Chapter 2 : A Long Day At Home

The next morning, Kelsey reached out her arm as she opened her eyes. She was a little surprised to see her husband still lying in bed with her and sleeping away. She glanced at the clock and saw it was 9:15 A.M. Normally, JC would have to be at the studio by now.

"Josh." she said softly tapping his arm. He moved slightly , but didn't awake.

"Josh." she said again much louder and shook his arm more forcefully.

"Whhhaaatt?" he drawled out and wiped his sleepy eyes open.

"Are you not going to the studio today?"

JC turned to look at her and smiled. "Not to Jive, but I am going to work in the basement one. I'll be home all day."

"Really?"

"Yep. So when I take breaks, I can help you with the girls." Kelsey smiled and leaned in to steal a kiss from him.

"Mmm. How do you taste good even in the morning?" Kelsey chuckled.

"It's part of my charm. I don't have nasty morning breath like you. " JC feigned a look of hurt.

"Hey now! Be nice!" Kelsey ran a hand down his cheek.

"I only tease, honey."

"Hmph, whatever." Kelsey chuckled.

"Don't be like that , Josh. You know I love kissing you anytime, anywhere. You're irresistible."

JC smiled. "Is that so?"

"Of course."

JC kissed her and pulled her close to him by putting is arms around her. Kelsey put her arms around him as well as she deepened the kiss. JC moaned and let his tongue enter her mouth as she gave him entrance into it. She moaned feeling his tongue and moved one of her hands to grip into his hair. They continued their French-kissing makeout session for a minute or two before hearing crying.

Kelsey pulled away and tried to catch her breath. "That...that...was...hot."

JC smiled radiantly as if he was a ray of sunshine. "I know. It's like you're my drug, sugar pie. I'm addicted to you."

"Sugar Pie? You haven't called me that in awhile."

"Well you haven't kissed me like that in awhile."

Kelsey chuckled. "Maybe if you grab me and kiss me like that more often, I'll give you the sugar you desire."

"You mean like Pixie Sticks?" JC joked.

Kelsey rolled her eyes. "Very funny."

"I thought so. Yet, believe me you taste even better. You're my sweet and beautiful, sugar pie. I love you Kels."

"I love you too, Josh."

They shared a short peck and smiled at one another. Then Kelsey picked up the baby monitor off of her nightstand.

"Is it Scout?" JC asked.

"Yep. You want to go get her?"

"Sure. I'll go see what she wants."

JC slid out of bed and then walked into Scout's room. He saw her sitting up in her crib and tears streaming down her face. She was still crying and holding on to her blanket.

"Aw, Scout. Don't cry little girl." he said and slowly lifted her out of the crib and into his arms.

"I've got you. It's okay." he cotinued as he soothlingly ran his hand over her little head.

Scout continued crying and JC looked at her sympathetically. He looked around to see if he could figure out if she wanted something. JC noticed her pacifier had fallen out of her crib and slid under it.

"Baby, did you want your pacifier? Is that it?"

He knelt down with her and picked up the pacifier. He wiped it off with the edge of her blanket. Then he put it into her mouth.

The cries stopped and Scout started to suck away on her pacifier. JC smiled and was glad he solved her problem.

"Daddy's smart isn't he?"

"The verdict is still out on that one." Kelsey said walking into the room. JC turned around hearing her smart ass comment.

"Hey now. I found her pacifier and stopped her crying." Kelsey smiled.

"I know. I like teasing you. You're so cute and even cuter when you're holding little Miss Scout here." JC blushed.

"Thanks, honey. Now would you please take her so I can get dressed and head downstairs?"

Kelsey took Scout from him and watched him walk out of the room.

"Daddy is wonderful, isn't he?" Kelsey said looking down at Scout and smiled at her pleased daughter.



JC had thrown on a pair of jeans and an old t-shirt and headed down the stairs. He noticed Samantha was up and sitting at the very bottom step.

"Good morning, Sami." he said and knelt down to kiss her forehead.

"Hi daddy."She said holding her arms up wanting him to take her.

"What were you doing sitting on the step?" JC asked picking her up.

"I wait for you. I wake up and you not down here. So I sit here for you."

JC smiled. "Well I'm up and here now, baby. Let's get you some breakfast before I go work downstairs."

"Okay."

JC walked into the kitchen and then placed Samantha back onto her feet. He opened the fridge and looked to see what was in it.

"You want some orange juice?" he asked. Sami stood right next to him and looked up smiling.

"Yesss." she answered excited over juice.

"Good, I'll give you a glass. Would you like a blueberry muffin too? I think mommy bought some the other day."

"Bwueberry muftin."

"Blueberry muffin." JC repeated with a chuckle.

"Okay, I have juice and muftin."

"Sure thing, Sami." he said and found the container with blueberry muffins. He placed one on a small plate for her.

JC placed a glass of orange juice and the plated muffin for her on the table. He then helped her into her booster seat so she could reach the table.

"Tank you, daddy."Sami smiled and started to pick at her muffin.

"You're welcome, sweetie. Now you drink that juice and eat that muffin. Don't play around."

"Me no pway. Me eat."

JC smiled and then turned around as he heard Kelsey enter the kitchen. She had a now dressed Scout in her arms.

"Hey mommy." Sami said from her spot at the table.

"Kelsey looked and saw her eating. "Daddy gave you breakfast?"

"Yesss."

"That's vey nice of him." Kelsey said and met the twinkle in JC's eyes.

"Well I'm a real nice daddy." JC said on his behalf.

"You are, babe. Now let me prepare a bottle for Scout. Please hold her for a minute."

JC took her from Kelsey and then took a seat in a chair at the island that was in their kitchen.

"Mommy is fixing you a bottle." he said looking at Scout with her pacifier still in.

"Daddy."

"What Sami?" he asked as he turned to see her still chewing away at the muffin.

"You wook today?"

"Yes, I am working today , but I'll be home. I'll be downstairs. So if you need me, let mommy know."

"Okay."

"Here you go , baby." Kelsey said as she finished making the bottle and handed it to JC to put in Scout mouth.

JC took the bottle and then took the pacifier out of her mouth. Then he chuckled as Scout reached out for it.

"Someone is thirsty." he said and helped get the nipple of the bottle into her mouth. Then he helped hold the bottle in place for her.

Kelsey looked at her family and was glad to see her two girls were both happily being fed and the moment was perfect. As was the smile her husband wore as he watched their baby drink her milk like there was no tomorrow.



A few hours later and JC was in his basement studio listening to some playbacks. He had to have a final cut of a song ready for Jive to hear in a couple of days. JC was excited for his second solo album. He felt it was going to be even better than Schizophrenic. He just hoped everyone else would think the same and that the songs would keep coming to him.

JC started to mess around with the soundboard because he was unhappy with the sound of the song. He added some more bass to it.

JC rolled the playback again and was happy with how is song now sounded. The only thing off was a line in the chorus. JC stood up and walked into the recording booth. He needed to record himself singing the chorus in hopes of a better take.

Kelsey stood at the top of the stairs that led to the basement and saw that the recording light was on. JC had rigged a light at the stairway so that everyone would know when they could or couldn't interrupt due to recording.

"Well we need to wait a few minutes and see if daddy finishes recording." Kelsey said holding Scout.

"Wan Da da." Scout said in her cute baby talk.

"I know you want daddy. We have to wait for the light to turn off."

In the studio, JC finished singing the chorus and stopped recording. He was pretty pleased with how he just sang it and walked back to the soundboard and took his seat in his swivel chair.

"Look, we can go down now." Kelsey said seeing the recording light off. She walked down the stairs and then opened the glass door that opened up to the studio.

JC turned at the sound and smiled.

"Da da!" Scout exclaimed gleefully. She struggled against her mother wanting out of her arms.

Kelsey obliged and set her down. "Scout wanted to see you, but we were good girls and waited until you finished recording."

"Well thanks for waiting and bringing her down here. I just finished the song I wanted to. I could use a cute distraction now." JC said as he felt Scout tug on the leg of his jeans.

She looked up at him and her blue eyes sparkled. JC felt his face turn into a huge grin and his heart melt.

"Hey sweetie. Thanks for coming down here to see me. You want to sit on daddy's lap?" he asked

Scout lifted her arms and JC knew the cue. He picked her up and settled her nicely into his lap.

"There you are. Now you can watch me make some cool music."

JC kissed her forehead and then met his eyes with Kelsey.

"Did we get lucky with her or what?" JC said.

"Yeah, we did. She's perfect and well I kind of like that she's a lot like you." Kelsey answered.

"Come here. I want to kiss you."

Kelsey came over to him and leaned down since he was in his chair and they met one another's lips. They savored the kiss for a moment and then smiled at one another afterwards.

"I love you, Kels. So much."

"Well I love you too, Josh."

"Now why don't you go back to whatever it was you were doing and let me and Scout have some fun time in the studio."

Kelsey smiled. " Okay, I'll leave you two. I should go check on Sami and make some phone calls for Scout's birthday."

"Sounds good." JC said and watched his wife travel back up the stairs.


JC had been trying to jot down some lyrics for about an hour and none were coming to him. Scout still sat on his lap content and tried to grab the pen that was in JC's hand.

"Trying to steal my pen, baby. Maybe you can write daddy some lyrics. I'm seriously stuck right now."

"Wite." Scout said.

"Write. I'm trying to write. What kind of song should I write?" JC asked wishing Scout could answer him, but knew she wasn't going to be of any help being just a week shy of her first birthday.

"What kind of song should I write?" JC asked himself again, but loud enough for Scout to hear.

"Wuv."

JC looked at Scout and he almost wasn't sure if he believed his ears.

"A love song. Is that what you're saying?"

"Wuv." Scout said again.

JC smiled and kissed the top of her head. "Yep, daddy needs to write a love song. Thanks, Scout."

JC looked back at his empty sheet of notebook paper and then started filling it up with words of love and endearment for his wife. Within fifteen minutes , JC felt satisfied with the lyrics he had just written.

"Mommy will like this. Thanks for helping me." JC said to Scout as she stared up at him.

"Now I need to write some guitar for it. That means you need to get off my lap."

"Nooo!" Scout screamed as JC peeled her off of him and set her on the floor.

"Yesss! You stay on the floor now."

JC stood up and walked to the wall where he had his guitar resting. Scout followed and tugged on the leg of his jeans. JC lifted up the guitar and felt her still tugging at him. He walked back slowly to his chair so she could stay in step with him and not fall.

JC took his seat in his swivel chair again and then watched Scout's eyes scrunch up and start streaming with tears. He could now hear her crying and it seemed she was definitely unhappy with the guitar taking her place.

"Don't cry. Daddy can't play the guitar when you're on his lap. As soon as I figure out some chords, I'll let you back up." JC told her.

Scout of course didn't understand this and just wanted her wish granted now. She continued crying and JC tried to ignore it and started strumming on the guitar.

"You're being pitiful, Scout." he sang with the chords he was playing. He chuckled at himself.

"You're being pitiful. Daddy doesn't like how you're crying." he sung and laughed knowing it wouldn't give him a #1 single.

Scout didn't find her daddy funny and continued crying. She finally had the courage to try nudging the guitar away from him. She made her little hands touch the guitar and pushed with all the little baby might she had.

"HEY!" JC scolded. "Don't touch my guitar and don't get nasty with me."

Scout went from crying to bawling her eyes out. "Waaaaa. Waaaaa. Waaaa."

JC didn't need this. He knew it was time for Scout to go back upstairs. He wasn't going to delay his song for her crying. He twisted in his chair and found that one of the baby monitors happened to still be sitting on the coffee table he had in there. JC rolled the chair a few feet and grabbed it. He turned it on.

"Kelsey. Kelsey." He said into it.

Scout continued crying hard and tried to reach for the monitor in JC's hand. She even hit a few of the string on his guitar.

JC heard the sound of his guitar and wasn't happy. He didn't need his daughter to break guitar strings. JC gently rested his guitar on the coffee table behind him and the moment he did Scout was all over him trying to get in his lap.

Then Kelsey's voice could be heard on the baby monitor. "Josh." she called out for him.

"Come get Scout." he ordered.

"Be there in a second."

JC was glad to hear that. As much as it had been nice having Scout in the studio while he had his writing problem and then finally wrote lyrics, trying to play his guitar with her there was just too much. JC looked down at her still with tears and raising her arms to be picked up. He wanted to make a lesson out of it and not pick her up, but he just couldn't do it. He picked her up and set her in his lap. Then waited for Kelsey to come get her.



Kelsey was heading to the stairs when the phone rang. She decided it might be important and answered it.

"Hello?" Kelsey answered.

"Hey. Is this Kelsey Chasez?" a feminine voice asked.

"Yes, I am Kelsey."

"Hi Kelsey. I am Lisa Brooklyn from Wyatt & Smithton Modeling Agency. I am calling on Ms. Wyatt's behalf to let you know that they would like you to do a runway show for them."

"I'm sorry, but I stopped modeling awhile ago. I have two little girls now and other things to focus on."

"But Mrs. Chasez, Wyatt & Smithton really want you. They've seen your old portfolios and like what they see. If you do wonderful at the runway show, they'll use you for even more events."

Kelsey sighed. "I really don't know. I want to be something more than just a pretty face. I mean I'm a mother now and my husband has his own busy schedule. Heck, he doesn't even care for models. I had to prove to him that I had substance."

Lisa Brooklyn laughed on the other line. She'd never heard of someone using all these different excuses to not do a runway show or model full time.

"Well, I'll have Ms. Wyatt call you and see if she can convince you. I'll let you continue your day."

"Okay. Thanks and goodbye." Kelsey said hanging up.


JC was sitting with Scout on his lap still and looked at his watch. It was totally past a minute. He wondered what was taking Kelsey so long.

Kelsey thought about the proposition she had just been given , but shrugged it off for the moment as she headed to the basement to get Scout.

"You're here!" JC said relieved and glad to see her. Kelsey smiled and looked at him for an explanation of why she came for Scout.

"Kelsey, she was being a monster. I wanted to start writing guitar for some lyrics and she tried shoving the guitar off of me and all she wanted to do was sit on my lap. She bawled her eyes out. I couldn't get anything accomplished as soon as I picked up my guitar."

"Aw, baby. Did you really make daddy upset with you?" Kelsey asked Scout as she took her from JC.

"Waaaaa!" Scout started up again.

"Have fun." JC said sarcastically.

"I'll give her a bottle and let her have a nap."

"Good idea and I'll come up in a little bit. I want to at least get my chord structure down for the new song I got."

"Okay, Josh. See you upstairs." she said and walked up the stairs with Scout crying.




Samantha was sitting on the couch in their family room and smiled seeing JC come up from the basement.

"Daddy!" she called out.

"Hey sweetheart." he said and walked to the couch. He took a seat next to her.

Sami climbed into his lap. JC wrapped his arms around her and smiled.

"Where's mommy and sissy?"

"Sissy have a big fit. She scweam and cwy. Mommy take upstairs. Mommy still up dere."

"Okay, well you want to go find mommy. Make sure everything is okay up there."

Samantha nodded and took her daddy's hand to follow him up the stairs.

JC and Sami found Kelsey holding Scout and rocking her in the rocking chair that sat in the corner of her nursery.

"Kels, is she okay now?" JC asked.

"You're right. She's a monster. I gave her a bottle and she tossed it on the floor. I gave her a pacifier instead. Well she threw that too. So I tried putting her in her crib to sleep. She bawled even more at that. So I've been rocking her since then and it seemed to work. She's good now. I'm just scared to do anything else now in fear that she'll start crying now."

"Well you can't sit there and rock her all night. I think she was just mad at me for replacing her with my guitar." JC said smiling.

"Daddy?" Sami said.

"What?"

"Next time. It my turn in da sudio wit you."

"You want to be in the studio with me next time?" JC asked almost scared to.

"Yess daddy."

Kelsey laughed. "Oh Josh. I think your girls want to annoy the heck out of you when you work."

"So daddy. Can I?"

JC thought for a second and smiled even thought he might regret saying it. "Sure, Sami. Next time it's your turn to be in the studio with me. Just promise you'll be a good girl."

"I pwomise." she said with a toothy smile.

JC and Kelsey looked at one another and smiled knowing that their two girls were something else.



That night, JC and Kelsey were laying in their bed. Scout had stopped fighting them after her battle during the day and gave in to sleep like an angel. The couple read a story to Sami to get her to bed. Now they were alone and glad to be moments away from sleep, but still talking.

"Kelsey, you should've heard Scout. I didn't know what kind of song to write and then she says "Wuv". I like froze for a second. I don't know whether she really knew what I asked or if she was telling me she loved me, but it helped cause I wrote a song." JC told Kelsey as she ran her hand up and down his chest.

"Aw, that's a cute story. I'm glad you at least got some good out of having her down there."

"What took you so long to come get her?" JC asked partially concerned.

Kelsey looked away from him and sighed. JC turned her back to look at him.

"Please tell me , sugar pie."

"The phone rang and I got an offer."

"What kind of offer?"

Kelsey smiled skeptically. "An offer to model again, but I told them no. Yet, this girl on the phone insisted she'd have one of the owners of the agency call me back."

JC was confused at the moment. He didn't know how to feel about it.

"Well you know I haven't been the biggest fan of modeling. I mean you're beautiful and I'd be telling you for selfish reasons to do it again."

Kelsey blushed. "Yeah well that's the problem. I can't only model for you. Plus we do need someone to be aroud for the girls and I don't want to just be a pretty face."

"A pretty face, you are."

Kelsey smiled. "Yeah, yeah. But listen to me, Josh. I really don't think I should do it. I would rather be designing the dresses than modeling them. At least that's something I could do here at home."

"You know what you need to do. You need to sleep on it. You make good points and I agree with them, but I wouldn't want you to regret anything. So please just sleep on it."

"You're right."

JC smiled and kissed her. She kissed him back and smiled pulling away.

"I love you. I do, Josh. For everything you do, I love you."

"Well I love you too, Kelsey. I can't tell you enough and I can't thank you enough for loving me either."

Kelsey scooted closer to him and entangled herself in him. They had arms around one another, legs tangled up, and skin touching skin. It was another nice way to fall asleep together as friends, confidants, and lovers.