heart did warm at Heather's declaration. "JC didn't tell you. I thought... I assumed..."

"I don't know if he did tell us or not until you tell me what he supposedly did tell us."

"No. I know he didn't. If he had, you wouldn't have said..."

"I put my foot in my mouth all the time," Heather explained, taking Rachel's hand. "I have a feeling I put both of them in there this time. So far down I can kick my own ass."

"You don't know about McKenzie's father."

Heather shook her head. "No. For the longest time I thought it was JC."

"It's not JC."

"What happened?" Sarah asked.

"I was raped. McKenzie's the result." Rachel's voice was so soft she wasn't certain the women heard her. She hoped they did. She didn't want to repeat it.

"Oh Rachel," Heather's heart clenched and she wrapped the woman in a tight hug. "I am so sorry. So so sorry. I didn't mean what I said. I didn't know. Forgive me."

JC was gonna kill her.

*~*

"JC, calm down." Tyler watched JC pace back and forth near his front door. It took everything he had to get his brother to even come inside instead of waiting in the street.

"I can't calm down Tyler." JC looked at his watch. He'd been on edge since Heather's phone call and it only grew worse when his sister never answered his phone calls.

"What's going on?" Karen asked as she came into the room eying her boys.

"JC's wigging out." Drew supplied completely at a loss. Everything had been fine until Heather had called. The mood had quickly shifted during the phone call. His wife wasn't answering his phone calls and she was going to get an earful when he saw her for whatever she did to her brother and leaving him to deal with it.

"I thought all you were going to do was go to the driving range while the girls shopped?"

"We did. Then Heather called and he's been wigged out ever since." Tyler explained watching JC check his watch again.

"What did Heather say?" Karen asked but Drew and Tyler shrugged. "JC?" She stepped forward and into JC's path, stopping his movements. "What happened?"

"Heather made a stupid comment. I should have told her. But I didn't. I didn't think anyone needed to know. I wasn't sure if it was my place to tell. But I should have told. If I told she would have known and she wouldn't have said it." The words tumbled out quickly.

"Oh dear," Karen said when she realized what JC was talking about. She hadn't told anyone what JC had told her in confidence either. Not even Roy.

"I'm missing something." Tyler looked bath and forth between his mom and his brother. "What don't we need to know?"

Before either JC or Karen could answer, the door opened and Sarah stepped in. Alone.

"Where's Rachel?"

"Outside thinking she's okay to drive back home." Sarah said. "She probably is, but please go and talk to her."

JC bypassed his sister-in-law and walked outside. His movements were quick as he moved down the sidewalk to the gate and out. Rachel was leaning against the side of the car with his sister. They were talking quietly. "Hey."

"Hey," Rachel gave him a small smile. She reached for his hand.

"I'm gonna go make some tea. I bet JC has just the right additive." Heather squeezed Rachel's arms and gave JC a smile before she walked away, leaving the two of them alone.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes...No... Maybe... I don't know." Rachel sighed.

"Come here," JC dropped her hand and pulled her into his arms. He ran a comforting hand down her hair when she laid her head on his chest. "I should have told them. I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I shouldn't have lost it." She sighed and leaned further in to him. "Sure put a damper on our afternoon. I should apologize again to them before heading home."

"Don't leave yet. Come in and stay for a bit." JC checked his watch calculating how much time she would have. "Kenzi's done at 4:30 right?"

"I'm okay, JC. It just caught me off guard."

"Maybe I just don't want you to leave." JC didn't want her to leave. He wanted her to stay with him. He also wanted her to relax a little more before she drove home. He could feel how tense she was. "Come in. Drink the tea Heather put way too much whiskey in. You can tell me more about this Vegas trip and how I can come with so I can make sure you don't tackle Nick Carter."

Rachel lifted her head from his chest and laughed. "My stage rushing days are over. Don't worry. But I wouldn't mind you coming to Vegas. I'll have to ask Mel because Kenzi was gonna stay with Joey. If you come you'll need a friend to come and play with..."

"I was sort of hoping to play with you." JC grinned seeing the blush cover Rachel's face.

"You can play with me the whole time but from seven to eleven on Friday night, I belong to Mel and the Backstreet Boys."

JC laughed and ducked his head to kiss her. "I can live with that."

"Before we go in, I want to ask you something."

"Sure. Shoot."

"I know it's a long ways off and a lot can happen between then and now. And you might not even know what you're doing and..." Lips covered hers stopping her words. Her eyes fluttered close as she let herself be kissed.

"Relax." JC said when her eyes opened to meet his. "A lot can happen between then and now but one thing that won't change is us. I told you. I'm in this."

"Kenzi and I want you to spend Christmas with us in Colorado."

"There is no place else I'd rather be." JC smiled. "I would love to." He leaned forward and kissed her. "I can't wait to see you ski."

"I can't wait to get you beneath a blanket by the fireplace." Rachel saw his eyes darken and she grinned. Maybe she would go back to Victoria's Secret and buy a few sexy bra and panty sets to knock his socks off.