She stirred from her restful nap as the phone on the table began to ring.

Reaching her arm out, she grabbed it and put it to her ear, pushing herself up on the couch. “Hello?” She heard a soft sigh on the other end of the line and smiled at the familiarity of it. “Josh…how are you, sweetie?”

He sighed again and rubbed his forehead. “Hanging in there, babe. This is so…awkward and…and weird. I-I took the test and that’s it…I mean, we gotta wait for like five weeks before we even know anything.”

Abby frowned at the distress in his voice. “Are you coming home now?” she asked, running her hand lightly over her stomach.

“Yeah. I’m leaving first thing tomorrow morning.”

A small smile crossed her face at that and she glanced up at the clock. “Good. It’s only been a couple days, but I miss you so much.”

“I miss you too,” he whispered back.

“How…how did they do the test?” she asked, knowing her husband’s fear of needles and dislike of hospitals.

“Uh…they didn’t have to draw blood or anything, which was a huge relief. They basically stuck a cotton Q-tip thing in my cheek and did it to him too. It was completely harmless, and they say that they’re 99.9% accurate, so…” He breathed a sigh of relief. “I think that was one of my worst worries about it.”

She smiled. “You’re okay, though. And you’re going to come home, and we’re both going to forget about this for next month.”

JC shook his head and lay back on his hotel room bed. “I don’t think I’ll be able to forget about this.” He trailed off for a few silent moments and rubbed his forehead. “How are the boys?”

Abby pushed herself up off the couch and made her way into the kitchen to get a glass of water. “They’re good. They miss you and don’t understand why you’re not here right now, but I really don’t want to tell them.”

He nodded. “Yeah, I understand that. I don’t want them to…I dunno…I don’t want them to worry about losing my attention to another kid.”

She leaned against the counter and sipped from her glass. “They’ll be okay. We’ll worry about breaking it to them only if the test comes up positive-”

“It won’t,” he interrupted. “It can’t. But…I’m open to compromise if it is positive. I just…I really don’t believe that he’s mine.” JC sighed. “I can’t predict it though…I mean, if I didn’t think there was a chance, I wouldn’t be doing this in the first place.”

“Just try not to think about it as much,” she offered. “Just concentrate right now on coming home to your wife and kids.”

JC smiled at this. “I’m thinking about that a lot right now. I just want to be holding you right now…singing the boys to sleep…” He trailed off and closed his eyes, starting to hum softly. His humming slowly turned to whispered singing. “Close your eyes and I'll kiss you, tomorrow I'll miss you, remember I'll always be true. And then while I'm away, I'll write home everyday and I'll send all my loving to you.”

Abby giggled at his soft words, closing her eyes as she felt the familiar chill run down her spine. “Keep going,” she encouraged.

“I'll pretend that I'm kissing, the lips I am missing.” He laughed slightly and made a smooching sound over the phone. He paused at her giggle and cleared his throat. “And hope that my dreams will come true. And then while I'm away, I'll write home everyday and I'll send all my loving to you.”

JC moved himself up in the bed and leaned his back against the headboard, pulling his legs up against his chest as he held the phone close to his ear. “All my loving, I will send to you. All my loving, darling I'll be true.”

His voice cracked slightly and Abby could tell that he was very uncomfortable with the entire situation he had been in that weekend. “Close your eyes and I'll kiss you, tomorrow I'll miss you. Remember I'll always be true. And then while I'm away, I'll write home everyday and I'll send all my loving to you.”

Abby curled her fingers around the edge of the counter and felt her own tears come to her eyes at the fear she could hear in her husband’s voice. Raising that hand up to her face, she wiped at her eyes and slowly, carefully slid down the cabinet fronts to the floor.

He stopped singing and listened to her breathing on the other end of the line. “I miss you, Abs,” he whispered. “I’m such a weak man…can’t even leave you for a weekend.”

She shook her head and tightened her hold on the phone. “You’re not…it just goes to show what a family man you are…and that’s a beautiful thing.”

JC smiled at her words and brushed the few tears from his cheeks. “How are you doing?” he asked.

“Oh, I’m fine, sweetie,” she replied, leaning her head back against the cabinet. “I’ve been trying to make plans with Ronnie to go down to Tampa and meet his girlfriend and Chance is so mobile right now, I can’t even keep an eye on him. Braeden tried to paint you a picture today and he didn’t put any newspaper down, so-”

JC chuckled and cleared his throat. “Babe, BABE!” He waited until she stopped talking and laughed to himself. “Sweetie, while your news is positively amazing, that’s not what I meant. How are you doing? How are you feeling right now?”

Abby rubbed her stomach and smiled. “I’m fine, sweetie. It’s not like I’m nine months or anything. I just hit three.”
“I know…I’m just checking.” He sighed. “Look, I’m going to go get some supper. It’s probably time for you to go to bed. I’ll be home sometime tomorrow, okay?”
“Okay sweetie. I’ll see you soon, then.” She put her hand flat on the wood floor and pushed herself to her feet. “Night.”

He smiled and swung his legs off the bed. “Night, baby. I love you.”

A slow smile crossed her face. “I love you too. Goodbye.”

“Bye,” he whispered in reply and shut off his phone. Sighing to himself, he pushed himself up off the bed and crossed the room to his suitcase. Grabbing the first sweatshirt he saw, he pulled it on and reached for his wallet and keys to the rental car.

He paused as he knocked a photograph off the table. Bending over to pick it up, he turned it slowly in his hand, knowing exactly what it was. Shaina had given it to him ‘just in case,’ she had said. A soft smile crossed his lips as he looked at the image of the little boy. No matter how much he didn’t want to admit it, Quentin was a great kid. His blue eyes were so expressive and he had a giggle on him that JC didn’t even want to compare to Braeden. Granted, there was no comparison, but there was just something about Quentin…

Shaking his head, he slipped the photo into his wallet and stuffed it into his back pocket. Turning off the lights, he left the room.

~*~

They stepped into the familiar club and both winced as the loud music hit them full force. Abby reached for his hand and waved a hand in front of her face as the cigarette smoke swirled around them. JC, noticing her discomfort, reached a hand out and pushed the man with the offending object out of the way. “Hey…go get cancer somewhere else. She’s pregnant!” he yelled, shoving the man away.

Abby shook her head at him and the two of them approached the bar. “Believe me, Josh…you can’t stop these people from smoking.” She squeezed his hand and took a seat at the bar, leaning her elbows on the counter.

“What can I get you, beautiful?” the young man asked, winking to her with a smile.

Abby grinned back and pointed to Ronnie where he was bent over, getting some fresh glasses from under the bar. “The digits for that fine piece of ass.”

The man looked over at Ronnie nervously and stuttered. “Umm…he, uh…he’s not single, ma’am.”

She rolled her eyes as Ronnie stood up. “Abby! DIVA, you made it!” He jumped over the bar and enveloped his former star in a hug. “You look beautiful, babe…pregnant AGAIN, I see.” He raised his eyebrows as his hands moved down to rub her stomach affectionately before turning his gaze to the man that sat at the bar, twirling a glass of water in his hands. “And you…my friend, have been at it again, I see.”

JC smiled. “Guilty as charged.” He stood up and enveloped the bartender in a ‘man hug’ before sitting back down. “What can I say? I can’t keep my hands off the woman.”

Ronnie laughed and nodded to the young man behind the bar. “Give them anything they want…on the house. This lady right here is a living legend in this place.”

Abby turned and smiled at the young man. “Water will be fine, thanks.”

He nodded and handed her a glass. “Are you Abby Garner?” She nodded with a smile, causing him to reciprocate. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”

She grinned and looked over at Ronnie where he was talking with JC. “You been talking about me, Ronnie?”

Ronnie shrugged and ran a hand through his hair. “But of course.” He reached for her hand and winked. “Come here, Diva. I want to show you something if I can pull you away from your man long enough.”

JC nodded and reached for his water. “By all means. I’ll just sit here and…” He moved his eyes up to the stage. “Enjoy the show,” he finished with raised eyebrows.

Abby shook her head and elbowed him in the side before following Ronnie. “Be good!” she yelled back at him.

JC saluted her, took a sip of his drink, and looked back up to the stage again.

~*~

Abby hugged Ronnie and stared up at her image on the wall. “The first of many, huh?”

He shrugged. “There may never be another. You’re my Diva, always and forever.” He hugged her close to his side and reached up to pull the framed photo down off the wall. “I just need an autograph on it, and we’ll grab your hubby and get outta here.” He pulled the picture from the frame and set it on the table, handing her a Sharpie.

She giggled and took it. Her eyes scanned the black and white photo of herself. She was sitting at her makeup table, wrapped in a silk robe. Her long locks were down around her shoulders and she was smiling sweetly with a rose in her hand. Shaking her head, Abby leaned over the photo and signed her graceful signature to the slick surface of the photo. ‘Abby Garner…“Diva”’ She looked up at Ronnie and handed it back to him. “Here you go.”

He smiled, slid the photo back into the frame, and returned it to the wall. “Okay, now let’s go get your man and then you can meet my woman.” He took her hand within his own and led her back into the club.

Abby didn’t much like the image that met her eyes as they approached the bar again. One of the dancers, dressed in a sexy little bikini-type outfit, was practically sitting on JC’s lap, despite his attempts at pushing her away. She met his gaze with raised eyebrows and put a hand on her hip, clearing her throat. “Excuse me, how about you get off him?”

The blonde glanced over her shoulder before swinging a leg over JC’s legs, moving herself up onto his lap. “Oh, I’ll get him off…for sure.” She winked and turned her attention back to the poor man before her.

Abby reached out and grabbed the woman’s arm, pulling her off JC’s lap. “I said…get OFF my HUSBAND!”

The young dancer’s eyes widened and she adjusted her top. “He didn’t seem to mind too much until you arrived, honey.” Her eyes scanned Abby’s body and one of her plucked eyebrows arched in disgust. “Why would he be married to a FAT chick…when he can have this?” She ran her hands down her body and Abby frowned as she saw JC watch the trail of her hands.

Abby shoved the woman out of the way and hissed back. “I’m not FAT, you little ho-bag. I’m PREGNANT. You wanna know why? Because that man over there…yeah, the one you were slithering all over…he’s my HUSBAND, and we have GREAT sex. These are our third and fourth children in here. So don’t tell me this man is lacking in the physical attention department. Because I can assure you, my dear, that I pay PLENTY of attention to him.”

Ronnie approached them and frowned at the young woman. “Cara…didn’t I tell you to go home?”

“Ronnie! I was getting to know this fine young man and this BIT-”

“CARA!” Ronnie sighed after raising his voice to her. “Go…home. You’ve caused enough trouble tonight without insulting VIP’s any further.”

The girl looked clearly confused. “V…VIP’s?”

Ronnie nodded his head and watched as JC stood up, pulling Abby close into his arms. “Yes, Cara. That woman you just spouted out on is Abby Garner. The best damn dancer I’ve ever had…the woman on the wall?” he added, hoping she’d catch the clue. “And that man…yep…that is her husband and they are happily married, got it?” He watched her nod before sighing again. “Get the hell out of here. I don’t want to see you for two weeks.”

“But Ronni-”

He raised a hand and pointed to the door. “OUT.” Shaking his head as she left the club, he grabbed some things and led the couple out the back. “She already offered a lap dance to the health inspector...I swear, it’s like raising kids.”

JC and Abby both laughed and followed him to the parking lot. “Where are the kids?” he asked, unlocking his car.

Abby sighed and moved away from JC’s arms. “They’re in Orlando with JC’s parents. It’s been a month since the trial and it’s a little easier to leave them for extended periods of time.”

Ronnie raised an eyebrow as she glared at JC. “What about Valentine’s Day? Didn’t you guys leave ‘em with Justin or something?”

“It was actually the night after, and yes we did,” JC replied. “But I can assure you, we were there, picking them up at six the next morning. They were both still asleep. We couldn’t stay away from them any longer. It’s a little easier now.”

The other man nodded and watched curiously as JC held the door open for her to climb into the car before she slammed the door shut herself. “What’s up with her, man?”

JC shrugged. “No clue. Let’s go meet this girl of yours.”

The rest of the evening was spent with Lily, Ronnie’s ‘soul mate’ as he had put it. Abby decided that she really like the woman and told Ronnie that if he didn’t marry her now, she was going to figure him out and leave him forever. It was and evening filled with laughter and embarrassing stories that Abby had to share about her former employer, and no one missed the way she continued to shy away from her husband’s touch.

Before they knew it, the clock was striking four A.M. and the small group was exhausted.

Ronnie showed JC and Abby where they could sleep and bid them both good night before leaving the room.

JC pulled the blankets back on the bed and sat down, looking up at his wife as she changed into her pajamas. “Abby…what’d I do?”

She glared and took her hair down, running a brush through it before making her way to the bed. Climbing in on the other side, she slid her legs under the blankets and lay down on her back, staring up at the ceilng. “She was all over you, Josh…and you liked it.”

He couldn’t help but smile. “You were jealous.”

“I was no…” She sighed and looked over at him. “Okay…I was. You liked her though…didn’t you?”

JC sighed and slid down into the bed beside her. Reaching an arm out to pull her closer, he moved his face in to her neck and slowly sucked on her skin, kissing it gently as he pulled away. His hand slid up under her shirt and he caressed her slightly swollen stomach gently. “She was beautiful, yes.” He saw her face fall at his words. “But baby, she was a little too aggressive for me to have ever been attracted to her. Besides…she’s not you. Yes, I was looking at her…but baby honestly, I’m a man.”

Abby pouted and cuddled closer into his arms. “But you’re supposed to look at ME that way, Joshua.”

He laughed and reached out to turn off the lamp. “I do, baby…I do. Just when you’re not looking. And you know the thoughts that go through my head because I act them out with you.”

She giggled slightly and kissed him softly in the darkness. “Sorry.”

He shook his head and ran a hand down her back, pulling her body flush against his own. “Don’t be. I rather liked watching you get all hot and bothered for your man.” He chuckled against her skin and kissed her one last time before they both slipped off into dreams.

~*~

The ringing wouldn’t stop. JC knew it was his cell phone, but he didn’t want to answer it, nor did he know precisely where it was at the moment. Rolling over in the bed with a groan, he reached blindly to the floor and flailed his arm around until his hand met the rough denim of his jeans where he had kicked them off the night before. Grasping the phone in his hand, he unhooked it from his belt and opened it, putting it to his ear.

“Hmmm?” he answered, as coherently as he felt.

“Joshua?” the confused voice came back.

“Mmm…yeah.”

“It-it’s Shaina…I’m sorry to call so early, but…I’ve got the results of the paternity test if you’re interested.”

That woke him up.

JC sat up straight in t he bed, startling Abby as the bed shook. “You WHAT?” He glanced at the clock before shooting his wife an apologetic look. “Hang on,” he said, covering the mouthpiece with his hand. Glancing at Abby again, he took a deep breath with wide eyes.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, moving to a more comfortable position as she looked up at him.

“It’s Shaina,” he replied softly. “She’s got the results, babe.”

Abby’s eyes widened, but she didn’t move to a sitting position, instead merely moved her hand over to clasp his own as he put the phone to his ear again.

“Okay Shai…I’m ready.”

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