(written by Lacy) "Jade, it's so great to see you again," Howie said, plopping down on the couch. Jade smiled warmly down at him. "It's good to be back, Howie," she said, glancing quickly out the window to see Jess sitting in the grass playing with Scott. Okay, good, she thought to herself, all I have to do is keep them in the house. No problem. "What are you doing back in Orlando?" Howie asked. "Oh, um...," she mumbled, her mind screaming with 1,000 lies she could tell him. No, you might as well tell him the truth, she thought to herself before taking a deep breath. "I was transferred from work," she said. It's not a complete lie! she told herself, He never asked me if I had a son, so it's not like I have to say anything.
"So, you're here permanently now?" Howie asked. "Yeah, it looks that way," she said, glancing out the window yet again. "You look great, baby. You haven't changed at all," AJ said from his spot leaning against the wall. Jade laughed half-heartedly. If you only knew, AJ, her mind whispered. "Well, you look really tired, Jade. We'll come back tomorrow when things are a little more settled down," Nick said, standing up and motioning for other guys to follow his lead. Jade smiled at him gratefully, making a mental note to thank him later. "Kevin's going to be so happy to see you. You have no idea how much he's missed you, Hun. How much all of us have missed you," AJ said before hugging her and giving her a soft kiss on the cheek. Jade's heart stopped at what he said. She looked frantically at Nick and he nodded at her. She let out a quick breath. She knew he would tell them not to say anything to Kevin. And she knew they wouldn't if she didn't want them to.
"I'll see you later, kiddo," Howie said before hugging her and following AJ out the front door. Nick gave her a small smile before closing the door behind him and his bandmates. Not hesitating for a second, Jade turned around and headed for the backdoor. She stopped dead in her tracks when she saw who was standing barely 20 feet from her in the backyard. "Oh my God," she whispered, her hand flying up to her cover mouth.
Her heart stopped as she watched the scene play out before her. She watched as Scott walked up to Kevin and held out a frog for him to take. She watched as Kevin bent down and said something to her son. She almost cried out when her son threw his tiny arms around his father's neck and hugged him tightly. She felt the hot tears collecting behind her eyes, but she didn't let them fall. Instead, she put her hand on the door handle and slid the glass door open just wide enough for her to step out onto the patio. Jess looked up and Jade saw the terrified expression on her face when she saw her standing there.
"Mommy, he likes fwogs!" Scott yelled, running over to his mother as soon as he saw her. Jade picked up her son and held him closely to her, kissing his forehead lightly, never letting her eyes leave Kevin's back. He stood up and turned around to face her with a slowness that made Jade want to scream. When he was finally standing and facing her, the look in his eyes made her want to break down and cry right there on the spot. "Jade...?" he said in a hoarse whisper that was so low, if she didn't know better she would have sworn it was the wind.
She wanted to say something... her mind screamed with a million somethings to say to him. But the cinder block that seemed lodged in her throat wouldn't even allow her to breathe. "Mommy, whaz wrong?" Scott asked, his mother's akward stiffness making him squirm in her arms. When his mother didn't say anything, the three-year-old got scared and started to cry. Jess took Scott from Jade's arms and walked into the house with him, leaving Jade and Kevin standing there alone, just staring at each other.
"Kevin... what are you doing here?" Jade asked, almost unable to control the all-of-a-sudden strong urge to feel his arms around her... to feel his lips on her neck... his hands in her hair. She bit her lip hard and took a step back from him. The wind blew and she caught the scent of his cologne. It was almost too much to bare -- she bit her lip even harder. "He called you 'Mommy'," Kevin said suddenly, taking Jade by surprise.
She sighed and pushed every sexual thought she had to the back of her mind. This was reality, and she finally had to face it. "Yes, he's my son," she said. She wouldn't deny it. "Your son?" he asked, his fists clenching together tightly. "His name is Scott... Scott Jr.," she said, part of her hoping he would catch on, but part of her hoping he wouldn't. He didn't.
"So that's why you left in such a hurry... you were cheating on me," he said. She gasped in shock and almost fell over backwards. "N-no, Kevin, no! You don't understand--," she started. "Oh, no, Jade. I think I do... I think I finally do," he said. And with that, he turned around and walked away as fast as his feet would carry him.
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