Doing It For Abby

Abby sat, dozing, as the guys practiced onstage.

“Hey Abby?”

She looked up as Wade called to her. “What?” she replied, rubbing her eyes.

He smiled. “Come over here for a second.”

She stood up and walked over to the younger man. “What’s up WayJay?” she asked, standing next to him and looking up to the stage.

“Jace says you’re a dancer, so how about you watch this and tell me what they’re doing wrong.”

She blushed slightly as JC looked at her. “O-okay. Sure…I-I’ll try, but I don’t know how much help I can be.”

They watched as the group danced again, and Wade looked at her expectantly. “So?”

Abby shrugged. “I dunno. Lance looks kinda like a robot when he’s dancing. Chris looks like he’s in pain in his old age, Joey looks like he’s constipated, Justin looks like he’s trying to impregnate the air with those thrusts, and JC…JC looks a little hyper.”

The five men onstage were silent as they stared at her. “I-I didn’t mean to insult anyone,” she whispered as Wade began to laugh.

Joey was the first to join in the laughter, and soon, the others did too. Abby looked around in confusion and smiled slightly as JC winked at her and continued to laugh.

Justin stopped laughing long enough to hug JC. “Dude, KEEP HER! She cracks me up.” He jumped down off the front of the stage and crossed to the woman and their choreographer. “Jace never said you were a dancer! What kind of dancing? Maybe you could do backup for us for a show or something.”

She blushed slightly and looked to JC for support. He was blushing too, avoiding everyone’s eyes. Joey just smiled.

“I’m an…” she mumbled the reply.

“What?” Chris asked, leaning forward.

“Exotic dancer,” she replied, looking down at her hands.

Justin’s jaw dropped. “Dude.”

Lance just stared in shock as Chris grinned and shook a blushing JC’s hand. “Congratulations, my friend. You’re living every man’s dream.”

Wade just looked at Abby with a grin. “Well then, I don’t think we could use any of your moves in our show, could we?”

She smiled slightly. “It probably wouldn’t be appropriate for their viewing audience, since most of them are twelve.” She looked around at them quietly before reaching for JC’s hand as he jumped down off the stage. “You guys are okay with this?” she asked quietly, squeezing his hand.

“Why would it matter?” Chris asked. “What’s the difference in JC dating a stripper and Justin dating a slu-“

“Shut-up, Chris,” Justin warned. He smiled to her. “Seriously, it doesn’t matter. We already liked you, and now…well, we like you even more.”

Abby smiled and leaned up against JC. “I’m glad to see that you actually told you friends about me,” she said, watching him shrug.

“Sorry,” he replied, wrapping his arm around her waist. He smiled down at her, then leaned down to kiss her quickly. He pulled away as his cell phone rang. “I’ll be right back,” he said, checking the number. “Hold that thought, though,” he added before walking away.

JC stepped out into the hallway and turned on his phone. “What do you want?” he asked with a heavy sigh.

“I just wanted to talk, Josh. Tell you how he’s doing,” she replied, her familiar voice sending chills down his spine.

~*~

Abby looked up as JC returned from the hall, his expression one that she couldn’t read. “Baby, are you okay?” she asked as he grabbed her hand and kissed the back of it.

He nodded and smiled down at her. “I’m fine.”

“Alright, guys, run through Bye Bye Bye one more time, and I’ll let y’all outta here.”

JC pulled away as Wade said this, and hopped onto the stage.

Justin grabbed his friend’s arm. “Jace…was it Shaina?” he asked, looking at Abby quickly.

JC’s jaw was set as he looked at his friend and nodded. “Yeah, it was her.”

“Everything okay?”

JC shrugged his shoulders. “None of it matters to me anymore. She caused this whole thing, and I think I’m better off with Abby anyway.”

The younger man looked toward the woman again. “Does she know?” he asked.

JC shook his head. “No. And I don’t know if she’s going to or not.” He moved into position. “I mean, it’s not like it’s really an issue that she’s going to have to deal with since things ended up the way they did.”

“She hasn’t kept anything from you,” Justin retorted, moving effortlessly into the motions as the music started. “She told you right away that she was a stripper, I mean…she has the right to know.”

“I know,” the older man replied, executing the moves easily. “I don’t know…I’ll think about it.”

~A Week Later~

Abby and JC were sitting on the side of the stage, lost in each other’s arms, as the group took a break from the sound check.

Justin watched from the other side of the stage with Chris, shaking his head. “He won’t tell her. Sh-she deserves to know before those two end up in a situation where it’s all going to come back and bite him in the ass.”

Chris nodded in agreement. “Yeah, something like that won’t just go away for him. If he ever plans on settling down and having a family, this is really going to get him.”

“Yep.”

They all looked up as the door flung open and Mike walked in, then up to JC and Abby. The other men noticed Abby smile as an older, blonde-haired woman entered and ran up to her.

“Abby!” Laura yelled as she hugged her sister. She pulled the woman off to the side, away from the confused man who had once had his arms around her. “Abby, I came because I just can’t watch him anymore.”

“Why?” Abby asked in a hushed whisper, looking at JC from the corner of her eye. “Just for a few more days? Please?”

“I can’t,” Laura replied. “Jared is getting transferred to an office in New York City. We’re moving in three days, and I will not uproot your child and keep him from his mother any longer. And since you can’t seem to pull yourself away from that hot hunk of man, though I can’t blame you, I brought him to you, and I’m going home to pack.”

Abby’s eyes widened. “Wait, Braeden’s here?”

Laura nodded. “He’s waiting out front with some big black guy named Lonnie who says he works for your guys here.” She looked at her little sister seriously. “You have to take him now, and you have to tell him!” she added, pointing to JC who was still looking confused.

Abby nodded silently and looked at JC.

“I’ll just go get him. You talk to your man,” Laura whispered, squeezing her sister’s hand before walking back out the door.

Abby took a deep breath and turned to face JC. She smiled as he looked at her curiously. “Hey.”

“Who was that?” he asked, wrapping his arms around her waist.

“Um…my-my sister. You’ve talked to her on the phone and stuff,” she replied, pulling him over to a couple seats that were in the middle of the audience area. “Baby, there’s something that I need to tell you.”

JC furrowed his brow. “What? Is something wrong?”

She shook her head. “No, it’s not that.” She took a deep breath and looked into his eyes. “Josh, I-I…I have a so-“

“Abby!”

She looked up as Laura ran down the aisle toward them. “Abby, I can’t find him. Lonnie said he turned around to buy him a candy bar, and when he went to give it to him, he was gone! Abby, we have to find him!”

“What’s going on?” JC asked the two spastic women. He stood up as he watched his girlfriend run up the aisle toward the door. He reached out and grabbed Laura’s arm. “Laura?”

She looked at him seriously. “JC, little boy. Three years old, brown hair, brown eyes. He’s lost. Please help us find him.”

He saw the worry in her eyes and heard the urgency in the woman’s voice. “Okay, let’s go.”

The three looked, with the help of three other security guards for nearly a half an hour, before JC walked back into the stage area to enlist the help of the other guys.

The first thing he heard was Justin laughing from atop the stage. “Dude, you’re crazy,” the young man said with a laugh.

JC approached the stage and looked up to find Justin, Joey, Chris, and Lance standing around a little boy who was mimicking the dances that the other four men had been trying to do. “Guys? Where’d you find that kid?” he asked.

Justin shrugged and picked the boy up. “He just kinda wandered in here, askin’ for his mommy.”

“Well, his mommy’s been lookin’ for him for a half an hour,” JC replied, reaching down to pick up a water bottle from the stage floor. He looked up as the doors opened and Laura and Abby rushed in.

“Josh, we can’t find him anywhere!” Abby cried. She paused as she saw Justin holding her son.

“Mommy!” Braeden yelled, kicking out of Justin’s arms before running toward Abby and Laura.

JC watched in shock as the child ran to Abby, who picked him up and kissed his nose. “Abby…”

She looked up to him and smiled lightly. “Josh, this is my son, Braeden.” She scanned his face, trying to find some understanding in his eyes. After he said nothing for a few moments, she walked toward him. “Josh?”

JC slowly shook his head and walked past her, and out the door.

Abby turned and looked back to the other four men. “Guys-”

“Don’t worry about him, Abs,” Joey soothed. “He’ll be back.”

She hugged her little boy closer to her chest and kissed his forehead. “I hope so.”

Justin walked down to her side and patted Braeden on the back. “So, he’s yours, huh?” he asked, making a face that caused the child to giggle.

Abby nodded. “Yeah. This is my baby.”

“How old is he?” Lance asked.

“Three,” she replied.

Chris stepped in. “And his dad is-”

“Gone,” she interjected. “He’s out of my life, and that’s where I want him to stay. He wouldn’t have been good for Braeden even if he’d wanted to try.”

“Why didn’t you tell Jace before?” Justin asked.

Abby frowned. “Because I was afraid that he’d react like this.”

~*~

Laura left after the show that night, assuring her sister that JC would come around eventually, and that if he didn’t, he wasn’t worth her time.

Abby hugged her one last time before she climbed into the cab. “Love you, Laur,” she said as Laura reached for the door. “Good luck with New York,” she added, reaching for Braeden’s hand.

Laura blew Abby a kiss and closed the door with a wave.

Abby bent down and picked her son up into her arms. “Let’s go to bed, baby.”

Braeden nodded his head and hugged her. “Missed you, Mommy.”

She smiled as they stepped into the elevator. “I know. I missed you too.” They rode the elevator up with Mike, then headed down the hallway.

She paused outside the suite she and JC had shared the evening before, not sure if she should go in or not. He hadn’t said a word to her before or after the show, and during, he hadn’t even looked her way once. She didn’t know if she was welcome in his room or bed at all.

Sliding the keycard into the lock, she tiptoed into the room. Adjusting the boy on her hip, she turned the lights on in the living room. She quickly made a bed on the couch for the little boy, being sure to pad the floor with extra pillows.

After quietly singing the child to sleep, she turned off the lights and headed the bedroom. Stepping into the room, she sighed as she leaned against the door.

He was sitting on his bed, leaning against the headboard, holding a pillow to his chest. As he looked up to her, she saw that his eyes were red and puffy. “Hey,” he whispered.

Abby tried to smile and crossed her arms over her chest. “Hey, yourself.”

JC motioned for her to come sit beside him. “Come here.” He patted the bed beside him. “Come on,” he added as she didn’t move.

Abby slowly crossed the floor to sit beside him. They were both silent until he cleared his throat. “Braeden, huh?” he asked, fiddling with the hem of his pajama pants.

She nodded slowly and scanned his face as she kicked her shoes off onto the floor. “Yeah. He’s three and…I’m just so sorry that I didn’t tell you before.”

He shrugged and reached out to touch the side of her face. “I was just surprised, is all. I thought he was Laura’s kid or something. I think I overreacted.”

She shook her head. “You didn’t react at all, so don’t worry about overreacting.” She sighed. “So you’re not mad at me?”

JC shook his head. “No. I just-…I was shocked. I didn’t expect to suddenly find out that my girlfriend is not only a stripper, but also has a three-year-old son.”

A tear slipped from her eye. “Josh, please don’t leave me. I couldn’t take it if you left me!” She reached for his hand. “I think I love you.”

He stared at her in shock for a moment. “You-you WHAT?”

Abby smiled slightly and stroked the back of his hand. “I said, I think I might be in love with you.”

JC closed his eyes for a second, then opened them and slowly reached for her. “I can’t say that just yet, but I am not going to leave you…I promise you that.”

Her eyes filled with hope. “You’re not?” He shook his head. “Josh-”

He shook his head. “Don’t.” He lay down on the bed and pulled her into his arms. “I’ll learn to deal with it, but it’ll take a while. I need you too much to let this come between us.”

Abby snuggled into his chest. “Thank you. Goodnight, Josh.”

“Night, baby,” he whispered, watching her fall asleep. He lay awake for a while, listening to the child snore in the next room. After lying there for a while, he pulled out of her arms and tiptoed out and into the living room.

Looking down at the sleeping boy, he smiled tenderly. He knew this whole thing would catch up to him eventually. Why would his relationship with Abby work out so wonderfully to where he’d never have to think about everything that had gone wrong with Shaina? The arrival of this child brought back all the reasons and memories of the end of what he thought was his life.

He was going to marry Shaina, but with one conversation, she broke his heart and ruined it all.

Shaking the thoughts from his head, he leaned down and picked the little boy up into his arms. “C’mere, little man,” he whispered, then carried him into the bedroom.

JC lay the boy on the bed beside his mother, then climbed in on the other side. In his sleep, Braeden snuggled in close to JC’s chest. “I don’t want you to roll off the couch in there and hurt yourself,” he whispered, pulling the blankets over them and settling it in around the three-year-old. He smiled as the tiny fingers clutched to his shirt, then closed his eyes and fell asleep with the mother and son.

Sometime in the middle of the night, Abby woke from a nightmare. Preparing to crawl closer into JC’s arms. She rolled over in the bed and scooted toward him. She paused as she saw her son, cradled in the man’s arms, held close to his chest. Smiling to herself, she lay back down and fell asleep again with a grin on her face. She was hoping that this was a sign that her son would finally have the father that he’d never been promised.

~*~

JC opened his eyes as he felt the small hands pushing against his chest. “Joss? Joss, wakie!” He smiled down at the little boy and yawned.

“What?” he asked with a groan.

"I wan breakfass!" Braeden replied in a whine, shoving the man again.

“Ask your mom,” JC replied, rolling over in the bed. He closed his eyes and prepared to fall asleep again.

Braeden climbed over him and slipped off the bed onto the floor. He pushed on JC’s face. “Joss! Mommy’s seepin’!”

JC peeked at the child out of one eye. “So am I.”

“T’mon, Joss!” Braeden whined again, pulling on JC’s arm.

Sighing, the man slowly pulled himself from the bed and bent down to pick the boy up off the floor. “Fine. Come here.”

He pulled on a pair of jeans and threw on a button-down shirt and then carried the young boy down the hall to the elevator. After fighting with him for a while about letting him push every button, they reached the floor where their private dining room was during their stay.

His band mates looked up as he entered, and were shocked as they saw the child in his arms. “Hey there, Mister Mom!” Joey yelled from their table. “Dude, you have a growth on your hip. How's about you button your shirt while you're at it...stop flashing the whole hotel.”

JC smiled and carried Braeden over to the table and showed him what was there to eat. “Abby was still sleeping, and he was hungry.”

Justin grinned and chewed on a piece of paper. “Man, you look like you’d rather be sleeping.”

JC pointed to the boy who was piling his plate full of bananas. “Tell him that.” He saw Braeden’s plate and hurried over to his side. “Dude, you can’t eat just bananas for breakfast. Get some bacon and eggs or something.”

He took all but one banana from the boy’s plate, then helped him get some eggs, sausage, a few pieces of bacon, and a muffin before leading him over to the table. Helping him up onto a chair, he sat down beside him with a sigh.

“Aren’t you going to eat?” Lance asked, smiling to the boy.

JC shook his head and lay it down on the table. “I’ll wait and eat with Abby. I just want to sleep right now.”

“You’ve sure warmed up to the fact that Abby has a kid. That’s really cool of you to get up early just to feed him,” Justin said.

“I’m doing it for Abby,” JC replied.

 

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