“It’s the first time we’ll see everyone together since all of this,” Mikayla sighed.  “It’ll be nice to not have that tension there anymore.”

“You saw all of them for Lance’s wedding,” Justin said.

“But you weren’t there.  You know people are going to talk about this, right?  All five of you together…”

“He’s turning 40, it’s a big deal.”

“Can I throw a big party when you turn 40?”

“Sure,” Justin laughed lightly.  “Go big or go home, baby.”

“Trust me, I can go big when we get home…”

“Tonight, or after my 40th?”

“Yes,” she smirked.  “Why am I not surprised this is a super casual thing?”

“Because it’s C.  It might be his birthday, but he doesn’t want a big fuss.   You know Eric is pissed it’s not a bigger thing, tons of people…”

“But it’s what he wants.”

“You know Eric, though.  Any chance to show off.”

Justin wore a blue and green plaid button down shirt, Mikayla opting for a matching blue maxi dress and silver sandals.  Her hair was pulled back into a low bun to help keep her cool in the summer heat.

The twins were playing in their playroom, Jackie getting a ‘makeover’ from Barb.  “Be good for Jackie, I know you will,” Mikayla reminded them.  “We’ll be home later tonight after you go to bed.”

“You’re seeing Daddy, right?” Joshy asked.

“Yeah, buddy,” Justin smiled.

“I know we saw him earlier, but tell him we said hi and we love him,” Joshy added.

“Will do,” Mikayla cooed.

“Mommy, you look really pretty,” Barb said.  “I love your sandals!”

“Thanks, sweetheart.  They’re very comfortable, one of my favorite pairs,” Mikayla replied.

The twins gave them hugs and kisses goodbye, Mikayla and Justin heading to the party.  It was at an Italian restaurant, having a more casual JC-esque vibe.  It was dimly lit, feeling more intimate and private, especially given the small number of people there.  The room could easily hold over 100 people, but she knew JC chose quality or quantity.  The people invited to the party were mostly people JC wanted there, save a few people that were there with Eric.

Mikayla lit up when she saw JC near the bar.  He had on a simple black tee, the look super casual but also effortlessly cool and undeniably JC.  He wore his glasses, adding to the hotness factor.  JC and Justin both had a little scruff going on, Mikayla biting her lip at just how good looking they were.

JC looked bored, not wanting to talk with Eric and whoever was with him.  His eyes scanned the room, seeing Justin and Mikayla.  His eyes brightened as he locked eyes with Mikayla, trying to wait for a break in the conversation to step away.

“Excuse me, guys, I need to say hi,” JC said, walking away mid conversation.

He approached Justin and Mikayla, a smile spreading across his face.  “I know I just saw you, but thank you for being here.  This party is better already…”

“How about now?” Joey asked as he, Chris, and Lance walked towards them.

“Got the whole motley crew here,” JC smiled.  “You’re all I needed.”

“Not touching that with a 10 foot pole,” Mikayla laughed.  

The guys looked at her, perplexed.

“Really?  No ‘I Want You Back’ jokes?  You guys are no fun,” she said, pretending to walk away, Justin catching her arm.  

“You look great, Mikayla,” Lance smiled.  “We need to hang out more.”

“Where’s Michael?” Mikayla wondered.

“Getting drinks,” Michael answered, walking back with 2 drinks, Karly flanked alongside him with 2 drinks in her hands.

“Now it’s a party!” Chris shouted.  “Thanks, babe,” he said, kissing Karly on her cheek.

“You’re an old man now, C!” Joey teased.

“You’re next,” JC snapped.  “I don’t feel old, not really.”

“Not what you said this morning,” Mikayla said, not thinking.  The words hit her ears, Justin and JC looking pointedly at her.

“This morning?” Joey wondered.  

“He came downstairs after we went over and made breakfast and cards for him with the kids,” Justin was quick to answer.  

“Yeah, I slept wrong or something last night,” JC added.  “It was nice spending the day with the kids, a little surreal that it’s my reality now.  I’m a dad.”

“Took you long enough, asshole,” Chris jabbed.

“Don’t I know it?” JC sighed.  “Doing my best to be the dad they deserve now, though.”

“They’ve got two great dads, they’re very lucky,” Mikayla smiled.

“It’s great you have things worked out that you guys can spend time together, JC getting to have his own little family and share those moments,” Chris smiled. 

“There’s definitely a good back and forth going on,” Michael chuckled, JC giving him a look. Justin looked questioningly at Mikayla.

“Josh let it slip on Father’s Day.  They know and they’re supportive,” Mikayla whispered. 

Justin dropped the matter, knowing that they were supportive was enough. He was curious if the other guys knew, but that this was not the time and place for that discussion.

Mikayla saw Autumn, turning to greet her.  “Kay, where are you going?” JC asked. 

“Go talk to Autumn, give you guys some space…”

“Kay, you don’t need to hide, not here. Everyone here knows you, this isn’t going to be a scandal.”

“We’ve thought that before, and suddenly I’m out of a job,” she sighed. 

“What?!” Karly gasped. 

“They fired you over this?” Lance asked. 

Mikayla nodded silently, trying to keep it together.  Justin pulled her tight into his arms.  

“I’ll be fine, eventually. It makes being home with Silas easier, I won’t have a rush to go back to work. I can focus on him, being a mom, while I figure out my next move.”

“That still doesn’t seem right,” Chris said.

“I’m still contemplating a lawsuit, though I’m not sure what I want the outcome to be,” Justin admitted.

“I don’t want my job back if they’ve already decided they don’t wanna take the risk.  It’s not worth it.  If they see the error of their ways and offer me my job back, that’s their choice.  I’d rather they want me back than force them to take me back.  Wow, that goes for a lot of things lately, doesn’t it…”

JC and Justin both looked at her, wishing they could say more.  JC looked around for a quieter spot. “Come with me.”

The group followed him to a large but private booth in the corner.  Justin made sure Mikayla sat between him and JC, almost certain what was going to happen next.

“What’s going on?” Joey wondered.

“Lance and Michael already know, so I figure why not get this out there.  I’m back together with Kayla.”

“So you guys are getting a divorce?” Chris asked Justin.

“No,” Mikayla said firmly.  She sighed, readying herself to lay everything on the table.  “I’m still married to Justin, but I’m also sleeping with JC. Think of it like with the twins. It’s an open custody arrangement.  We’re trying to keep things as even as possible so it does feel like one big family.  The twins call both of them Daddy…”

“They’re not the only ones, I’m sure,” Michael teased, Mikayla rolling her eyes at the comment.  

“We’re going to therapy to help keep communication open and not have any hidden feelings.  That’s the only way this is going to work, and we really want it to. I honestly love both of them equally and can’t imagine not having one of them not in my life this way.”

“This is really what you want?” Joey asked the guys.

“I offered to step back and she said no. The offer to step back should this happen was always on the table. As long as she wants me to be part of her life, still be her husband, I’m not going to argue what else comes with it. There are times I’m jealous, but therapy is there to help resolve it before it becomes something more,” Justin said.

“I wasn’t expecting any of this. To find out I’m a dad, and that she wants to be with me, it’s more than I had any right to ask for. I would’ve been happy with being able to see my kids, but having this be part of it is something else,” JC added.

“So you really do have it all, don’t you?” Karly laughed lightly to Mikayla.

“I don’t take it for granted, let’s say that.  I’m very aware this could go any number of ways.  It could ruin either of their careers, like it did mine with the school.  I haven’t seen as much about it since the article leaked about JC being the twins’ dad, but who knows when the fallout will hit.  I also know either or both of them could choose to walk away at any time.  It’s best if I'm not working for a long while, to let things blow over, and to let me focus on the kids.  I wanted to take more time off after the twins, but I felt like I needed to rush back to work.  Now, at least I can do things on my schedule, along with the guys.  As long as Silas isn’t super late, Justin will have some time between when he’s born and the movie premiere and TV appearances and such.”

“I’m not worried about that.  I’ll cancel if I have to, or have Anna do them alone so I can be with you.  I love what I get to do for work, but my family is my main priority.  Has been since you passed out at the funeral, once you found out you were having the twins.”

JC felt a twinge of regret, knowing that if he had stayed even 5 minutes longer, he’d have been there when she passed out and could have taken her to the hospital.  He’d have found out he was gonna be a dad, and everything would have been different.  

“Hey,” Mikayla said softly, putting a hand on JC’s thigh.  “It’s ok.  You didn’t know, and I did everything short of shouting it at you in an argument.  We both have things we’d go back and change, but we can’t change any of it, so just be happy and move forward.  Come on, it’s your birthday, let’s go mingle, enjoy the party.”

They all got up from the booth, others coming up to wish JC a happy birthday, making conversation of one type or another.  Some more personal, other being more business minded, some just in passing and casual.  JC was definitely enjoying himself more now that the people he really wanted there for around him.

“Mikayla, how are you?” Autumn said, giving her a hug.  “Glad to hear things are better between you two.”

“You don’t know the half of it,” Mikayla replied.  “I’ll let him tell you, though.”

Autumn pulled Mikayla aside.  “He said he gets to be a dad, something neither of us thought would be a possibility.  I know you had your reasons, but thank you for including him in their lives now.”

“I wanted us to be on even ground, nothing where we were mad at each other.  Every time we saw each other, there was so much anger and hostility, until the last time.”

“You mean the school tour?” Autumn grinned.

“He told you?  Of course he did…”

“Just that he saw you, you smoothed things over.  How did you do that, by the way?  You guys were so mad at each other, how did that resolve itself?”

“You really wanna know?” Mikayla asked carefully.

“Kinda why I asked.  I mean, I know he told me that he saw you at Lance’s wedding, how great you looked, but he knew nothing could happen cuz you were with Justin.”

“He really wanted something to happen that night?”

“Honestly?  Only because Justin wasn't there to stop anything from happening.  Every time you’d run into each other, Justin was there, and he’d be reminded of how betrayed he felt.  Once he saw you without Justin at the wedding, he kicked himself for not even trying to smooth things over.  So I’m curious what happened at the school tour that finally got you two to reconcile?”

“Well, in all honesty, as one of his best friends…  We had sex in my office.  I was half expecting him to walk out the way I had done to him, but he stayed, we talked for a bit, and things went from there.  I wished he’d at least have kissed me or something at Lance's wedding.  Not where people could see, but something to show that he didn't hate me.  It felt awkward, unsure of whether he was being sincere or just being nice because of the situation.  I decided to leave before he could even try, afraid I’d give in to what I was feeling, until realized I couldn’t fight it anymore.  At least when it finally did happen, I was able to go home that night and talk with Justin, instead of it being on the phone after the wedding.  It was a big chunk of time between the wedding and the tour, but my feelings for him were always there.  That’s why Justin offered from the beginning to step back if we ever reconciled.  I think that’s why I didn’t want anything to happen at the wedding, because I don’t know that I would’ve stayed with Justin at that point.  I love him, I’m having his baby, but without that, I just might have taken him up on it.  But after all that time together, I think it would have broken him, and you know how the media would take it.  Even with knowing that the twins are his… To break up the marriage because of your past, I dunno.”

“To be honest, I think he would have felt guilty as hell about splitting up your marriage, as much as everything hurt him.  I’m glad you guys got it out of your system though, now he can move on.”

“That’s not happening,” JC said, wrapping his arms around Mikayla, kissing her cheek.  

“No way… you’re not actually seeing her, are you?  What about Justin?”

“Autumn, it’s ok.  He knows.  We have a system in place.”

“You’re sleeping with another man’s wife!” Autumn whisper yelled.

“He’s ok with it.”

“Well I’m not.  JC, this is wrong.  Just think of what could happen to any of you…”

“Kayla and I have both been removed from affiliation with the school beyond being parents of the twins that attend there,” JC said.

“See!  This is EXACTLY why you don’t do this shit!”

“No one else cares, Autumn.  But please, be louder so that everyone will know that we’re in a triangle…”

“I knew this would lead to nothing but trouble.  I tried to help you get over her.  I introduced you to some very nice girls, friends of mine I thought you’d like…”

“But none of them were Kay.  I don’t want anyone else.  I’m not ruining a marriage, they are just as strong as they ever were.  Do I wish things were different?  Yes.  But we still love each other, and Justin is ok with that as long as they are still married.  He offered to step back, let us be together, and Kayla said no.  She’s committed to both of us, whether you like it or not.”

“Ok, now I’m feeling uncomfortable,” Autumn said.  “Happy birthday, but don’t come crying to me when this blows up in your face.”  Autumn turned and began to walk away.  

“Autumn, hang on!” JC called after her.  “Please, stay for the party.  Maybe you’ll see just how well things work between the three of us.”

“I don’t need to see THAT much,” Autumn scoffed.

“Ha ha, nothing like that and you know it.  You’re my best friend.  I was going to tell you eventually.”

“I doubt I’d consent to this at any point.”

“I’m not looking for consent, I’m asking for support, understanding.  You were one of the few people on my side of all this that didn’t know I was going to be a dad.  Everyone else as far as some of my closest friends knew, and kept it from me because they knew it wasn’t their place to tell me.  Any of them easily could have said something, and instead supported Mikayla and Justin, whether they thought it was right or wrong.”

“That’s not entirely true,” Autumn said.

“What?” JC asked.

“I knew about the twins.  She called me hoping I could talk some sense into you.”

“You only told me to forget about her, to move on…”

“I did.”

“Hang on.  You KNEW about me being a dad, but kept it from me on purpose?  Not because it wasn’t your place to tell me, but because you didn't want me back with Mikayla, to know my own children?”

 “I hadn’t become a mom yet, I had no sense of what she did for the twins.”

“You're a mom now, and you still kept this from me.  Why?”

“I know she made you happy, but I never liked her, J.  I’m sorry but you deserved better.”

“I didn’t deserve a woman that made me happy?  Had changed my mind on things like marriage and kids?”

“You never actually went through with proposing, even when you had access to the ring whenever you wanted.”

“You could have told me, Autumn.  I know you, you wouldn’t have held back.  If you really wanted me to be happy, you’d have told me she was pregnant with my kids.  You kept me from having everything I wanted and pined over the next 5 years…  You knew she was the only woman I wanted, and you kept me from her, feeding me the lies I’d told myself.”

Mikayla couldn’t stand hearing more, walking away, fighting back tears.  “I think maybe you should leave, Autumn.  If you really care about me, one of my best friends, you’ll support me.  If you can’t do that, then maybe we aren’t the friends I thought we were.”

JC turned on his heels and followed Mikayla back through the restaurant, staying a safe distance behind.  She walked up to Justin, grabbing tightly onto him, Justin having no idea what was wrong but comforting her nonetheless.

Mikayla looked up, seeing JC.  She let go of Justin, walking over to hug him. “I’m sorry, Josh.  Are you ok?”

“I’ll be fine,” he replied, trying to convince himself as much as her.  “If nothing else, it shows me who my true friends are.”

“What happened?” Justin wondered.

“Autumn drama, not worth focusing on right now,” JC said, determined to not let it ruin his birthday.

The party continued on, Mikayla doing visual checks on JC, whether they were in a group talking or across the room.

“C, we need to get a picture of all of us, we don’t get to all be together like we used to,” Justin said. “Kay, take my phone and get some pictures.  Telling you now, gonna post one to Instagram. The fans will love that we’re all together for this.”

Karly and Mikayla looked at each other, knowing just how special this moment truly was. Fans knowing they were together would be a big deal, but hopefully also put any negativity to rest.  

She took Justin’s phone, taking several pictures as people walking by would jump in, wanting one of just the 5 of them. She smiled, knowing they still had each other’s backs, no matter how much time had passed; no matter their differences, they were still brothers, and would be for life.