Kelsey hated flying out of JFK more than any other airport in the world. Unfortunately, it was the only airport JetBlue flew out of en route to Savannah. It also was leaving at 2pm and that would give her time to get Beckett ready and out the door, arriving to the airport at 11:30. She hated security and knew that the lines at JFK were no joke.

Beckett stood in front of her in the security line, engrossed in a game on his phone. The line was inching slowly along and Kelsey nervously tapped at her phone to see the gate number again. She knew the concourse was filled with restaurants and for that she could be grateful. She’d been dreading this trip more than she cared to admit. For one, she hadn’t been back to her hometown in almost two years. The last time had been to see her best friend, Sarah Kate Doherty-Dingle, after she’d had her son, Wyn.

And of course the other reason being she was not so much looking forward to being at her ex-husband’s wedding. Not because she still wanted to be with him - she’d crossed him off years ago - but because she didn’t know if she could really take his nuptials to someone like Tinsley Shackelford seriously.

It took nearly 45 minutes for Kelsey and Beckett to pass through the security check and find their gate. Beckett had already mentioned he was hungry at least five times and Kelsey was grateful they’d stumbled upon a Chili’s across from their gate.

“We have about an hour before we board. Want to grab something to eat?” Kelsey was asking Beckett but he’d already beat her to the hostess stand.

“Two?” The hostess looked from Beckett to Kelsey and Kelsey nodded. They followed the hostess to a table conveniently looking in the direction of their gate.

After they’d ordered -fish tacos for Kelsey and a cheeseburger for Beckett - Kelsey let Beckett play on his phone while she finished up a few emails and texts to her manager and the production company in charge of the Chris Pratt movie. The table read for the movie was taking place at a soundstage in New Jersey, but the initial filming of the movie was going to be in Krakow, Prague, and Budapest. This would be when Beckett was out in L.A. with JC and Tinsley. She shuddered inwardly at the thought of her son spending time with that incessant twit. She only prayed he’d come back to her without a crush on his new stepmother.

“What time do we land?” Beckett asked, not looking up from his phone.

“Around 5:30ish.” Kelsey answered and double-checked her ticket. She and Beckett were seated in the front of the plane and were in the first zone to board. She liked it this way, especially traveling with her son.

“Is Dad gonna meet us at the airport?” It seemed so natural for Beckett to think that this was going to happen. Of course JC wasn’t going to meet them at the airport. Kelsey had been given instructions to meet a driver downstairs at baggage claim. He would be holding a sign up with Kelsey and Beckett’s name on it.

“He can’t, babe. He’ll meet us for dinner tonight.” Kelsey couldn’t believe all of this was really happening. JC and Tinsley were meeting Beckett and Kelsey for dinner at a restaurant in City Market. It had been Kelsey’s old hang out in high school and she’d texted Sarah Kate and asked if it was still as popular.

“Yes….because now we can drink legally there,” had been Sarah Kate’s answer.

Kelsey sighed and tried not to show the unbelief on her face that this moment had finally come and that she and Beckett would board a plane in a little over an hour to fly to her hometown for her ex-husband’s wedding.

~

Aria trailed behind Sabrina as they made their way to the gate. Sabrina had booked this flight specifically because it was an afternoon flight and both she and Aria could sleep in that morning. It also got in at a decent time of day and JC had assured her they’d be at the hotel in time to meet him and Tinsley for dinner.

Sabrina had been wondering how that would even pan out. Sitting across from her ex-husband with their daughter and his new bride-to-be. She couldn’t help but wonder if Tinsley would be able to carry on an adult conversation. She brushed it aside and tried to find two seats at the gate together.

Aria plopped down next to her mother and chuckled as she typed furiously on her phone. Sabrina couldn’t help but be curious about that. Aria hadn’t told her of any new boyfriends or crushes lately but the way Aria was smiling at her phone, she wondered if there was a new boy on the horizon.

“What are you giggling at, girl?” Sabrina nudged her daughter, who blushed as she looked up at her mother.

“You know that guy Gage Matthews? He was a senior this year Dalton and he got an acting gig on some new show that’s filming in Jersey. Anyway, so like he’s been messaging me on Snap and he’s just really funny.” By Aria’s reply, Sabrina knew her daughter had a crush. She hated to meddle and besides, Gage was gone from Dalton now and Sabrina was busy with dance. She couldn’t imagine it really going anywhere.

“Cool.” Sabrina knew not to be too realistic with Aria. Besides, what harm could a little summer romance be? “Does he know you’re going to be in Savannah…” Sabrina trailed off when she looked over and saw Kelsey and Beckett walking right beside their gate. At that moment, Beckett looked over and spotted his sister.

“Sissy!” In seconds he was jumping into Aria’s lap and Kelsey was standing behind him awkwardly smiling at Sabrina.

Fuck was what Sabrina wanted to blurt out loud. “Hi, guys,” was what she said instead. She stood and smiled cordially at Kelsey. “Are you on this flight, too?”

Kelsey looked nearly horrified or so Sabrina thought. She nodded and Sabrina felt as if she was smiling like The Joker because she didn’t know what else to do.

“You’re on our flight?” Aria looked at Kelsey and then back at Sabrina. “Where are you sitting?”

“Uhm…” Kelsey pulled out her phone to check her seat. “Row 1 Seats A and B. What about you?”

Sabrina cringed, knowing exactly where she and Aria were sitting. “Row 1. C and D.”

“What are the odds!” Kelsey laughed nervously and tugged at a piece of her hair, a habit Sabrina knew she had when she was out of sorts. She couldn’t help but inwardly gloat that she still made Kelsey nervous.

~

Kelsey wanted to throw up. Of all the flights from New York City to Savannah, Georgia, she had managed to book the very same one as Sabrina Victor. They were boarding in the same zone and sitting right across from each other. At the very least, she knew the kids could sit on the aisles and let Kelsey and Sabrina have the window. That was something. As was the fact that Kelsey planned on having alcohol as soon as they started serving in-flight snacks.

It was in situations like this that Kelsey knew she should have control. She knew Aria like her own daughter and Beckett was Aria’s little brother. Sabrina had only been around them a handful of times, but Aria still came over regularly. But she still felt very out of control like she always did when Sabrina was around. Even if she’d stolen Sabrina’s husband, Kelsey still felt like Sabrina would trump her every single time. Hell, her last name was “Victor” for goodness sake.

“Hey, is Dad sending you guys a driver to get you from the airport?” Aria broke Kelsey’s concentration.

“Yes. Some guy named George is picking us up in baggage claim.” Kelsey continued walking down the jet bridge. She was in front of Beckett, who was walking beside Aria. Sabrina trailed them.

“George?” She heard Sabrina croak from behind.

Kelsey stopped and turned around, nodding at Sabrina. “Yeah. Is he getting you, too?”

“Yep.” Sabrina didn’t look at Kelsey and the four continued walking until they stepped onto the plane. They were seated almost immediately and Kelsey had never been more grateful for On Demand on JetBlue than she was right now.

“Hey, Mom!” Beckett tugged at Kelsey’s sleeve as she was digging in her purse trying to find her earbuds.

“What?” Kelsey glanced at him and pulled out her earbuds as well as the script for her movie.

“Aria and Sabrina are riding with us to the hotel!” Beckett was beaming from ear to ear. Of course he was. He loved his sister and had no idea that her mother couldn’t stand being in the same room with his mother, much less the backseat of a car.

“Fun.” Kelsey forced a smile and sat back in her seat, earbuds in her ears and her script turned to the first page.

This was going to be the longest two and a half hour flight in the world.

~

Sabrina had glanced over at Kelsey from time to time during the flight. From her vantage point, she had a great view of her pretending to read what looked to be a script and sipping on white wine. It had to have been her third glass by now. Sabrina didn’t really blame her. She’d just downed a third glass herself and was feeling a nice little buzz. She knew she didn’t need a fourth because Sabrina drunk in front of Kelsey would not be a pretty sight and the last thing this wedding needed was a scene caused by the two ex-wives. The new wife was going to be causing enough scenes as it was.

“Mom, you can’t just talk to her?” Aria was whispering to her mother. Her face was furrowed in exasperation and her eyes squinting up at her, reminding Sabrina of Aria’s father. He’d made that face plenty of times.

“I talked to her!” Sabrina retorted and was thankful for the hum of the plane, the ear buds in both Kelsey’s and Beckett’s ears, and the distance between them both.

“Barely.” Aria rolled her eyes. “I would think you’d be on the same side this time. It’s not like Dad’s marrying someone you really have to worry about comparing yourself to. Did you know she barely finished her college degree?”

“Aria…” Sabrina wanted her daughter to stop talking but at the same time was intrigued. She didn’t want to urge on the gossip of her future stepmother, but she also was curious. “How did you find that out?”

“I read some interview by a friend of hers from college who said she had barely graduated but her dad paid the school off or something.” Aria said this as though it weren’t a big deal.

“I find that hard to believe, honey. She went to a huge state school. They’re not really likely to take people’s money like that.” And Sabrina knew she was right. Even though she wanted to believe the story Aria was telling her. Not that Sabrina had a collegiate degree. Neither did Kelsey. But Tinsley Shackelford was this new breed of Hollywood that bragged about going to college first. She was proud of her Fashion degree and always made sure to slide it into interviews.

“Well, whatever. Anyway, you and Kelsey have more in common than you think.” Aria sat back in her seat and waited for her mother’s response.

“We have nothing in common.” Sabrina was quick to reply. The one thing they’d had in common had been JC Chasez and now they didn’t even have that.

“Just try, Mom. Okay? Don’t make it weird.” Sabrina felt as if Aria were fussing at her for something she couldn’t help. She would be cordial to Kelsey, but that was it. It had been that way for sixteen years now and she didn’t see it changing anytime soon.

~

The ride from the airport into town had been worse than the flight. The limousine that picked up the foursome was big, but not big enough to where they couldn’t space away from one another. Kelsey and Beckett were sitting in the seat facing the driver and Aria and Sabrina were on either side of them. There was no getting around not talking to each other without making it awkward and so Kelsey tried striking up a conversation with Beckett and Aria in hopes that Sabrina might chime in. She smiled and was somewhat engaged, but barely spoke. At one point, it was dead quiet except for Aria and Beckett whispering back and forth to each other.

“I guess I should have figured we’d all stay at the same hotel when Tinsley said they’d blocked off rooms for everyone.” Kelsey looked over at Sabrina who still had a pursed smile plastered on her face.

“I guess so,” said Sabrina.

“The Marshall House is nice. My friend Sarah Kate had her wedding reception there.” Kelsey was trying to engage Sabrina but all Sabrina did was nod and smile. She cleared her throat. “And City Market will be fun to eat in. I think the kids will-”

“Wait.” Sabrina interrupted her. “Are you and Beckett going to dinner with Tinsley and JC, too?”

Kelsey nodded slowly. “I just assumed after we were all picked up together that we were all going to eat together. Guess I was right?” It was a question, not a statement.

“You are.” Sabrina folded her arms and didn’t hide the fact that she was pissed.

Aria looked up at her mother and then over at Kelsey, noticing the obvious tension of which Beckett was oblivious.

“Wow, Dad must want World War 3 on his hands,” Aria muttered but loud enough for both her mother and former stepmother to hear.

“It won’t be World War 3.” Kelsey was saying this to Sabrina, who relented because she said, “No, it won’t.”

~

Sabrina was lying on her bed in the hotel room watching Aria put on her make-up. They had arrived at the hotel at 6:30 and had just enough time to change before meeting JC and Tinsley downstairs. They were walking to the restaurant, which was only about a ten minute walk according to what Kelsey had told Aria.

“Mom, you’re not gonna be weird at dinner are you?” Aria asked through the mirror.

“Of course not!” Sabrina replied and let out a sigh. “Oh honey, I’m sorry. I was trying with Kelsey, I really was. I just-” she stopped mid-sentence when she saw Aria’s look of disapproval. “Fine. I’ll try harder.”

Sabrina rolled off the bed and changed out of the long-sleeved t-shirt with the Broadway Dance Center logo and grabbed a simple black t-shirt, accessorizing it with a silver necklace to dress it up.

In a few minutes both she and Aria were waiting in the lobby downstairs when Kelsey and Beckett stepped off the elevator and walked over toward them. She exchanged a sharp smile with Kelsey while Beckett and Aria immediately began chatting between their mothers.

“So...I guess it’s safe to say I’m looking forward to this like I would be a root canal.” Kelsey was the first to break the tension and Sabrina couldn’t help but chuckle at her analogy.

“Yeah. Oh well. It will be over in a few days, right?” Sabrina replied. “I mean tomorrow’s the bridal luncheon, Friday’s the rehearsal dinner, and Saturday’s the wedding. We’ll all be back in New York by Sunday morning.”

Kelsey nodded. “It’s too bad he didn’t just want the kids to go to dinner. I don’t know why he wants all of his wives past and present to be with him.”

“Because he’s Josh. He doesn’t think. To him this is probably some fantastic idea to get everyone together and introduce us to Tinsletown.” Sabrina immediately covered her mouth, hoping neither Aria or Beckett had heard her slip of the tongue. “Sorry. That wasn’t nice.”

Kelsey shrugged and giggled. “It’s a lot nicer than the things I call her,” she muttered to Sabrina.

Sabrina couldn’t help but smile. If only for a few hours, she knew Kelsey was going to be her closest comrade at this dreadful dinner. She was just about to respond to Kelsey’s comment when she looked up and saw him. JC. He was walking to their group, a broad smile on his face. He was wearing dark jeans, a white undershirt, and behind him was a woman in a tight red dress, platinum blonde hair, and a fake smile. Tinsley.

“Dad!” Beckett tore away first and ran into JC’s arms. Aria followed and JC enveloped both of his children in his arms. He kissed each of them and then looked up at Sabrina and Kelsey.

“Hey, guys!” He was addressing all four of them at once. He squeezed Aria and then walked over to both his ex-wives. “Sabi! Kel!” He tried to awkwardly hug each of them and it ended with Sabrina patting his shoulder and Kelsey tapping his arm. Tinsley stood behind him, her arms behind her back and posing as if she was being photographed.

“Hi, Josh.” Sabrina felt as though she’d been forcing smiles all day and seeing JC hadn’t been different. She looked over at Tinsley. “Hi, Tinsley.”

“Oh my god!” Tinsley suddenly thrust herself into their maladroit hug. “Hi! It’s soooo good to meet you guys!” She turned to Kelsey. “And omigod congratulations! We were watching from LA when you won.” Tinsley put her arm through JC’s and pressed herself against him.

“Thank you.” Kelsey was polite and plastered a stoic smile on her face.

“Ready for dinner?” JC looked at all three women and then over at the kids.

“Starving, dad.” Aria broke the mounting tension. JC grinned at his daughter, took Tinsley’s hand, and went over to the kids. The four of them walked ahead of Kelsey and Sabrina.

“I’m going to need a lot of alcohol,” Kelsey mumbled and Sabrina nodded in agreement. This would be the longest dinner of their lives.