Contains the song “Beautiful” as performed by Jim Brickman/featuring Wayne Brady on vocals  

She sat, stunned, as she stared at the image on the screens around the stage.

It was them.  Together.  On display for the whole world to see.

She swallowed hard, fighting down that awful feeling . . . the sick feeling had been following her around for days.

It had rolled around in her gut, in her soul . . . making her absolutely miserable.

Ever since she’d gone to her mother’s, she’d been trying to gather up the nerve to call him.

It had taken a long lecture – and an entire tub of Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough ice cream – to get her to move past her pain and see that she was making a huge mistake.

And when the package arrived, she’d had no idea why MTV would be sending her VIP passes for the Movie Awards . . . but she’d followed her gut and flown to California for the ceremonies.

Now, sitting here, watching this performance, watching his face as he stared at their picture . . . she knew.

Tears were streaming down her face as she watched the guys run off stage, her voice wavering as she spoke into her cell phone.

“J . . . oh, God.  Don’t move, Justin.  I’m coming to you.”

She flipped the phone closed and stood, quickly making her way to the aisle, where she turned to run out into the lobby of the theatre, trying her best to ignore the eyes that widened in recognition as she passed.

She pushed through the doors and stopped, looking up and down the lobby, trying to figure out which direction would take her to him.

“Valerie?”

She whirled around, relief flooding through her when she saw Mike standing close by.

“Mike!”  She smiled shakily as she stepped into his hug, taking comfort in the familiar arms.

She looked up at him, not bothering to try stopping the tears.

“Where is he, Mike?”

“He’s back here.  Come on.”

He led her through a wall of security and on down a hallway, blocking her from the photographers with his body.

Slowly, they pushed through the crowds in the backstage area, dodging celebrities as they came and went.

“Valerie!” 

JC appeared next to her, pulling her to him in a hug.  “I knew you’d come.”

“I wondered why MTV was sending passes to me, of all people.”  She let a watery laugh escape into his shoulder.  “Thanks, Jace.  I owe you one.”

“He’s broken, Val.”  JC’s voice was quiet as he spoke.  “If you can put him back together, we’ll call it even.”

“I’m going to try.”  She pulled away from him, looking around at all the doors in the hallway.  “Where is he?”

He pointed at a door directly behind her marked ‘Act 2’.

“Last I checked, he was still in there.  I haven’t seen him come out, anyway.”

She nodded, then stretched to kiss his cheek before walking away.

Breathing deeply, she reached the door and paused, running her fingers over the wood for a moment before knocking softly.

She swallowed, more tears streaming down her face when she heard the knob turning.

The door was pulled open . . . and there he stood.

He’d taken off his dress shirt, leaving him in a black sleeveless undershirt, pronouncing the slump of his shoulders.

She could hear his breath catch, saw his eyes widen when they focused on her.

Her gaze trailed over him quickly, drinking in the image of him.

His eyes were haunted, red-rimmed, dark shadows paying testimony to the sleepless nights he’d endured . . . his skin pale in the weak backstage lighting . . . his posture defeated.

JC was right . . . he was broken.

She closed her eyes when the reality of what she’d done to him slapped her in the face.

“Justin . . .”

She couldn’t go further, her trembling hands coming up to cover her face as she broke down in front of him.

He didn’t say a word, just stepped out into the hallway and wrapped his arms around her, lifting her off the ground in a fierce hug.

Her arms went around his neck and she clung to him as she wept into his shoulder, her fingers tangling in his hair.

She felt the tremors in his arms as he held her, felt him sigh as he rested his chin against the side of her head.

"Thank you, God.”

She heard him murmur against her hair, heard his shaky breath . . . and finally let go with the wrenching sobs that she’d been holding in for days.

His arms became even tighter, holding her to him as if he was afraid she’d disappear, and he moved one hand into her hair, leaning down to kiss her cheek.

“Shhh . . . it’s all right, baby.”  His brow furrowed when he heard her erratic breathing.  “I’m right here, Val.”

His lips moved against her cheek as he spoke, his body swaying back and forth as he tried to comfort her.

He raised his head when he saw a flash and looked around, his eyes widening when he realized the size of their audience. 

They were the center of attention for backstage workers, celebrities, security . . . and a whole handful of photographers.

His gaze moved across the crowd and he stiffened when he saw one of the backstage MTV cameras trained on them.

He moved the hand that was in her hair around to block the side of her face, sending a warning glance at the guy who’d taken the picture, then carried her back into the room with him, using his foot to swing the door closed.

The sound of her crying was amplified in the small room and he shifted his hold on her, moving so that he could settle on the couch with her straddling his lap, his hands moving over her back as her tears soaked into his shirt.

They sat there for a while, his arms holding her close as he spoke quietly to her, until she was finally calm enough to let go of him.

She leaned back, her fingers tracing the damp spots on his shirt.

“I . . . I’m . . .”

“I would never cheat on you, Val.  You have to know that.”

Her head came up quickly, her eyes locking with his.

“I . . . I know that, J.”  She took a shaky breath.  “I talked to Mom . . . she told me everything.”

“Yeah, I figured you’d get around to her eventually.”  He combed his fingers through her hair, pushing it out of her face.

“It shouldn’t have taken a lecture from my mother to get me to see . . .”  She shook her head, then leaned into him again, her head resting on his shoulder.  “I’m sorry for just leaving like that.  I was going to stick around and duke it out, but when I saw you with her . . . I just lost it.”

He pulled her closer to him, sighing when he caught the familiar scents of her shampoo and perfume.

“I’m so sorry, Val.”

“For what?  I’m the one who didn’t trust you and walked out.”

“You had good cause to.  I was distracted, I forgot about you flying in, I hadn’t called you nearly enough . . . I didn’t give you any reason to think that those pictures were anything other than what they appeared to be.”

“I heard it from Mom, but . . .”  She took a deep breath.  “Tell me what happened, J.”

“Hailey went out with us right after she had a fight with Steve and had a little too much to drink.  We were dancing and the next thing I know, she’s wrapping herself around me and kissing me.”  He pulled on her until she was sitting up, looking him directly in the eyes.  “I swear to you, I pushed her away as soon as I realized what was going on.”

“Why didn’t you tell me about it?”

“I didn’t see a need to.  I was mad at her for pulling a stunt like that, but there wasn’t any guilt involved.  It didn’t mean anything.  And I didn’t know there were cameras in the crowd.”  He shook his head.  “If I’d known that something like this would happen, I’d have told you all about it when I called you that night.”

“Those pictures . . . do you know who took them?”

“No.  I found out that an L.A. tabloid published them a few days ago, but they didn’t credit a photographer.  But then, that doesn’t really matter.” 

His hands moved up so that his thumbs could trace lines across her cheeks, rubbing gently at the dark circles underneath her eyes, as though he could erase them with his touch.

“When I saw that you’d left your ring . . . my world fell apart.  When I saw the house and everything you’d left behind . . . the car and jewelry . . . the nursery . . .”  He paused, swallowing hard.  “My heart shattered, Val. I curled up on the floor next to that crib and felt a part of myself die.”

She blinked back a fresh batch of tears.  “J . . .”

“I need you, baby girl.”  His hands moved away from her, pulling the chain from under his shirt, letting her see the ring hanging from it.  “If you don’t want this back right away, if you want to take it slow, take some time . . . that’s fine.  We can do that.  Just . . . please don’t walk away from me again.”

She leaned forward, her hands cupping his face as she pressed her trembling lips to his, sighing when she felt his arms move around her and pull her closer, deepening the kiss into a healing touch, helping her regain the comfort that she’d lost when she’d seen those photographs.

She broke the contact, leaning her forehead against his.

“I don’t need time.  I don’t need to take it slow.  I’m right here and I’m not going anywhere.”  She smiled and ran her fingers through his hair.  “I love you, J.  I loved you when I was walking out of that hotel room, I love you now and I’m probably going to love you long after my life is gone.”

She reached around and unclasped the chain, pulling it away from his neck and carefully sliding the ring off, holding it in her hand as she fastened the chain around her own neck, smiling when she felt the familiar weight of the tiny music box.

She held the ring out to him.  “I think it’s only right that you put it back where it’s supposed to be.”

He took the gold band and slid it onto her finger, then laced his fingers through hers, leaning down to kiss her hand before coming up to kiss her lips briefly.

“How quickly can you get this planned?  And can you do it from New York?”

“You mean the wedding?”  She waited for his nod to continue.  “I’ve pretty much decided on most of the details.  We just need to pick a location and make the phone calls.  So I guess I could do that from anywhere.”  She arched an eyebrow.  “Why?”

“We’ll be in New York for two more weeks, then we’ll head back to Orlando to finish the mixes and finalize the disc.  If I go ahead and give my input on the CD layout, I can leave it to the guys and that will give me about three weeks free.”  He smiled and traced her cheek with his fingers.  “If you can get it planned in the next month, we’ll get married before the first music video gets shot.”

Her eyes widened.  “You want to move that quickly?”

“Quickly?  Val, that’s not nearly quick enough.”  He laughed softly, running his fingers through her hair.  “If I’d had my way, we’d have done it months ago.” 

“A month . . . I think I can do that.  But why am I planning from New York?”

“Because I need you with me right now.  After this mess . . .”  He trailed off, shaking his head.  “I just need to know that I’ll be able to see you.  I don’t think I can let you go back to Orlando this soon after getting you back.”  His eyes locked on hers.  “Sometimes . . . sometimes holding you is all that keeps me sane.”

Her eyebrows arched playfully.  “You know, I really like it when you go all girly on me.”  She laughed at his groan.  “Okay.  I’ll plan from New York.”

He grinned and leaned in to kiss her, but she pulled back.

“Wait a second.  Why would you need three weeks?  It’ll only take a few hours – a day at the most – to wrap the entire thing up.”

“Honeymoon, Val.”  He lowered his head so that she could feel his smile against her neck before he spoke again.  “At least two weeks – somewhere tropical – and remote – so that I can have you – all to myself – before things get crazy again.”  He punctuated every few words with light kisses, moving up toward her mouth before stopping within an inch of her lips.

“Ah . . . right.  Honeymoon.”  Her hands came up to his shoulders, pulling him closer as her smiling eyes met his.  “Sounds fabulous.”

He was still grinning when her lips met his, chasing away any thoughts other than having her in his arms at that very moment.

She was back with him, back where she belonged . . . and he couldn’t think of anything else as beautiful.

----------------------------------------

Forget a month.

She’d had the whole thing planned and finalized within two weeks.

Locations had been secured, flowers ordered, clothing acquired, reception planned . . . everything was ready to go.

He looked over as Jon walked into the room – nearly an exact replica of himself at that age – and came over to stand next to him.

“You should see her, J.  She’s, like, really pretty.”

He laughed as he fastened his last cufflink in place and straightened his sleeves.  “I’m sure she is.”

A loud burst of laughter came from the corner where Joey and Chris had been talking quietly, sending evil glances his way.

“Hey, J . . . lightning’s not going to strike if she walks in wearing white, is it?”

“Joey . . . man, we’re in church.”  He rolled his eyes at his older friend. 

“Exactly.”

“Not that it’s any of your business . . .”  He trailed off, shaking his head as he pulled on his jacket.  “No, she’s safe from the lightning.  Or whatever.”

The entire room went quiet and all eyes froze on him as he obliviously straightened his collar.

“Hey Jon, we’ve only got about ten minutes . . . go ahead and see if you’re supposed to be lining up, okay?”

He watched as his brother walked out of the room, then turned his attention to his band mates.  “What?”

Chris gave him an amazed look.  “Justin . . . dude, seriously?”

“Seriously . . . what?”

“The lightning thing.”

He groaned.  “Chris . . . I’m not talking about this right now.”

Joey spoke up again.  “You’ve been together five years.”

“Yeah, we have.  So what?”

“That’s practically forever, man.  I just figured . . . you guys weren’t exactly secretive . . . you’ve shared hotel rooms . . . she’s been living with you . . .”

“She’s living in the house, I’ve been on the road.”  He sighed.  “We’ve slept in the same bed, Joe.  That doesn’t mean anything.”

“But . . .”

He held up his hands.  “Okay, the Reader’s Digest version.  I love her.  I respect her.  We talked about it and we both decided that we wanted it to actually mean something . . . so we haven’t.  End of story.”  His eyes landed on a grinning JC before coming down to his watch.  “Now, how about we head out there so that I can get married, huh?”

Joey and Chris still looked dazed as they walked past, adjusting their collars.  Lance just smiled, patting his shoulder as he headed out the door.

He straightened his suit jacket one more time before heading for the door himself, grinning when he saw JC standing in the hallway.

“Waiting to see if I’m going to bolt, Jace?”

JC laughed.  “You?  Wouldn’t think of it, J.”

He grinned as they walked down the hall.  “Right.  Wouldn’t think of it.”

“Man, you haven’t even broken a sweat yet.  You aren’t nervous at all?”

“It’s Val.  What’s to be nervous about?” 

They paused by the door to the auditorium.

“How about all those people?”

“I was trying my best not to think about that.  Thanks, C.”

The music started playing loudly and they both jumped, then laughed at each other.

“Okay, J.  Don’t lock your knees and don’t pay attention to anyone else but her and the preacher.  It’ll be over before you know it.”

“Are you seriously giving me a pep talk?”

“You need it.”  JC grinned.  “Besides, that’s my job as best man.”

“Yeah . . . okay.”

He took a deep breath and walked out to stand at the front of the altar, trying to ignore the disbelieving looks that Chris and Joey were shooting at him.

“Are you ready for this, son?”

He turned, looking at the pastor for a moment before smiling.  “As ready as I’ve ever been.”

The pastor smiled and nodded, then turned his attention to the door at the back of the church.

The procession went by in a blur, until she appeared at the back of the aisle.

He relaxed, the breath leaving him at his first sight of her.

She’d kept the dress simple – no frills, no fluff – just a white, strapless gown that fit her beautifully, accenting her figure, the silky material trailing behind her as she walked toward him. 

No veil covered her face . . . not that the material would have hidden her bright smile, anyway.

“Breathe, man.”

JC’s whisper caught his attention and he realized that his lungs were burning.

He inhaled deeply, relieved when the burning in his chest subsided.

By then, she’d stopped beside him, smiling as she reached out for his hand.

He leaned over so that she could hear his whisper.  “Jon had it all wrong . . . you’re not pretty.  You’re gorgeous.”

She leaned toward him to whisper back.  “You don’t look too shabby yourself.”  Her eyes moved to look over his shoulder.  “If Joe and Chris don’t stop looking at me like that, I’m going to start laughing and I’ll have to kill them both.”

They quickly turned their attention when the pastor cleared his throat and started to speak.

“Dearly beloved . . .”

He concentrated on the feel of her hand in his, on how right it felt to be standing there with her.

What seemed like seconds later, they were exchanging rings and she was saying “I do”, biting her lip as she tried not to cry.

He repeated the words, his eyes locked on hers.

Then they had been pronounced and . . . she was his.

“You may kiss the bride.”

He smiled devilishly, leaning down to her.  “How about we rock a few worlds with this one?”

She arched an eyebrow at him.  “How about you remember we’re in church?”

He moved his eyebrows suggestively, laughing softly as his lips met hers.

He kept it simple and sweet for about two seconds, then he smiled against her lips and leaned forward, bending her back over his arm, sighing as her fingers moved from his shoulders into his hair.

By the time he straightened them back up, placing a few more light kisses against her lips, the crowd was roaring with applause and laughter.

She pressed her face into his shoulder in embarrassment, her arms still around his neck.

He moved his hands down, resting them on her hips as he tilted his head, whispering to her.  “Reception hall.  Downstairs, right?”

She nodded against him.

“You might want to grab your skirt, babe.  Wouldn’t want me to trip.”

“What?”  Her head came up, her eyes wide, just as he moved, twisting and lifting her up into his arms before he took off, walking quickly as he carried her back up the aisle.

******************************

An hour and a half later, the pictures had been taken, the cake had been cut, the speeches and toasts had been made and the DJ was announcing their first dance.

“I planned a little something special for the first dance.”  He grinned as he led her out onto the dance floor.  “Hope you don’t mind that I’m not singing to you.”

She laughed and squeezed his hand.  “As long as you’re dancing with me, I don’t care if you sing or not.”

He pulled her to him once they were in the middle of the floor, his hands resting at her waist as they began swaying to the song playing over the sound system.

She listened intently, her hands coming up so that her fingers could brush the back of his neck.  “J . . . I don’t recognize this song.  What is it?”

He smiled.  “It’s your song.”

“My song?”  Her eyes met his.  “Did you write it?” 

He nodded.  “It’ll be on the album, but I called in a favor and had a friend record it just for this.”

Her eyes widened when she heard the familiar voice humming over the loudspeakers.  “You got Edwin McCain to record the song for our first dance?”

“Well, he would have been here to sing it live, but you know how it is.  Business calls.”  He leaned in to kiss her quickly, then whispered to her.  “Listen.”

From the moment I saw you
From the moment I looked into your eyes
There was something about you, I knew
I knew that you were once in a lifetime
A treasure near impossible to find
And I know how lucky I am to have you 

‘Cause I've seen the rainbows that could take your breath away
The beauty of the setting sun that ends a perfect day
And when it comes to shooting stars, I've seen a few
But I've never seen anything as beautiful as you

Holding you in my arms
No one else has fit so perfectly
I could dance forever with you, with you
And at the stroke of midnight
Please forgive me if I can't let go
‘Cause I never dreamed I'd find a Cinderella of my own

And I've seen the rainbows that can take your breath away
The beauty of the setting sun that ends a perfect day
And when it comes to shooting stars, I've seen a few
But I've never seen anything as beautiful as you 

“Cinderella?”  She arched an eyebrow at him, laughing softly.  “Not quite.” 

He leaned his forehead against hers, pulling her closer to him.  “That’s all right, because I’m definitely no prince.  Besides . . . you’re my Cinderella.”  He leaned forward, his lips brushing against hers as he spoke.  “And I’m not letting you go.” 

She smiled against him, her fingers moving up to play with his hair.  “You couldn’t get rid of me if you wanted to.  You’re stuck with me.” 

He moved his hands around to her back, giving her a light kiss.  “Promise?” 

Her arms tightened around his neck and she stared into his eyes.  “Yeah, I promise.” 

He smiled, then tilted his head and claimed her lips, sealing her words with his kiss, reciprocating them without speaking. 

I've seen the rainbows that can take your breath away
The beauty of the setting sun that ends a perfect day
And when it comes to shooting stars, I've seen a few
But I've never seen anything
Oh no, I've never seen anything as beautiful as you

From the moment I saw you,
From the moment I looked into your eyes 

She smiled as the music died down, kissing his cheek as he led her back to their seats.  “That was beautiful, J.  Thank you.”

“The song was a nice touch.  But it’s just words and music.  This . . .”  He paused, bringing her hand up and pressing his lips to the area just below the rings on her finger.  “This is beautiful, baby girl.”

----------------------------------------

“Okay, Christina, this is sounding awesome.”  She leaned over the sheet in front of her, making a few notes in the margins before pointing out something to the woman across the table.  “Although, I think we might need to make a change with this line.  It doesn’t really flow . . .”

Her cell phone rang and she groaned, reaching into her bag.  “Sorry.  I thought I’d turned it off.” 

She pulled out the phone, intending to turn it off, but paused when she saw the number on the display.

“I think I might need to take this.  Do you mind?”

“No problem, Val.  Take your time.”

She flipped the phone open.  “Hello?”

The voice on the other end started speaking, immediately grabbing her full attention.

“Yes, this is she . . . uh-huh.”  She paused, sitting straight up.  “Wait.  What?”

Christina’s head came up, her eyes leaving the page when she heard the change in Valerie’s tone.

“Are . . . are you sure?  How long?”

She got up and started walking for the door, listening intently to the voice on the line.

“You’re positive about this?”

She walked down the hall quickly, catching an elevator right before the doors closed and pressing the button for a higher floor.

“But I thought . . . oh, they are?”

She stepped off the elevator, making a fast right turn and walking down a few doors before pushing one open.

“So what do I need to do, exactly?”

Her eyes quickly scanned the room, ignoring the fact that everyone was staring at her. 

Finally, she saw him through the glass of the booth.

“Who do I need to see?  Dr. Gentry?  All right.  Listen, can you hang on for just a second?  Thanks.”

She put her thumb over the mouthpiece and waved over at JC.  “Jace, stop the music.  I need to talk to him.”

“He’s only got about a minute and a half left, Val.  Can’t it wait?”

She arched an eyebrow at him.  “Would I be telling you to cut the music if it could?”

He met her eyes, gauging her look, then reached out and pressed a few buttons.  “Go on in.”

“Love ya, Jace.”  She grinned and put the phone back up to her ear as she pushed through the door.  “Sorry about that.  Okay, Dr. Gentry’s office on what day?”

She looked up and saw him hop off the stool, concern written all over his face as he pulled the headphones off.

“Val?  What’s going on?”

She held up a finger, asking for a minute.

“Okay.  Eleven o’clock on the morning of the fifteenth.  I can do that.  They’re just doing blood work, right?  No major tests yet?”

His brow furrowed in worry when he heard her questions, his foot beginning to tap impatiently.

“All right.  Yes.  Yes, I’ll be there.  Thank you so much for calling.  Bye.”

She flipped the phone shut and stared at it for a second before raising her eyes to the glass.

“Turn the mics off, Jace.”

He gave her a thumbs-up and nodded, pushing some buttons on the board in front of him.

She rolled her eyes and stepped toward the microphones, switching off each one manually.

“You don’t trust me, Val?”  His voice was tinny over the speakers.

“About as far as I can throw you, C.”  She spoke into the last mic before switching it off, waving with a grin at the people on the other side of the glass before turning back to a worried Justin.

JC leaned back in his seat, shaking his head as he laughed.

“She knows you too well, man.”

He looked over at Chris, grinning in agreement.

“Yeah, she does.”

The door opened once again and everybody turned when Christina cautiously walked in.

“Umm . . . I hate to bother you guys but have you seen . . .”  Her gaze went to the booth.  “Oh, there she is.  She ran out and I got a little worried when she didn’t come back.”  Her eyes widened.  “Whoa . . .”

All heads turned back just in time to see and hear the loud commotion inside the booth.

“What’s going on?”

The guys exchanged glances with each other before turning back to her, shaking their heads and shrugging their shoulders.

Lance motioned for her to come in and sit. 

“We don’t know, but if you stick around, I’m sure you’ll find out.”

******************************

He stood still, watching her flip the switch on the last microphone, his heart in his throat.

“Val?”

She turned to him and took a deep breath before moving forward and putting her arms around him, resting her cheek against his chest.

His hands came up, tilting her head back so that he could see her face. 

“Who was on the phone, babe?”

“Dr. Mayhew’s office.  I went in for a physical last week.”

He thought quickly.  “Right.  You couldn’t shake the flu.”  His eyes skipped over her face.  “What’s wrong?  Did they find something?”

“I just felt so sick, J . . . I got worried . . .”

He closed his eyes and swallowed, his thumbs moving back and forth along her jaw.  “Is it serious?”

“Yeah . . .”  Her voice trailed off, her hand moving to the back of his neck.  “Seriously perfect . . . Dad.”

His eyes few open, taking in her bright smile.

“Run that by me again.”

“I’m pregnant, Justin.”

He stared at her, the words slowly processing.  Finally, a bright smile appeared, mirroring her own.  “Yeah?”

She nodded.  “Yeah.  You’re going to be a Daddy.”

They just stood there for a second, letting it sink in.

Then he started laughing, picked her up and swung her around in a fast circle, making her shriek in laughter.

He set her down quickly, his hands and eyes immediately coming to her stomach.

“Guess I need to be more careful about that from now on, huh?”  His eyes came back up to hers.  “Are you okay?”

“I’m perfect.”

“How long?”

She sighed when she felt his hands rest on her hips, his thumbs stretching to make lazy circles on her midsection.

“They think five or six weeks, but they’ll know for sure after I go in for a few more blood tests.”

He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, unable to wipe the grin from his face as he leaned down and kissed her softly.

“God, I love you.”

Her fingers tangled in the hair on the back of his head, bringing him closer to her.

“I love you, too.”

He brought one hand up, resting it against the side of her neck.

“We’re having a baby.”

She nodded, her smile softening.  “Yes, we are.”

His eyes skipped down to her stomach once more, then he was leaning into her, kissing her, his heart skipping a beat or two as her news sank in even further.

“I hate to break up the love fest in there . . . but what the heck is going on?”

They broke apart at JC’s tinny voice, suddenly aware of their audience on the other side of the glass.

They turned back to each other.

“Okay, Mom . . . ready to go tell the world?”

She sighed and grinned.  “I suppose we should.  They’ve gotten quite a show already.”

He laughed and wrapped his arm around her, leading her to the door.

They stepped into the lobby area and just stood there, grinning at each other for a minute before she spoke up.

“We’re having a baby.”

Five pairs of eyes stared back at them as he leaned down and kissed her cheek, his hand moving around so that his fingers could brush her stomach.

And then . . . chaos ensued.

A baby.

The words ricocheted around in his mind as the group came to its feet and converged around them, pulling him away from her.

Amongst the hugs and congratulations, his eyes never left her for more than a few seconds at a time, his heart beating double-time as he took in her bright eyes, her excited smile and the glow that he only saw in her.

He thought of the precious cargo she carried, of the tiny miracle that they’d been blessed with, of the family that they would be.

She looked up, her eyes softening as they met his . . . and he knew he’d never seen anything more beautiful.

----------------------------------------

He looked up from his magazine when the door opened, grinning when Pat peered into the room.

“How are they?”

“They’re good.”  He stood and stretched, adjusting his hat as she walked in.  “They’ve been asleep for about an hour.”

Pat looked over at the bed, where her daughter was sleeping peacefully.  “Has she eaten anything?”

“I snuck in a milkshake for her earlier.  It was all she’d take.”  He shook his head.  “After seeing what they offer here, I can’t say I blame her.”

His mother-in-law raised an eyebrow at him.  “They actually let you bring her a milkshake?”

“At a price.  The older nurse at the station caught me and wouldn’t let me through until I gave her a hug.”  He shuddered with a soft laugh.  “I can now say that I’ve been groped by Nurse Hope.”

There was a laugh from the bed as she stretched carefully, smiling as she came awake.  “Aww . . . I’m sorry, honey.”

He arched an eyebrow and walked over to sit next to her on the bed.

“Eh, you’re worth it . . . I guess.”

She grinned and he leaned down to kiss her forehead, his hands coming up to cup her face.

Pat watched them for a moment before speaking up.  “I just stopped in to check on you one last time before I head home.  I’ll see you guys tomorrow.”

“Okay.  See you later, Mom.”

They didn’t even look away from each other as they waved goodbye, and she laughed softly as she walked out the door.

His eyes skipped over her face, his fingers combing through her hair, before he moved closer and pressed his lips to hers.

She sighed against him, leaning into him, her hand coming up to curl around his neck.

They broke apart when there was a tiny squeak from a few feet away.

She grinned.  “Sounds like someone’s awake.”

“Yeah, it does.”

As he was moving to stand, the door opened again and JC appeared in the doorway.

“Jace!  Come on in.”  She gave him a bright smile, shifting to get more comfortable in the bed, and held her arms out to him.

JC smiled and moved forward to hug her carefully.  “How are you?”

She sighed.  “Tired, but terrific.”

He straightened up and Justin reached out to shake his hand with a grin before pulling him in for a man hug.  “It’s good to see you, man.”

"The other guys send their congratulations.”  He pulled back, looking back and forth between them.  “They’ll call sometime later.  We didn’t think it’d be too smart for all of us to come busting in here, causing a commotion, so they’re going to wait until you’re back at home to visit.”

She nodded.  “Yeah, that’s probably a good idea.”

Another squeak, this one louder, came from the corner of the room, followed by a few whimpers.

Justin walked over, bending to reach into the bassinet. 

“Hey, hey, little guy.  Why such a fuss?” 

At the sound of his voice, the whimpers stopped.

He lifted the blue bundle to his chest, carefully cradling the baby’s head through the blanket as he turned back to JC.

"You’ve got a visitor, little man.”

He looked up with a smile as he transferred the new arrival into his friend’s arms.

“Gavin, this is your Uncle Jace.”

“Hey, Gavin.”  JC cradled the baby closely, bringing one hand up to move the blanket so he could have a clear view.

He brushed his fingertip over the baby’s soft cheek. “Oh, man . . . he looks just like you, J.” 

“Doesn’t he?”  She spoke up from the bed.  “With any luck, he’ll grow out of it.”

JC laughed as Justin turned, raising an eyebrow at her before returning her grin.

She shrugged.  “What?  The last thing I need is another heart throb in the house.”

He narrowed his eyes playfully.  “You probably should have thought of that before . . .”

“Yeah, yeah.  I know.  Hindsight is always twenty-twenty.”

Gavin whimpered, his nose crinkling with a yawn, then let out a soft wail.

JC moved to hand the baby back over to Justin.  “Ah, that sounds like it’s time to go to Mommy or Daddy.”

Justin grinned, cradling his son for a second before another wail rang through the room.  “Okay, I believe that’s a Mommy cry.”

He passed the baby along to her, the cries stopping as soon as the blue blanket was settled in her arms, giving way to another yawn.

JC smiled.  “I’m going to head out so that you can get some rest.  Congratulations, you guys.”

Justin waved with a grin.  “Thanks for coming, C.”

“Let us know if you need anything.”  JC nodded with a wave, then stepped out the door, clicking it shut behind him.

Justin sat on the edge of the bed again, wrapping his arm around her. 

She looked up at him, then back down to Gavin.  “He’s perfect, isn’t he?”

“Of course he is.  He’s ours.”

He leaned closer, his lips brushing against her cheek as he raised one hand to run his fingertips over first the baby’s cheek, then hers.

“How do you feel, baby girl?”

She smiled up at him.  “How do you think I feel?”

His eyes traveled over her smiling face, then down to their sleeping son.

“Well, to me . . .”  He paused, kissing her softly before leaning down to kiss the baby’s forehead.  “It feels beautiful.  Absolutely beautiful.”

----------------------------------------

She walked around to the backseat of her car, her eyes narrowing when she saw the black car pulling into the driveway.

Shading her eyes, she tried to make out the driver as the car came to a stop, but the windows were too dark for her to see his face.

Chris hopped out and slammed the door, twirling his keys as he walked toward her.  “Hey, Val!  What’s shakin’?”

She grinned and hugged him tightly.  “Chris!  How were the Bahamas?”

“Relaxing.”  He sighed.  “I didn’t want to leave.”

She laughed.  “Can’t really blame you for that.” 

She reached into the seat and handed him a few bags, then grabbed up the rest and slammed the car door.

“So, what brings you to our little corner of the world?”  She unlocked the front door and stepped inside, holding it open for him to follow.  “Other than helping me with the groceries, that is.”

“Packhorse extraordinaire – that’s me.”  He grinned, following her into the kitchen, where he helped her pick out all the cold items.  “I got back into town a few days ago and wanted to touch base with everybody.  It seems like it’s been forever since I’ve seen you guys.”

“Well, we’re all fine.”  She closed the refrigerator, leaning against the counter and crossing her arms.  “Nothing too exciting going on.  Gavin lost a tooth and I’m sure he’ll want to tell you all about it.”

“Already?  Isn’t three a little early to be losing teeth?”

“Not if he helps it along.”  She sighed.  “It’s a long story, but he was feeling adventurous on his playset out back and decided to try going down the slide face-first.  He hit the dirt before J could get to him.”

"Oooh.  Sounds fun.” 

“You have no idea.  It took us a week to convince him that Superman didn’t start out on slides.”

“Uh-oh.”  He laughed.  “You left him with Joey again, didn’t you?  I’ve warned you about that.”

“Yeah, you have.”  She grinned at him.  “And he’s warned us about you.”

“Nothing to worry about with me.  There’s nothing wrong with burning off a little energy.  Besides, the kid loves it.”  Chris leaned forward, looking through the hall and into the playroom.  “Speaking of . . . where is the rugrat?  He usually jumps me as soon as I walk in.”

“It is kind of quiet in here, isn’t it?”  She turned her head, listening.  “His truck is in the garage, so they didn’t go anywhere.  Sit tight for a minute and I’ll see if they’re upstairs.” 

She walked up the stairs and down the hallway, poking her head in the rooms as she went.

When she came to the master bedroom, she looked in and smiled, moving to lean against the doorjamb.

Justin was asleep in the middle of the navy blue comforter, his left arm bent over his head and his khaki shorts riding low on his hips.

Gavin was curled up at his side, his small thumb in his mouth as he snored softly, oblivious to the Golden Retriever puppy that was snuggled into his back.

Baby Jasmine was lying face down on Justin’s bare chest, her tiny hands fisted and her cheek pressed against him, his right hand resting on her diapered bottom to hold her in place as she rose up and down with his deep breathing.

She stepped out of the doorway, tiptoeing through the room to get the camera from the desk, snapping a few pictures of the slumber party.

Then she quietly made her way over to the bed, reaching out to pet the puppy so that she wouldn’t startle him awake when she moved Gavin.

The little boy took a deep breath when he felt her hands moving him and he blinked his eyes, before speaking in a sleepy voice.  “Mommy?”

“Yeah, sweetie.  It’s me.  It’s time to wake up.”  She whispered as she combed her fingers through his curly hair.  “There’s someone downstairs who wants to see you.”

“See me?”

“Yep.” 

She helped him get down from the bed, where he reached to pick up the puppy before looking up at her.

“An’ Sandy?”

“Sure, you can take Sandy with you.” 

His blue eyes went back to the bed.

“An’ Jazzy an’ Daddy?”

“We’ll be there in a few minutes.”  She led him into the hall and to the stairs.  “Go see who’s down there.”

She watched as he carefully made his way down the steps, clutching the puppy in his arms, and waited until she heard his happy “Unca Chwis!”

“G-man!  What’cha got there?  A puppy?”

“Is my Sandy.”

“It’s your Sandy, huh?  Cool.  You must be a pretty special little boy to get a puppy all to yourself.”

“Yeah.  I spesho.”

“Where’s your Daddy, kiddo?”

“Daddy an’ Mommy an’ Jazzy comin’ in a minnit.”

“Well, they’ll just miss out on some of the fun, won’t they?”

She watched as Chris walked out of the kitchen and across the hall, carrying the boy and the puppy into the play room, then turned and walked back to the bedroom.

He hadn’t moved an inch, his breathing still deep, and she grinned as she settled herself on the bed, laying on her side so that she could face him.

She draped her arm across his waist, hugging him just below the baby’s feet, and turned her face to kiss his shoulder.

He sighed in his sleep, his head turning to face her before settling back down.

She grinned against him, then stretched up, pressing light kisses from his shoulder to his jaw and skipping to his lips.

She could feel his smile, then his lips parted and he was kissing her back, his left arm moving down so that he could bury his fingers in her hair, bringing her closer to him.

He pulled away slowly, his eyes blinking sleepily as he smiled at her.  “Mmmm.  Hey.”

She smiled back, kissing him lightly one more time.  “Hey.  It’s time to get up.”

He sat up, carefully keeping their daughter against him as he stretched, and looked around.  “Where’s Gavin?”

She reached out and took the baby before standing by the bed.  “He’s downstairs.”

His eyes widened.  “Alone?”

“Yes, J, I left him down there alone.”  She laughed, shaking her head as she walked to the door.  “Chris is with him.”

He stiffened.  “You left them down there unsupervised?” 

“Yeah . . .”

At that exact moment, they heard the puppy bark, then a crash and Gavin laughing loudly.

“Oh, man.”  He jumped from the bed and grabbed a shirt from the dresser.

She grinned as he pulled the shirt over his head and walked back to her, leaning down to kiss first her cheek then the baby’s head as he made his way through the door.

She followed him down the hallway until he paused, then turned and pulled her to him, careful not to crush Jazzy between them as he brought his mouth down to hers again.

He was smiling when he leaned back, moving his head to the side, letting his lips graze her cheek as he spoke.  “You should wake me up like that every day, baby girl.”

She laughed and arched an eyebrow.  “You think?”

“Yeah.”  His hand came up to the back of her neck, his fingers playing with her hair.  “Can’t think of anything else I’d rather see when I open my eyes in the morning.” 

He kissed her again, deepening it until Jazzy came awake with a whimper and a yawn.

Pulling away, he ran his fingers over the side of her face.  “Lord knows I couldn’t ask for a more beautiful woman to wake up with.”

Another crash came from down the stairs, followed by more of Gavin’s laughter and a loud “Whoa!” from Chris.

Justin groaned and kissed her cheek quickly, then ran down the stairs, taking them two at a time, and turning into the playroom, looking down as the puppy skittered past him and into the kitchen.

“What the heck are you guys . . . Chris!  Put him down!”

She laughed, shaking her head as she listened to the commotion before turning her eyes down to the baby resting against her shoulder, watching her with big blue eyes.

“What do you think, Little Bit?  Should I keep your Daddy around?”

Jazzy gave her a baby grin, then turned her head to face the wall and made a cooing noise.

“Is that so?”  She turned her head to see what the baby was looking at and smiled at the photographs.

Jazzy had been two months old when Justin had arranged to have a family portrait made, booking the photographer to come out to the house and do an on-site sitting.

In the first photo, they were sitting cross-legged on the floor in front of the fireplace, Gavin in his lap, Jazzy in hers, smiles all around.

Hanging directly below it, the second photo was in the same position, but they were leaning toward each other, meeting in a kiss.  Gavin was still sitting in his lap, his head turned up so that he could grin at them.  Jazzy had her head leaned back against her chest, her eyes wide as she looked up at her Mommy.

Jazzy cooed again and she leaned down to kiss the baby’s cheek.

“Yeah, we make a pretty picture, don’t we?”

Her eyes trailed over the pictures again, a soft smile lighting her face.

“Mommy!”

Her ears picked up on Gavin’s call.

“Coming, baby!”

She took one last look at the pictures on the wall then turned and made her way down the stairs, grinning when she heard the laughter coming from the playroom.

She’d been blessed – and it couldn’t have been more beautiful.