JC smiled and bent down to grab the little girl as she toddled across the floor on her wobbly legs. “C’mere you,” he whispered, pulling her up into his arms and depositing a kiss to her chubby cheek. “Where do you think you were going, huh?” Taking a seat on the couch beside his wife, JC pulled the little girl close to his chest, cuddling her gently as she snuggled into his warmth.

“You ready for this?” Abby asked, grabbing the remote and turning the television on.

JC sighed. “I suppose. This is a big exclusive for us. I’ve done my best in keeping our family out of the spotlight, but with this…we did ourselves in.”

She smiled and leaned over to kiss him, careful of the baby nestled in her arms. “It’s going to be fine. Everything they filmed was completely tasteful and fair to us.”

Rubbing the bridge of his nose, he nodded. “Yeah…I know. I’m just…nervous, I guess.”

A grin crossed his wife’s face as the opening credits of the show rolled. “It’s starting.” She reached down and took his hand in her own, both of them squeezing the other’s in reassurance.

“Welcome to the Oprah Winfrey show.” The woman leaned forward in her chair, looking directly into the camera. “As our cameras pan around the room, you’ll see that on today’s show, we have no audience. On today’s show, we also have no guests. But don’t let that tempt your finger to change the channel…oh no, because we have an amazing show today. In an exclusive all-access interview, I was able to dive into the personal life of a very private man.”

On the large screen behind Oprah, an image of *N Sync appeared for a moment before showing an individual picture of Justin. “Justin Timberlake is a popular solo artist now at the age of 33. He is married to actress Hunter Faust and they live in California with their two children, Isabella and Mason. I have been able to interview him several times, the most recent being last June. Justin’s fourth solo album ‘High and Dry’ is sitting high on Billboard’s charts at number two.” The image changed to one of Joey…a still shot from his most recent movie. “Joey Fatone is one of Hollywood’s leading hunks, filling the roles of the heartthrobs of my day such as George Clooney and Harrison Ford. At age 37, he can be seen now on Broadway in ‘Yesterday is Today is Tomorrow.’ He lives in New York City with his wife Kelly and their three children Brihana, Jasmine, and Cody. I’ve interviewed Joey at least three times throughout his solo career.” A photo of Lance standing with a man holding a Grammy took place of Joey on the screen. “Lance Bass, having never gotten the opportunity to travel into space now resides in California with his fiancé, Ashlyn Spencer, where he manages several mainstream and country music acts. I was able to have a chat here at the show with Lance shortly after one of his artists, Dalton Montgomery, won the Grammy for Best New Artist in 2010. Lance is 35.” Lance’s image left the screen and was replaced with one of Chris at one of Joey’s premieres. “And at the age of 43, Chris Kirkpatrick designs clothing for his clothing line and manages his own record label. Chris lives in Orlando with his wife Danielle and their son Garrett. I’ve had Chris on the show once since the group separated.”

Oprah smiled into the camera once she was through her introduction into the lives of what used to be *N Sync. “One member remains. The one member that I had never managed to snag onto my show by himself. The one member that simply will not do exclusive interviews about his family and his personal life. Until now.”

A picture of JC came upon the screen, the cover of his second solo album. His hair was trimmed short, having gotten over his ‘rebellious’ stage in the early 21st Century. His eyes sparkled but his face was serious as he stared off to the left of the camera, his hand tightened around the neck of an acoustic guitar.

“JC Chasez. He’s 38 years old, married with the largest family of the group, and a jack-of-all-trades when it comes to his music. Is he a singer, a songwriter, or a producer? He’s all three. He’s released three albums sans *N Sync, all of which rocketed to the top of charts worldwide. He’s writing and producing for acts left and right, and chances are if it’s a hit, JC Chasez had a hand in it. I was finally able to catch up with the elusive man, and instead of coming into our studio, JC invited us into his home where we met his family and found out what it was like to be one of the Chasez clan.”

The image on the screen behind her changed to one of a bed with two figures lying in it. “So let me take you into the lives of these unseen Chasezs…in a segment I like to call “Seventh Heaven…And Then Some.” Watch with me.” She turned to face the screen as music began to play and her voice came over the video.

Abby’s hand tightened around her husband’s. “Do we actually look asleep?” she asked with a giggle.

JC laughed. “Maybe…but who will honestly think that wasn’t staged? That Oprah actually just broke into our house and took a picture of us asleep?”

“Stop analyzing it, sweetie,” Abby whispered, kissing his cheek.

The still shot of the couple sleeping changed to video of Oprah, sitting in her car at the front gate of a massive house.

“It’s Monday morning, December 3rd, 2014 and I’m sitting in the driveway of JC Chasez’s huge home in Orlando, Florida.” She looked down at her watch and shrugged. “It’s around six thirty-five and they told us to go ahead and come by anytime, so we’ll see if they’re up.” She leaned out the car window and pushed the call button. It buzzed off and on for a minute or so before a click sounded and a tired voice came from the speaker.

“Yeah?”

Oprah grinned into the camera and called out the window. “Mrs. Chasez, it’s Oprah…are you ready for us?”

Abby was silent for a moment before replying. “Oh…oh yeah…come on in.” The gates buzzed and swung open a moment later. The host smiled to the camera again before sliding her sunglasses back over her eyes and pulling up the long driveway, enjoying and commenting on the view on her way up. She got out after parking the car and led her cameramen up the stairs and onto the porch, ringing the doorbell while she fussed with her wind-blown hair.

The door opened a few moments later and Abby smiled as she saw the woman and her crew. “Hey. Welcome to our home. Everyone is still in bed, so I’m going to have to make the rounds because these kids aren’t getting out of school just because you’re here. Come on in.” She was just about to climb the stairs alone when a thought entered her mind. “Hey…come see what life is like being Mrs. Chasez waking up the kids in the morning…that includes my husband.”

JC looked over at Abby when he heard her say that. “That wasn’t very nice,” he said, cuddling the child in his arms closer. “The things you say about me when I’m in bed.”

“Hush,” Abby hissed, her attention on the television.

Oprah smiled into the camera and followed Abby up the stairs, motioning for the camera to follow. Abby grinned outside the first door and pushed it open quietly, exposing the man that still lay in the bed asleep. The woman placed a finger to her lips and padded across the floor before sitting down on the bed. She leaned over her husband’s sleeping form and caressed his face gently, placing a kiss to his lips.

JC stirred at the contact and slowly opened his eyes. A slow smile crossed his face and he pulled her closer. “Not that I’m not glad to wake up to this, but I thought you were going to let me sleep in today.”

Abby kissed his lips again and pulled away. “I was going to let you sleep in, but we have visitors.” She moved her body out of the way so he could see the talk show host and the camera that was zoomed in on them.

He rolled his eyes and pinched his wife’s side before waving to the camera. “Hi, Oprah. Now that all of your viewers are watching Springer or something because they’ve seen me in the morning…how are you?”

Oprah laughed and nodded. “I’m just fine, JC. This was your wife’s idea, I swear.”

He smiled. “I believe it.” Looking into the camera as Abby mussed his hair, he waved them away. “Give me like ten minutes and I’ll try and look more presentable and be all yours.” He grinned and smacked Abby’s hand away from his head. “Go away,” he said, sticking his tongue out at his wife before kissing her solid on the lips.

Abby laughed and got up off the bed, waving her hand in front of his face. Scrunching up her nose, she pushed out the door, letting their guests follow her down the hallway. “He’s got morning breath,” she explained. Stopping at the next door, she knocked on it loudly before turning the knob and slipping in.

Oprah watched with a smile as Abby crossed the room and sat down on the edge of this bed, running her hand affectionately through the sleeping young man’s hair. “Sweetie…time to get up and get ready,” she whispered, leaning down and kissing his forehead.

The man stirred and opened his eyes to look up at his mother. “What time is it?” he asked.

Abby smiled. “Six forty-five.”

Braeden groaned and rubbed his eyes before sitting up slightly. He caught sight of the man and woman in the doorway and his eyes grew wide for a second. “Oh yeah…that thing is today.” Rolling his eyes, he looked at his mother. “Thanks Mom,” he said with a cheesy, fake smile.

Kissing his cheek, she stood up and left the room with the two ‘intruders.’

The three made their way down the hall, Abby showing how it goes every morning to wake up her children for school. Before seven fifteen, the family and the host were seated around the large table in the kitchen, except the younger children who got to stay in bed since they didn’t have to go to school. JC and Abby changed before making their way to the kitchen where they began breakfast preparations.

Oprah ate breakfast with the group and watched the proud parents send their kids off to school. They traded mindless chatter across the table, just filling time until their interview would really begin. She was entertained by the stories that were told and was pleased to see that they were still taping and it didn’t seem to bother the family in the least.

After the breakfast table had been cleared, Abby checked in on the children that were still sleeping before making her way down to the living room to take a seat beside her husband. Letting out a sigh, she smiled. “Welcome to my world, Oprah. Get the older ones up and send them to school…then let the others sleep and go back to sleep myself.”

The host smiled and took a seat across from the couple. “Thank you so much, you guys for letting me come into your house and kinda delve into your lives today. I know how private you are and that you do it strictly to protect your family, but the world is very curious as to what kind of situation you’re running here.”

JC smiled. “It’s a madhouse is what it is,” he replied, putting his arm across the back of the sofa behind Abby. “This is every morning for us, except Abs is usually shoving me out the door too, on my way to the studio or something.”

Oprah nodded in understanding. “Busy place here. So I’m going to bring up the question that a lot of young women out there, fans of *N Sync and each of you guys’ solo careers are thinking now that all of you guys are taken. How on earth did you snag him, Abby?”

Abby laughed and laced her fingers through JC’s. “It was quite easy actually. Show a man a good thing and he’ll follow you like a puppy dog.”

JC looked shocked at her answer for a moment before leaning over closer to his wife. “That is the truth.” He laughed and kissed her cheek quickly.

“Actually, it was just a case of being in the right place at the right time. Josh had a flat tire on the side of the road in Tampa in the middle of the night. I was coming home from work and happened to see him, felt like being a Good Samaritan that night and stopped to offer him a ride. From there on, he ended up staying at my place and we’ve been together ever since.”

“Together off and on,” JC corrected.

Oprah nodded. “We’ll get back to that. First I want to acknowledge your occupation at the time, which has actually become somewhat of a controversy in your married life.”

The couple nodded and Abby sighed before looking back up to the woman. “Yeah. I was a dancer in a bar, and automatically when people hear the word dancer associated with bar, they assume that I remove my clothes for money. Which was true, but…it paid the bills. I’m not going to say that I couldn’t seek better, more dignified work, but Ronnie really took care of me and Braeden. I did my job, and apparently I did it well. Before I had the chance to realize that what I was doing really wasn’t the best career choice, I had my own house, my own car…and I could afford to take care of my son. That was it for me. He was all I was worried about.”

“Sometimes a mother does what she has to do to do what’s best for her child.”

Abby agreed with Oprah with a nod of her head. “That’s true. And I never exposed Braeden to that lifestyle. Never. When I went to work, he stayed with his aunt Laura. I did all that I could to preserve his innocence.”

“Now what about Braeden’s father, because JC…you’re not his biological father.”

JC shook his head. “No, I’m not.”

Abby sighed and tightened her hand around her husband’s. “It was a high school romance. I ended up pregnant and he ended up having chronic phone problems. As in, he was never able to come to the phone or the phone just rang and rang. My parents kicked me out of my house, disowned me, stripped me of my funding for college, and I was left alone with only my sister as my ally. So I moved to Tampa with her, had my baby by myself, got a job and took care of my son. Meeting Josh was a miracle for me.”

Oprah smiled. “Sounds like it. You’ve had a rough life and it makes me that much happier to see you in this lap of luxury your husband is providing for you.” Abby thanked her with a smile. “And did he welcome Braeden into his life immediately?”

JC sighed at her question and looked at his wife, wanting her to answer since he didn’t have any way of explaining himself without feeling completely guilty. Abby noticed his desperation and shook her head. “No, he didn’t. I didn’t even tell him until a month or so into our relationship. That night, I didn’t think I was ever going to see him again, despite his insistence that I wasn’t going to be a one-night stand. And when I finally did tell him, I introduced Braeden as my son, and JC blew up. He wasn’t too excited at the thought that his girlfriend had a child, but it only took him a little while to warm up to the idea. Braeden is what the guys always said…irresistible. He’s life-loving. And JC eventually accepted him as part of the ‘Abby package.’” She laughed and brushed some hair from her face.

“JC, why were you so hesitant to accept this boy into your life?”

He cleared his throat and pointed to a family picture on the mantle. “See that boy standing beside my end of the couch?” He waited until Oprah nodded that she saw him. “That is my son Quentin from a previous relationship. I had spent the entire nine months of Shaina’s pregnancy believing that the child inside her was mine. When she went into labor, I rushed her to the hospital and while I was filling out insurance papers, the man she had been cheating on me with was in the hospital room with her, holding her hand, helping her deliver what he thought was his child. Needless to say, that relationship ended as soon as she told me that it was his son and not mine. I spent years thinking this, and when Braeden came into my life, I didn’t want anything to do with him because a kid around was just a reminder of what I had lost out on. I mean, even though I was positively assured that Quentin was not my son, I had been looking forward to that for nine months, and it was stripped away from me just like that.” He snapped his fingers. Swallowing slowly, he looked up at the picture again. “But, despite my insistence when Shaina showed up again, sans Donovan, with Quentin on my parents’ front porch, she told me he was my son instead. And part of me believed her, but I continued on with my life, trying to get Abby back, and I didn’t want anything to do with either one of them.”

“Why did you have to get Abby back? Weren’t you two together?”

JC shook his head. “No. We worked things out with the Braeden issue and I was fine with it. I mean, fans saw me with her and with him, people speculated that he was my son, but I really didn’t care. Abby ended up pregnant though, and I flipped. All of my past fears of being cheated on where coming back to me and I thought there was no possible way that I was responsible for that life inside of her. She’d been close with all of the guys, especially Joey and Wade. I accused her of cheating on me and I left her. It was messy and I was a jerk. I’ll admit it. We were apart for eight months, practically her entire pregnancy. But I promised her that I would be there with her when she went into labor. Ir promised her that she would never have to go through that alone again. And I was there…and I apologized because the entire time, I did believe that that was my child.”

“I see. And when did you find out that Quentin was your son also?”

JC bit his lip. “Uh…the day after Valentine’s Day, I told Abby that I wanted to take the paternity test and make sure. Shaina had moved on…she was with someone new and Quentin had a strong father figure in his life, but I wanted to know for sure. So I took the test and it came up positive, so Shaina was decent enough to legally change Quentin’s last name to my own, which was really, really stately of her. I was very grateful. I’m as much a part of Quent’s life as his step-father is and it’s fantastic.”

Oprah looked down at her notes and scanned them before turning her attention to the couple again. “Now, when you say Shaina, you see her as simply your ex-fiancé, but the general public would know her as whom?”

“Shaina Kensington. She started out on General Hospital, but has been doing quite a few movie roles lately. She’s very talented and she’s a wonderful mother.”

“Abby, how do you feel about the situation with Quentin?”

Abby smiled. “Well, how should I feel?” she asked with a laugh. “Joshua wasn’t springing any information on me that I didn’t previously pile on top of his already full plate. I have a child from a previous relationship and so does he. I love that boy as much as I love my own children. It feels like he’s my own, but I know that he’s just my step-son and I, as well as my children, are aware of that and we accept him into our family with no second thoughts.” She sighed. “I’m proud of my husband for taking that chance and finding out the truth. I envisioned him going to take the test and finding out that he wasn’t his father and it killing him to know it, but I knew it would hit him hard either way, and he was so happy when he found out. I remember the morning that the phone call came. Shaina called and told us as soon as she knew. Josh was in shock but before I even had a chance to figure out what was said, he was in tears because he was so happy. He grabbed me and held me for a long time before he even told me what the results were. He’s grown up a lot since he was with her and since she first approached him with Quentin. I’m very, very proud of him.”

JC smiled. “Thank you, baby.”

She giggled. “Anytime, sweetie.”

“How were you so sure to believe Shaina when she told you? Could she have been lying just so you’d believe that her child was your child as well?”

JC shook his head. “No. She didn’t really want me to take the test at first because her husband more than fills a fatherly role in Quent’s life. Deegan’s a great guy; I really like him. I respect fully that he, Shaina and Quentin have their own little family going, and he respects that Quentin belongs in our family as well. It’s a good situation.”

Oprah smiled and commended him for being so open to compromise when it came to this particular arrangement. “So how has your marriage gone thus far? Your anniversary is coming up soon…what year are you guys up to now?”

JC smiled. “Twelve years. Wow, has it really been that long?” he added, looking over at his wife. “Dang.”

Abby laughed and nodded her head, confirming the year. “Twelve wonderful years, despite all of the roadblocks.”

“Okay, so let’s discuss those roadblocks. There have been several instances where rumors have spread like wildfire about you and your intentions in marrying this guy.” Abby nodded her head, affirming Oprah’s words. “What kinds of things have been said?”

Abby picked at her leg of her khaki pants and sighed. “Um, well there’s obviously been a lot of things said because of my job when I met Joshua. I don’t really know how things like that get out, but I guess if someone wants information bad enough, they’ll get it no matter what. Another favorite rumor around the time of our marriage was that I was simply using Josh for his money and social status. People said that I was forcing my son on him and expecting him to take care of my problems.”

”How badly did this upset you, or did you choose to try and forget about it?” Oprah asked, pity in her voice for what the young woman had gone through just to be with the man she loved.

“Ya know, it really hit me hard at first. It’s really hard to ignore something like that. I first saw all that was going on one night when I got online and surfed around on some of *N Sync’s fan sites. There were things up about Josh’s and my marriage on just about every one, and while some were very supportive, a lot of them were quite degrading and frankly, it hurt me a lot to see that his so called ‘loyal’ fans didn’t want him to be happy and that they could say such horrible and truly hurtful things about someone they’d never even met. Truthfully, I think what hurt the most was just that they said so many horrible things about me and my son, and about Chance and they didn’t know me at all. They didn’t know that I love this man more than anything in the world. Those fans have never seen the love in his eyes when he looks at our children. They’ve never seen the smile on his face when he wakes up in the morning and rolls over to wake me up with a kiss. They’ve never seen us when we’re alone together and just being in each other’s arms. They’ve never seen that and I don’t think they’ll ever understand it and let it go until they do see that.”

“Well they can see that now, in some respect,” Oprah offered reassuringly. “Are these thing still going on, or do you not notice them as much?”

“Oh, there’s still speculations about us,” JC offered, his hand tight around his wife’s. "People are saying that our marriage will end or whatever. I don’t see how either one of us could ever leave this arrangement that we have, knowing all that we’d be leaving behind. The continuous love, our children, our families. It all means too much to us to ever end this. I love Abby…I love our children, and I love our life. It’s perfect for me…perfect for us. And I’ve mentioned many, many times on the air, in magazines, what have you…that I don’t appreciate the way a lot of our fans have been taking our relationship. Granted, it’s died down quite a bit through the years, but it’s still there.” He looked over at Abby for a moment before looking down in his lap at his hand. “It really upset me to see that, and it still does when those things come around again, which they don’t too often anymore.”

“What kind of message do you have to send out to the fans that have supported your new life?”

JC smiled. “I just thank them from the bottom of my heart for supporting me and my family through everything. I know that it frustrates them not to know everything. They know that I have a big family, but that’s about it. I’ve intentionally tried my hardest to keep this family away from the tabloids and the awards shows, because I want my kids to have some sense of normalcy. I want them to be able to be involved in things at their schools and to be able to play a soccer game or a football game without being hounded by reporters afterward.”

“That’s what any father would want for their children, and it’s very commendable for you to desire that for your own kids,” Oprah said with a smile, flipping her notes.

JC smiled. “Thank you.”

“So how old are you two now?”

JC laughed. “I am nearing the big 4-0. I’m getting there. I’m 38…an old man.”

Oprah laughed slightly at his expression. “Well Abby, I know how much women hate being asked this question, but how old are you?”

Abby smiled. “Not as old as he is.” She laughed and kissed her husband’s cheek before turning to the host again. “I’m 36. I don’t really feel that old.”

A scream from upstairs interrupted their interview and the cameraman zoomed in as JC sprang from the couch and ran up the stairs, disappearing. Abby shook her head. “Right on time. She wakes up the same time every morning…the same way. She feels the need to scream at the top of her lungs, in turn, waking her brother up. So…if I predict correctly, Joshua will be coming down the stairs with a kid in each arm.”

The two women and the cameraman all laughed as JC made his way down the stairs a few minutes later with a beautiful Chinese girl on his hip and a tiny baby in his arm. He handed the baby to Abby before plopping down on the couch, pulling the little girl onto his lap.

Oprah smiled as she saw the big smile on the girl’s face. “Now who are these two?”

Abby smiled and sat the baby up in her lap. “These are our two youngest, Isaac and Hailey.”

“They are beautiful,” Oprah gushed, laughing as Hailey stared at the camera.

“They’re probably hungry,” Abby commented, watching her daughter reach out to the bowl of fruit on the table.

“Well they need their breakfast, don’t they? Go ahead and feed them,” Oprah replied, standing up with the couple as they carried their children to the kitchen.

The video ended and the image returned to the one of the host sitting in her studio. “Coming up, join us as we go grocery shopping for the Chasez army and we’ll tag along with JC as he goes into the studio, showing us just what he’s up to these days. Don’t go anywhere…we’ll be right back.”

Abby looked over at her husband with a smile as the show went on its commercial break. “I think it’s going really well,” she said, watching Braeden walk into the room and take a seat in the empty recliner. “You missed the beginning.”

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “Yeah, I know…I was on the phone with Chele.”

“You missed seeing yourself get disturbed from your slumber by your mother for all the world to see,” JC prodded with a smile.

Braeden smirked and put the footrest up. “Whatever, Dad.”

The father and son bickered back and forth for a few minutes to most of the family’s enjoyment until the show came back on again. The show’s audience was then taken on a whirlwind trip around Orlando to various stores where the husband, wife and their two remaining children filled four shopping carts before piling it all into the back of Abby’s Lincoln Navigator. The husband and wife then split up and Oprah and her cameraman followed JC to the studio where they witnessed him helping an artist work on their debut album.

JC brought Oprah and her cameraman back to their house shortly after four o’clock. He recalled while watching that he had turned to the cameraman, advising him to film as he opened the door.

JC turned at the door with his hand on the knob, a smile crossing his features as he listened carefully. “Are we rollin?” he asked, his smile growing as Oprah nodded. Slowly pushing the front door open, JC held it allowing them through first. They re-entered the once quiet house to find one completely unlike the one they had been in that morning. Oprah had to sidestep quickly to avoid being hit by two young girls that ran past, shrieking at the tops of their lungs. She put a hand to her chest as she leaned up against the wall and laughed slightly.

JC reached back to take her arm in his hand, leading her into the kitchen where she laughed at the sight before her. Six kids, ranging from early adult to five years old were sitting around the table, attacking their mother’s freshly baked chocolate chip cookies.

“They’re definitely a different bunch since this morning,” Oprah said with a laugh, stepping further into the kitchen.

“It’s Abby’s baking,” JC supplied with a smile as he crossed the floor to give his wife a kiss where she was taking another batch of cookies off the cookie tray. He grabbed one off the tray and took a bite out of it while slipping away from her. Abby made a face and smacked his butt with the spatula.

JC grabbed his butt as he walked away. “Hey woman! You’re getting cookie crumbs on my as-…uh butt.”

Abby shot her husband a look at his near slip up. “Joshua…”

“Sorry, baby.”

A few minutes later, Oprah was once again seated in the large living room, surrounded by the Chasez kids.

“Okay then…my first comment now that we’re back is probably the one thing that all of our viewers are thinking at the same time. DANG, you two have a lot of kids!” She laughed as they nodded. “Why so many?”

JC shrugged. “I dunno, you know. Originally, we just wanted three or four, but…things changed over time and now we have our little French army here.” He laughed and bounced his knee a couple times, much to the delight of the little Chinese girl perched on it. “I think that how it happened was, we didn’t plan on having any more, but Abby got pregnant again and we just kinda went with it and fulfilled a prophecy of sorts.”

“What do you mean by that?”

He bit his lip and grinned. “Well…originally, Abby’s father commented on how large my house was and that we should fill it with kids. We just replied that we didn’t want any more than three or four. Then, shortly after the twins were born, Justin actually called the house and informed us that from Abby to Emma, we were filling every letter of the alphabet. And he wanted to convince us to fill it to J for me.”

Oprah laughed. “That’s interesting. Did you guys plan that at all?”

Abby shook her head. “No…unless Joshua isn’t telling me something, we didn’t plan it at all. Completely fluke, I swear.”

The woman tapped her chin. “I didn’t catch all of your kids’ names, so help me out here. Did you guys accomplish Justin’s feat?”

JC smiled. “Yup. I don’t really know why we did it or what we were thinking, but we did it.”

“What are their names?” Oprah was grinning in amusement.

JC leaned back on the couch and looked around them. “Okay, well obviously first we have Abby for the A. Then sitting over there in the recliner is Braeden, he’s 18.”

Braeden Noah Chasez waved half-heartedly and rocked in the recliner. He had grown up quite nicely. He was tall, hitting around 6’3 with tan skin and a bright, perfect smile. His dark hair was short, gelled to perfection with blonde streaks running through it. His dark brown eyes contained so much youth and yet so much wisdom at such a young age. His toned muscles could be seen from his short-sleeved shirt and he had a confidence about him that made him all the more appealing.

JC rolled his eyes at Braeden’s weak wave. “He’s still not happy about this morning, I think. This one sitting on the arm of the couch by Abby is Chance, he’s 14.” Chance Joseph Chasez, a scrawny young boy with slightly crooked teeth, sat perched on the arm of the couch, his arm around the back of his mother. He had his father’s piercing blue eyes and dark hair, but he clearly had his mother’s smile.

“These two beautiful angels sitting by me…” He motioned to the brunette girls sitting on each side of him. “These are our twins, Delia and Emma. They’re the two that just about knocked you over in the hallway when you first came back in.” JC’s ‘angels’ were identical in appearance. Their dark hair was long and wavy, cascading down their shoulders in curls. Big crystal blue eyes looked out past long, thick eyelashes. It was easy to tell that Delia Marie and Emma Rose Chasez were indeed JC’s angels, his first girls.

“He is so protective of them,” Abby supplied. “When they were born, he would hardly even let me hold them, he was so in awe. I think now that we have more kids, he’s kinda let go of ‘em a little, but once they get into high school, I’ve got the feeling that ‘overprotective daddy’ is going to rear his ugly head again.”

JC nodded his head with a smile. “These two are never dating. They’re never getting married, and they’re never moving out.”

“Daddy!” one of the twelve year olds exclaimed, smacking her father’s arm.

“Okay, okay,” JC came back with a laugh. “Maybe when you’re forty.”

“ANYWAY,” Abby said with a smile, pointing across the room to where a little girl was curled up in the loveseat beside an older boy. “Over there is Felice, she is 7.” Felice Olivia…the one Chasez besides Hailey that didn’t match the status quo in the appearance category. Her hair was a lighter brown than her brothers and sisters and ramrod straight. She had gotten her mother’s green eyes while her siblings had the crystal blue of their father. She was a skinny little thing, with naturally dark complected skin. When the camera moved to her, she leaned in close to the side of the young man sitting beside her.

Both JC and Abby fell silent for a moment or two as they prepared to finish the introductions. JC’s hand reached around behind Delia’s head to come down on his wife’s shoulder lightly. Clearing his throat, he smiled and bounced his knee. “This precious little girl that you met already is Hailey. We adopted her about a year ago from China. She’s my little China doll.”

Abby came out of her silent trance and smiled over at the giggling toddler on her father’s knee. “Josh was so taken with her when we got there. We had actually gone to the orphanage in plans to adopt a newborn, but the second we stepped into that building, it was Hailey. Um…the workers brought the newborn out to us, but Josh had seen Hailey, she was standing up in her crib and looking over the edge at us, a huge smile on her face. He looked over at the baby and just shook his head. He said that we had to take that other one home. They told us that she was constantly the most unhappy child they had ever seen. She was always crying and would hardly eat anything. Which was part of the reason why she was still there. No one wanted a little girl that was always screaming. They couldn’t believe that she was so happy when we came in, so they didn’t argue much with our decision to change our minds. So we filed some new papers, stayed for about a week in China and came home with Hailey in our arms.”

JC cuddled the little girl closer and smiled as she started playing with his long fingers. Hailey Jordan Chasez was a beautiful little Asian girl. Her almond eyes sparkled and were so full of life and happiness. Her dark hair was just past her ears, pulled back with sparkly pink barrettes. Her chubby hands held tight to her father’s. “The second we got her home, I was hit with inspiration. It was weird…like, usually when I’m hit with a song idea, something triggers it. Like wherever I am at the time or something that I’m doing. But this time, I just walked into the house with this little China doll in my arms and when I set her down on the couch beside Braeden, and watched her look around in awe and confusion, a phrase just came into my head. ‘When love takes you in.’ And right then and there, I sat down at the piano and I wrote Hailey’s song. I remember that Braeden had looked at me like I was crazy.”

“Dad, I hate to break it to ya, but you are crazy most of the time,” Braeden jabbed from across the room. “Seriously though, he was just standing there and he got this like, crazed look in his eyes and darted across the room to the piano. He’s weird when he gets songs and stuff in his head.”

JC smiled and pointed to his adopted son. “Yeah, I’ll take care of you, don’t worry.”

Braeden laughed and leaned back in the chair. “I can take you, old man.”

Oprah was giddy with laughter at the bantering between father and son. “JC would you want to play Hailey’s song for us?”

JC grinned and shot a look at the eighteen-year old across the room. “I would love to, Miss Oprah.” Lifting Hailey up with him, he carried her across the room to the black grand piano that sat near the big bay windows. Plopping the two-year-old down onto the bench, he sat down beside her and leaned down to get her attention. “I’m gonna play your song, baby girl,” he whispered, putting his hands on the keys.

Oprah watched with a smile on her face as JC leaned into the piano and started playing the soft and simple melody. Hailey’s eyes perked up at the sound, recognizing the song her father had written especially for her. He looked down at his daughter as he sang, loving the look of understanding in her eyes when he sang to her.


I know you’ve heard the stories
But they all sound too good to be true
You’ve heard about a place called home
But there doesn’t seem to be one for you
So one more night you cry yourself to sleep
And drift off to a distant dream

Where love takes you in and everything changes
A miracle starts with the beat of a heart
When love takes you home and says you belong here
The loneliness ends and a new life begins
When love takes you in


JC laughed quietly as Hailey put one chubby hand up onto the end of the piano, hitting a couple keys with a giggle. He ignored the off key chords her pounding created, laughing a little more before moving on to the second verse.


And somewhere while you’re sleeping
Someone else is dreaming too
Counting down the days until
They hold you close and say I love you
And like the rain that falls into the sea
In a moment what has been is lost in what will be

When love takes you in everything changes
A miracle starts with the beat of a heart


JC scooted back slightly with his hands still on the keys as Hailey crawled up onto his lap to sit in front of him. He winced when her foot struck a tender area, but couldn’t help the smile that crossed his face when she looked up at him and grinned joyfully. Abby laughed at the pained expression he had shown on his face, but was quickly pulled back into the familiar feeling of overwhelming joy she had whenever she watched this scene. JC leaned down and placed a kiss to the top of her head and continued playing.


And this love will never let you go
There is nothing that could ever cause this love to lose its hold


The music slowed down and JC looked into Hailey’s eyes as she stared back up at him.


When love takes you in everything changes
A miracle starts with the beat of a heart
When love takes you home and says you belong here
The loneliness ends and a new life begins
When love takes you in, it takes you in for good
When love takes you in


He finished the song with a few more chords and smiled down at the little girl in his lap as she began to clap and yell a few choice Chinese words she still used from time to time. “Yay, Daddy,” she whispered as he lifted her up again and carried her back over to the couch while his family, Oprah and her cameraman clapped.

The camera zoomed in on Hailey’s face as she leaned in close and placed a kiss on her father’s lips after crawling into his lap again. The shot then moved back to Oprah again. “That is so touching. You couldn’t see it, but I was crying. That little one right there is so obviously a daddy’s girl.”

JC smiled. “Just like her mother was.”

Oprah shook her head in amazement. “Just watching you with your kids is…magical or something. I’m feeling an emotion that I can’t even describe right now.” She laughed slightly as she watched Abby wipe some tears from her cheeks.

JC looked over at his wife to catch her action. “Why are you crying?” he teased, reaching over to braid his fingers through hers.

“I just love watching you with her. With all of them.” He leaned over and placed a kiss to her lips, smiling to the host as he moved back to his original position.

Oprah took a deep breath. “Okay, let me get my emotions in check here. So we’re at H, right? I take it that little one right there is the I.” She pointed to the baby snoozing in Abby’s arms.

Abby grinned and held the boy up slightly so the camera could get a good shot of him. “This is Isaac. He’s our most recent and last child. I certainly don’t want anymore because eight kids is plenty for me.”

Oprah gushed at the face Isaac made when his mother moved him into an uncomfortable upright position. “He is a doll. How old is he?”

“Two months,” JC replied, an easy smile crossing his face as he reached over and wiped a trail of drool from his son’s chin.

“He was actually in one way or another, featured in a photo shoot with you guys a few months back,” Oprah said, reading off the card in her hands.

Abby smiled and settled her son back down into her arms. “I was about eight and a half months pregnant and we agreed to do a shoot and story with People. I think Braeden actually decided that he wanted to be in one of the shots with his dad, but otherwise, Isaac in my stomach was the only other of our children that was shown in any way.”

Oprah grabbed the issue from the coffee table between them. “And here is that particular magazine.” She flipped to the story and showed the camera the pictures of the couple together. The opening shot was of Abby lying on her back in the grass in their front yard, JC was behind her, his upper body propped up with his right arm. His other hand lay flat against her protruding stomach, both of her smaller hands covering his own. Her eyes were closed and a soft smile played on her face. JC’s eyes were trained on his wife’s face, a large grin across his own.

The next photo showed JC and Braeden wrestling on the floor. Braeden had his father in a headlock, a triumphant smile on his face as he yelled down at the older man.

The article was describing their relationship and the things they did to assure that they could be together as much as possible. JC reiterated time and time again through the article how important his family was to him and that they would always come first. It was more or less an article that helped show couples that busy schedules and time apart didn’t mean that a marriage and family wouldn’t work. The Chasezs were living proof.

Not much information about their children was divulged within the paragraphs, simply that there were eight of them total and that they kept their parents on their toes…always busy with something.
The final picture showed Abby sitting at the kitchen counter on a barstool with a glass of orange juice in front of her as JC stood over the stove. An apron was tied around his waist and a wooden spoon was in his hand as he stirred something on the stove. He was looking over his shoulder at his wife as she flipped through a magazine, his eyes rolling in mock annoyance.

“There are some beautiful pictures in this article,” Oprah said, closing the magazine and setting it back on the floor. She leaned forward in her chair, her head propped on her fist as she scrutinized her guests with her gaze. “And then we have this young man sitting over here with Felice. I take it this is Quentin.”

JC and Abby both nodded and Quentin nodded his head slightly. The sixteen-year old tightened his arm around his half-sister as she felt the attention somewhat on her again. He reached up and brushed his longish hair out of his blue eyes and smiled slightly. “Yep, that’s Quentin. He’s sixteen and is visiting for the week because he’s on spring break back home,” Abby said with a smile. “As you can see, the kids are just as comfortable around him as they would be with Braeden. He’s been around as long as we’ve been married, practically, so it’s natural for him to be here with us.”

Oprah smiled and leaned back in her chair. “So I just realized something. When you were introducing your family, you failed to mention a G name. What’s the story behind that?”

Both parents visibly stiffened at the question and it was apparent on the host’s face that she regretted asking the question at that point. JC looked over at his wife and moved his hand down to hers again before turning his gaze back to Oprah’s concerned face. “Um, originally, there was a G. She was born about five years ago, after Felice and before we adopted Hailey. Her name was Gracie Madison.” He looked down at the little girl in his lap as she fisted her hands around the front of his shirt, tugging on it.

Clearing his throat, he looked up again. “Gracie was born in November of 2009. Abby can verify that it was a normal pregnancy and we did everything right. Everything that we had done for each of our other kids, we did for Gracie. We did the classes, we did the healthy food, we did the exercising…but we still wonder if there was something we had done wrong.”

He was silent for a few moments, collecting his thoughts. Oprah, slightly uncomfortable with the silence, shifted in her chair. “What happened?” she asked softly.

JC looked up and the camera caught the glisten of tears forming in his eyes. Taking a deep breath, he rubbed one eye and pulled Hailey closer into his arms. “Gracie was born healthy, as far as anyone could tell. She was like seven pounds, six ounces or something and completely normal. We brought her home a couple days after she was born and still everything seemed normal.” JC paused again and turned his head to look at his wife. She avoided his gaze and stared down at her hands.

He cleared his throat again and the emotion was evident in his voice when he spoke up again. “We had her home for about four weeks. She was waking us up regularly every morning about one o’clock. I guess my internal clock got set to that time because I was up and headed down the hall to the nursery, even though she wasn’t screaming.” He paused again and swallowed the lump in his throat. “She was just lying there. Her face was really pale and her breathing was so shallow, I couldn’t tell if she was breathing at all. I picked her up and started talking to her, but she was so…completely out of it. I can’t even describe it. I…I ran down the hall with her to our room and woke Abby up. Needless to say, we were both freaking out at this point. We bundled her up and got dressed really fast, woke Braeden and Quentin up and told them they had to watch their brothers and sisters until Justin could get there, called Justin and woke him up…and then we got in the car and tried to get to the hospital as quick as we could.”

He was quiet for a few moments again and spoke up again only after the first two tears slid down his cheek. “We were too late. Gracie died in Abby’s arms in the front seat. She had some sort of heart condition that wasn’t detected at all. Even if had been, the doctors said they didn’t know if they would have been able to do anything about it.” He took a deep breath and looked over at his wife again, squeezing her hand. “That was definitely the worst experience of either of our lives. I don’t think that either one of us could express to you how it feels to lose a child. I don’t remember who it was, but someone said to me that at least it wasn’t one of our older kids. That at least we didn’t have as long a history with her. That pissed me off. I can’t even tell you how bad I wanted to punch that person’s lights out. No matter how old your kid is, that is still your child. That child was inside my wife for nine months and we formed a bond with her that way. And in four weeks, her smiles enlightened our lives…just as each of our other kids have done before. I don’t care how long we did or didn’t have with her. Those four weeks were worth it just to know her.”

Abby finally squeezed JC’s hand back and chose her moment to add her say. “Gracie was a beautiful baby,” she said, the tears tumbling down her cheeks. “She was so happy and full of life. Losing her hit our family so hard. The kids, Josh and myself, our parents, our siblings and their children, and of course the guys. That was part of the reason that we adopted Hailey. I was…afraid of bringing another child into this world because I knew that I couldn’t go through it again if I lost another. But, we’ve always wanted a big family, so Josh brought up the prospect of adopting. I wasn’t too sure about it at first, but he encouraged me to look into it with him and that’s how we got Hailey. That may be part of the reason that he’s so attached to her. She definitely healed a pain within our family that losing Gracie caused.”

Oprah shook her head. “That’s a truly heartbreaking story. I feel for any parent that has to go through that. I’m glad that the two of you had each other and your families to support you through that hard time.” There was silence for a moment or two as the couple wiped their faces of the tears. The camera caught Braeden on the far left, trying to inconspicuously rid his own face of the tears that had fallen.

The shot ended and showed upon Oprah in her studio again. A small smile was on her face. “Truly heartbreaking, watching their tears and hearing the emotion in their voices. They are truly a family that has been through too much pain. We’ll be right back…stick around for the conclusion of our exclusive interview.”

Abby eyed her husband silently for a moment before he looked to her and smiled slightly. “It’s okay,” he whispered.

She looked down with a smile as Felice climbed up into her lap. “Momma,” she said with a raspy voice.

“Yeah baby?” Abby replied, wrapping her arms around the little girl.

“My froat still hurts,” she croaked out, rubbing her throat for affect.

“Let’s go get you some spray, okay? Then if that doesn’t do the trick, we’ll get the heavy stuff…hot chocolate.”

A smile crossed the girl’s face and she followed her mother into the kitchen.

JC watched them leave and looked down at Hailey when she started tugging on his shirt. “What, baby?” he asked, leaning down and nuzzling noses with her.

“Hey Dad?”

He looked up and raised an eyebrow to Braeden. “Yeah?”

“I’m sorry about next week. Ya know…I know you guys wanted to go somewhere for your anniversary, but I wasn’t too sure of watching everyone on my own. I probably could have done it, but I didn’t want to screw up or anything. I’m sure Quentin would be around, but…I dunno. I mean, especially Hailey. She’ll hardly let you out of her sight.”

JC smiled slightly. “Brady, she’s just as taken with you as she is with me.” JC set the little girl down on the floor and watched her toddle over to her big brother, crawling up onto the recliner with him. “See what I mean?”

Braeden wrapped his arms around his little sister and smiled when she leaned up to kiss his cheek. “Yeah. Sorry you guys didn’t get to go to France.”

“Don’t worry about it. Spending time with my family is all that I need.” He looked up when Abby and Felice came back in, followed by Chance and the twins. “Oh, so you guys decided to join us, huh?” he teased, pulling both twins onto his lap as they giggled hysterically and attempted to squirm away from his tickling hands.

Quentin sneaked in a few moments later, grabbed Emma around the waist and pulled her onto the loveseat beside him, grinning toward his father. “Sorry I’m late, Dad,” he apologized, putting his arm on the back of the chair around his half sister.

JC smiled and shrugged, helping Delia slide down between himself and Felice on the couch. He winked at his wife as she adjusted the baby in her arms. “Is he out?” he asked softly.

Abby peered down at Isaac and shook her head. “He’s still with us…only slightly.” She looked back up at him and smiled. “He takes after his daddy.”

“Hush woman,” JC replied, turning his attention back to the television as the show came back on again.

Oprah was leaned back in her seat, her legs crossed as she looked at the now smiling couple. “It’s about time to wrap this up, but I want to point out that the young man sitting over there in the recliner is engaged!”

Braeden’s face broke into a huge smile at the mention of his engagement.

Abby shook her head. “Yes, he is. Michele is already part of the family practically, so we’re really excited. They’ve been together for like two years, but I don’t think they’re going to get married until they’re done with college.”

“Mom,” Braeden spoke up, getting up to walk over and sit on the arm of the couch. “If we wait until I’m done with school, I’ll never get married.”

JC laughed at his son’s face. “Braeden wants to be a lawyer, so he’s gonna be in college for a while.”

”Where are you going to go to college?”

“The University of Texas,” Braeden replied with a smile. “I considered trying for one of the big Ivy League schools after I went to another school, but I figured this way, I can go ahead and get my Bachelor’s Degree and get into the law school at the same place…I thought it would be easier. Plus, I didn’t want to have to expect Dad to fork over nearly 16,000 bucks a term if I were to get into the law program at Yale. It’s ridiculous.”

”What type of law do you plan on studying?” Oprah asked.

Braeden smiled slightly. “Well, I intend on covering cases involving child abuse, and protecting kids from their abusive parents through divorce settlements and custody. I’ve experienced what it’s like to be that kid, and I don’t want any other child to go through that if there’s people out there that can save them.”

“Your father?”

He nodded silently, his hand moving down to wrap around his mother’s. “Yeah. When he and my mom were both seeking sole custody of me, I had to spend some time at his place. He would drink…he didn’t have a job, and when I would ask him for something or if I was hungry, he would hit me. He hit me just about every day…sometimes more than once or twice. No kid should have to go through that.” He looked down at their hands and sighed.

“Do you keep in touch with your father?”

Braeden looked up and glanced over at JC. “No. I haven’t seen or heard from him since my mom and dad got full custody of me. He’s paid child support all this time. I think it’s been since I was six. Mom and Dad donated all of that child support money to orphanages and different places like that where children have been abused and neglected. We have more than enough money in our family, so we didn’t need it.” He scrunched up his nose as he tried to remember the traumatic weeks that he spent in his biological father’s care. Sighing, he smiled. “I’m lucky. My parents fought to keep me. Ben’s lawyer had a suspicion of what was going on and he told the court…he lost his ability to practice law in doing that, but he did what he felt was right. We found out later when he called us to check up on things, that he had actually grown up with an abusive father, so he went against everything he’d learned in law school about doing what you can for your client, and he sold him out. I’m very grateful to him for that.”

“Well obviously we’ve established that JC is not your biological father, but I’m sure that to you, he is as natural a father as you’ve ever seen.”

Braeden nodded his head. “Yeah. I mean…he’s been there in one way or another since I was…four?” He looked at his mother in question as to his age when JC had first shown up in his life. “I dunno. Mom’s always had a good friend named Ronnie who would be around all the time, but he didn’t seem like much of a father figure to me. But my dad…he’s awesome. He’s made so many sacrifices to take care of our family. I can only hope to be half the father and man that he is.” Braeden smiled over at his father. “I mean, he took me in when I was just his girlfriend's son. He’s helped raise six other kids besides me, and that doesn’t include Quentin. There are no words to describe what a great father he is.”

JC smiled at the words the young man was so easily expressing. He looked down and ran his hand gently through Hailey’s hair.

Oprah smiled and looked at JC as he fidgeted. “What about *N Sync, JC? Can we expect a reunion or anything anytime soon?”

He grinned and shrugged his shoulder. “I dunno…maybe. Ya know…we have been pretty consistent about getting together every couple of years and doing something. We were talking about maybe an album, but it’s still on the table. I know Justin’s going to be doing a summer tour for “High and Dry” starting in May, I think. I’m pretty sure he’s planning on going back into the studio and work on some new material. Joey’s doing the Broadway thing right now and I think he was looking at another script. Chris has the line and the label, and Lance is doing really well with his label and artists. I don’t know, Oprah…we may do something together yet. We’ll definitely be getting together for Lance and Ashlyn’s wedding in April, but that’s the only thing that is set in stone at the present time. I guess you never know though,” he added with a small smile.

“What about you?” Oprah asked. “Do you plan on releasing a fourth solo album?”

JC shrugged. “I’m really not sure. I’ve been writing and producing for other acts. I wrote a couple songs on Justin’s last album. I…I really don’t know if I plan on doing another solo one or not. I might. It’s not for lack of material, that’s for sure. I’ve been writing a lot lately and I have a lot of stuff I’d love to lay down on an album. I guess we’ll just see about that one.” He smiled mysteriously.

“Okay then. Well we know the world will be looking forward to whatever you guys get your hands on, be it solo efforts or as a group. I just want to express my gratitude to you and your family for allowing me into your home and into your lives. You’ve really fanned the cloud of mystery that has been hovering over your personal life for the past few years. Thank you so much, all of you guys.”

JC nodded. “Thanks for being interested enough in me to want to do this,” he replied with a laugh. “Just for you, Oprah.”

The camera zoomed out and got one last good shot of the entire family together before Oprah’s studio was once again in view with that image on the flat screen behind her. “Thanks once again to the Chasez family, and I wish them all luck in their future endeavors. And that is our show for today. I’m Oprah Winfrey, see you next time.”

The show ended and the credits rolled. JC looked over at his wife and smiled. “It was good.”

Abby nodded in agreement with a grin. “It was good. You made a good decision in waiting for the right opportunity to show our family off.” She looked down as Isaac stirred, opening his eyes. “Well look who decided to join the living,” she cooed with a smile. Glancing up at the clock, she leaned over and handed the baby to his father. “I’m going to go start something for dinner. I’m sure the kids are getting hungry.”

Braeden stood up and plopped Hailey down onto the couch beside JC. “I’ll help you, Mom,” he offered, following her toward the kitchen.

Abby grinned and kissed his cheek in the doorway. “You’re so sweet.” She turned to look back at her husband and couldn’t help the smile she felt when she watched the rest of their kids move around their father as he started to tell them something. She couldn’t imagine her life turning out any more perfect.

“Josh,” she called from the door. He looked up and smiled as he pulled Hailey’s fingers from around Quentin’s hair. “Half hour, okay?”

His reply was merely a wink and Abby shook her head and disappeared into the kitchen.

~*~

JC set the large box down on the floor of the dorm room and wiped his hands on his jeans. “I think that’s the last of your stuff, bud,” he said, looking over as Abby made the bed while Braeden unpacked his laptop and other computer things on his desk.

He looked up and nodded after scanning over the boxes that littered the floor of his new room. “Yeah, I think so too.” He smiled slightly and winked at his little sister as she handed him a pencil from one of the boxes. “Thanks Hay.” He placed in the desk drawer and set to hanging a few things on the bulletin board above his desk.

She giggled and toddled back over to the box where she and her siblings were ‘helping’ unpack their brother’s things. Quentin and Chance weren’t in attendance, opting to stay in Orlando with a neighbor rather than make the drive to Texas, but the rest of the family had made the trip and were in the mindset that they were prepared to say goodbye to Braeden for the time being until his first opportunity to make the flight home for a visit.

After all of his clothes had been unpacked, his roommate had made his appearance and introductions had been made, Braeden found himself pulled into a tight hug within his mother’s arms. “You guys leaving?” he asked, hugging her back just as tightly.

“I think it’s time, sweetie,” she replied, pulling back and brushing her fingers over his hair. “We should get the kids back as soon as we can and I know it’s going to be a long trip…again.”

He smiled. “Yeah, good luck with that. I’ll see you whenever I can make it home for a weekend or something.”

Abby kissed his cheek and brushed the lipstick away with her fingers while fussing over his appearance. “You take care of yourself, you understand me? Make sure you eat right and go to all of your classes. Do your homework and don’t put off studying for your tests. You know how I don’t like when you have your night before cram sessions.”

”Mom…Mom, I know,” Braeden grumbled, batting her hands away. “I’m still going to run every day and drink my milk, okay?” he added with a laugh. “Don’t worry about me, I’ll be fine.”

She smiled softly and hugged him again. “That’s my job, Brae…I love you, sweetheart. Take care of yourself.”

“I love you too, Mom.”

Braeden went on to hug his sisters one by one, telling each of them how much he loved them and promising to call them whenever he could find the time between his studies and his potential social life. He enveloped each of the twins together, one in each arm, kissing both of them on the cheek and making them promise to keep their parents on their toes. Felice had cried as she wrapped her arms around her big brother’s legs before he crouched down to her level and wrapped his strong arms around her tightly.

Then, hugging Hailey close to his chest for a long time, he lifted himself out of his crouched position and picked her up with him, not wanting to let go of his precious little sister.

Abby and JC watched in silence as they watched Braeden cuddling his sister with his eyes closed. For some reason, there was a bond between them that none of the rest of them had. He loved his brothers and all three of his other sisters, but there was something about Hailey that drew him in…the little girl had her big brother wrapped around her little finger.

Finally setting Hailey back on the floor, he approached his seven-month old brother in the car seat that sat on his bed. Undoing the straps that confined the little boy, Braeden lifted him out, hugged him gently, and placed a kiss to his forehead while whispering soft words to the baby.

His large family having been such a huge part of his life, Braeden was finding it hard to say goodbye to them. His girlfriend had said her goodbyes to him in Orlando, knowing that his final goodbyes with his brothers and sisters was going to be especially hard. And it was.

Setting Isaac back in the car seat, he strapped the baby back in and turned to the rest of the family as he watched them prepare to leave. Abby waved to her son one last time and ushered the kids into the hallway, holding on tightly to Hailey’s hand. Braeden waved back and ran a hand through his hair, laughing slightly as he heard his roommate cough ‘Momma’s Boy’ under his breath.

JC eyed his oldest child as he crossed the room and reached out for Isaac’s car seat. Lifting it off the bed, he walked across the room to where Braeden was standing, watching him. Setting the seat on the floor, JC held his hand out, offering it to shake in case his son didn’t want to hug him in front of his new roommate.

A small smile crept onto Braeden’s face and he shook his head with a laugh before throwing his arms around his father and hugging him tightly. “I’m gonna miss you, Dad,” he said, tightening his grip.

JC patted Braeden’s back and squeezed back just as tightly. “I’ll miss you too, Brady. Who else am I going to kill in midnight basketball, huh?”

“Yeah right old man,” Braeden scoffed, pulling out of the embrace. “If you actually want to ‘kill’ someone, get someone besides me out there. Play Lance or something.”

His father smiled and looked around the room. “Take care of yourself, son,” he said, the smile on his face wavering. “It’s been a long road for us, but…I’m really very proud of you. I hope you know that.”

Braeden grinned. “I know it. But ya know, Dad…I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for you. I really wouldn’t. Mom and I wouldn’t be anywhere without you. She’d probably still be in the club and I’d still be wondering about my father and why I wasn’t ever good enough for him. But because of you, Mom’s living in the lap of luxury like she deserves, and I’m here…college. Best of all: I know that it’s not the case that I wasn’t good enough for him; I know that he was never good enough for me…because I had you in my future.”

JC shook his head and pulled Braeden back into his arms again, hugging him tight before releasing him and leaning down to pick up Isaac’s car seat. “I love you, Brady,” he said with a smile.

The eighteen-year-old mustered a slight smile and nodded. “I love you too, Dad.” He grabbed his father's shoulder as he started toward the door. Reaching into his pocket, he handed him an envelope with a shrug. "Read it when you and Mom get outside, okay? It's from all of us. I thought that my going away was an appropriate time to give this to you."

JC nodded, and Braeden walked with his father into the hallway where the rest of their family was waiting. Lifting a single hand, he waved as JC put his free arm around Abby’s waist and the group made their way down the hallway toward the elevator. Then, sighing, he turned and disappeared into his dorm room.

~*~

JC strapped Hailey into her car seat and closed the door after he was certain all of their kids were piled into the back of the Navigator. Turning to look at his wife, he smiled tenderly as he watched her with her arms crossed over her chest, gazing up at the third floor of the dormitory. Approaching her, he wrapped his arms around her from behind and leaned his chin on her shoulder, turning his eyes up in the same direction.

Looking silently for a moment, he turned and kissed her cheek softly. “He’ll be ok, baby.”

“I know…I just don’t want to leave him.”
“You do realize we’re going to have to go through this seven more times, don’t you?” He whispered, pulling her closer to the front of his own body.

Abby closed her eyes and shook her head. “I really don’t want to think about that, Josh.”

Kissing her earlobe gently, he grabbed her hand and spun her around to face him. “Let’s go. It’s about time to feed the masses.” She tugged on his hand and JC turned back to look at her. “What?”

A small smile crossed her face and she pulled him close again, wrapping her arms around his waist and touching her lips to his lightly. “Thank you.”

JC grinned and ran his hands down his wife’s back, sticking his them into the rear pockets of her jeans. “Mmmm…for what am I being thanked, my dear?”

Abby gazed into his eyes and kissed him again. “For my life. I never imagined that I would be this happy…this fulfilled. I have a beautiful family and the life anyone would envy. It’s all because of you.”

The corner of his mouth turned up slightly and he lifted a hand to brush some blowing strands of hair from her face. “You’re beautiful. I have to thank you as well…nothing I’ve ever done would matter if it weren’t for you and the kids.” He cupped his hand around the back of her neck and lifted her up to kiss her soundly on the mouth.

They jumped as they heard the loud honk that sounded behind them. Looking over his shoulder, JC sent a warning glare to the two twins that were giggling hysterically. They returned to their seats when they saw that their parents were not amused. Shaking his head, he turned back to the woman before him and smiled. “Braeden gave me something before we left. He said to read it when I was down here with you. It's from all of them." He reached down into his pocket and produced the folded envelope. Opening it, he retrieved the letter from within and read it's contents aloud to his wife.

"Mom and Dad, I think that my going away to college and being away from you is going to be an especially hard time in both of our lives. You've always been there for myself and my brothers and sisters, and I don't know that I would ever be able to express to you my gratitude. I hope to make both of you proud.

We wanted to do something special for you, but didn't know when to present it to you. Now seems as good a time as any. This is from all of us...even Hailey. I love you guys.

Braeden."

JC looked up with a smile and continued with what was written in their eldest son's handwriting.

When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw you hang my first painting on the refrigerator and I immediately wanted to paint another one.

When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw you feed a stray cat, and I learned that it was good to be kind to animals.

When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw you make my favorite cake for me and I learned that little things can be the special things in life.

When you thought I wasn’t looking, I heard you say a prayer, and I knew there is a God I can always talk to and I learned to trust in God.

When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw you make a meal and take it to a friend who was sick, and I learned that we all have to help take care of each other.

When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw you give of your time and money to help people who had nothing and I learned that those who have something should give to those who don’t.

When you thought I wasn’t looking, I felt you kiss me goodnight and I felt loved and safe.

When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw you take care of our house and everyone in it and I learned that we have to take care of what we are given.

When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw how you handled your responsibilities, even when you didn’t feel good and I learned that I would have to be responsible when I grow up.

When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw tears come from your eyes and I learned that sometimes things hurt, but it’s all right to cry.

When you thought I wasn’t looking, I saw that you cared and I wanted to be everything that I could be.

When you thought I wasn’t looking, I learned most of life’s lessons that I need to know to be a good and productive person when I grow up. When you thought I wasn’t looking, I looked at you and wanted to say ‘thanks' for all the things I saw when you thought I wasn’t looking.

JC looked up again into his wife's watery eyes and smiled. "He's a great kid."

Abby nodded silently and took the letter from his hand to read it again. "He really is."

"Shall we?” JC offered, nodding toward the Navigator where their other children were watching curiously.

Abby grinned and nodded, grabbing his hand and allowing him to lead her to her truck. Climbing into the passenger seat, she turned as he shut her door and looked at her two daughters. “You two are real cute, you know that?”

JC climbed in behind the wheel and fastened his belt, looking in the rear-view mirror to make sure all of his kids were wearing their own. “I know you guys are hungry…where do you want to eat? How about we try Golden Corral or something?”

“NO! BURGER KING!” the twins yelled, causing their father to flinch.

Rolling his eyes, JC turned the key in the ignition and shifted the vehicle into drive. “Oookay, then.” He looked over at Abby as she got comfortable in her seat, knowing she would be asleep within minutes. Smiling slightly, he pouted his lips slightly in a silent, un-touching kiss.

Her eyes were heavy and she leaned the seat back slightly, crossing her arms over her chest, her hands lost in the sleeves of the sweatshirt she was wearing. “I love you too,” she murmured, closing her eyes and letting the motion of the Navigator to rock her to sleep along with the soft humming of her husband as he listened to the radio.

JC’s hands guided the wheel onto the interstate and merged into the traffic. As the sun’s rays broke through the white puffy clouds, his eyes scanned the horizon and he said a silent prayer of thanks for all the blessings in his life.

*sigh*
The End

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