“Where are you taking me?” Alani asked, getting comfortable in the passenger seat of JC’s Jeep. They drove out of JC’s neighborhood and across town, passing tall buildings, famous landmarks and into seemingly another expensive neighborhood. Alani sat patiently waiting to get to their destination.

“You’ll see soon enough.” Was all JC said before turning up the radio. He didn’t mind chatting, but knew he would eventually ruin the surprise if they kept talking, so he filled the car with soft sounds of the radio, stealing excited glances at Alani the entire way.

The truth was that JC had something up his sleeve and he was not sure how Alani would react. He hoped she would be open to it. Before leaving his house, he mentioned that she would need to bring her camera along. Alani thought that she would just be sightseeing, taking some pictures to commemorate the trip. 

They pulled into a long driveway of a residence and Alani took in the surroundings trying to find any sort of clue as to what they were going to be doing. JC parked his Jeep and they exited and made their way up to a very large wooden door, which flew open before JC could ring the doorbell. There stood Lance Bass with a happy grin on his face. 

“Hey y'all!” He beamed, flashing his sparkling white teeth. His tanned skin perfectly contrasted with his now lavender locks. 

Alani stood blinking questionably. Why were they at Lance Bass's house and why did she need her camera for this? Either way, she was pleasantly surprised to meet Lance, one of JC’s closest friends. 

“Nice to meet you Alani. I’ve heard so much about you,” he dramatically winked at JC, who shook his head. He reached out for a friendly hug, which she welcomed, hugging him back. 

“Nice to meet you too. This is quite a surprise.”

“Come inside,” Lance motioned for them to follow him inside the home.

They all took a seat in the living room. Lance taking a seat in a velvet green armchair. JC getting comfortable on a cool patterned loveseat, Alani sitting beside him. 

“Alani, we are really excited that you’re going to take our kids' photos. We like to get pictures of every important milestone and since they’re getting ready to turn 2, we wanted to have some pictures done for the birthday announcement,” Lance spoke up, clearly excited as he clasped his hands together.

Alani looked at the both of them with questioning eyes. Taking pictures? JC had said nothing of the sort. Just that he had a surprise.

“Judging by the look on her face.. you didn’t tell her did you, JC?” Lance shook his head at his friend who held a sheepish expression on his face. Alani’s bewildered look had turned into one that he couldn’t quite understand. She didn’t look happy, that’s for sure.

“Uhhh, no. I was getting to that,” JC said, nervously.

Lance read the room and decided the two needed some privacy, “I’m going to check on Michael. He’s dressing the twins himself and I’m sure he could use some help.”

“This was your surprise? Volunteering for me to take pictures for your friend who just so happens to be Lance Bass?” Alani asked, trying to keep her voice down. 

JC anxiously scratched the back of his head. When he set this up, he thought he was doing Alani a favor. Getting her a high profile gig, could mean she would be able to get some experience and some notoriety under her belt in the photography world. He thought she would be grateful, but instead she seemed angry. 

“I was just trying to get you a gig. I should’ve told you.”

“You’re damn right you should have told me. What the fuck, JC? You’re putting an  immense amount of pressure on me and I was totally not prepared for this.”

“You’ll do fine. You’re great at what you do.” He took her hand in his, giving her a reassuring squeeze.

“All I have is my camera, which is not the best. I don’t have any props or anything,” She complained, clearly flustered.

JC now felt horrible. She was freaking out, and it was his fault. Now they were already at Lance’s, and he was expecting a photoshoot. 

Lance returned to the room, hoping to help his friend smooth things over. When JC had called him and asked if Alani could take pictures for them, he assumed it was something she had agreed on doing. 

“Alani, we have props, the kids are dressed. Really you don’t need anything but you, your camera and your amazing skills.”

Alani smiled at Lance’s kind words. She knew that she didn’t want to let anyone down and she was wanting to get her photography off the ground, but she wished JC had consulted with her before setting up things. Although she was still fuming, she knew she had a job to do. She would deal with JC later.

“I’m just going to run to the car to get my camera. I should be ready in a few, “ She stood and headed towards the door, leaving JC seated on the couch. 

Lance and JC exchanged knowing glances. 

“I know. I know. I fucked up,” JC sighed, running a hand through this hair.

Lance raised an eyebrow, “What were you thinking, C?”

“I wasn’t. I was just trying to help her out. She’s pissed at me, isn’t she?”

“Definitely, but I’m sure you can make it up to her,” he wiggled his eyebrows.

Alani returned with her camera in hand, a strap securing it around her neck. She stood nervously in the room, trying to build up some courage to do the task that was being asked of her. In the few minutes that she had known Lance, she could already tell he was such a kind soul and an amazing dad. She wanted to do this for him, regardless of her small issue with JC. She just hoped that Lance would be pleased with her photos. 

“I know this is a surprise to you. You don’t have to do this if you’re not comfortable..” Lance started.

“I want to do this. It’s fine.” Alani assured him with a smile.

“Meet us out back when you’re ready. I have a whole birthday scene set up and the twins are out there with Michael. I really appreciate you doing this, Alani.” Lance said, giving her a generous squeeze on the shoulder before exiting the room again. 

“No problem,” she said genuinely. 

JC went to her side, ready to apologize again, the guilt eating away at him. 

“Not right now, Josh.” She said, fiddling with her camera, more so to avoid a conversation with him. She wanted to focus on her job. She followed the direction Lance went, to a door that led outside to the backyard, JC trailing behind her.

Alani entered the backyard area and was actually pleasantly surprised by what she saw. There was a large rainbow colored backdrop, with the words “Happy Birthday Alexander James and Violet Betty”, an insane amount of colorful balloons, and two cute toddler-sized armchairs for each child. Not to mention, the lighting in Lance’s backyard was near perfect. It was bright, but not blinding. 

“Hi. I’m Michael, Lance’s husband. These little boogers here are Alexander and Violet.” Michael greeted her, a child in each arm. “It’s so nice to meet you. Thank you so much for doing this for us.”

Despite her disappointment in JC at the moment, Alani was becoming excited about the photoshoot. The children smiled at her and babbled away. Alexander struggled to free himself from Michael’s grasp. He was wearing a cream shirt, with an adorable pair of tan pants with suspenders, complete with brown loafers on his feet. Violet matched her brother with a cream dress with a fluffy tutu skirt and girly pink Mary Janes, a cream bow atop her little head. 

“Hi Alexander. Hi Violet,” Alani waved. Violet waved shyly, while Alex continued to wriggle about.

Alexander was able to break free and made a beeline for JC. JC picked him up and spun him around, “Hey buddy.”

Alani smiled at the scene, annoyed that even while she was mad at JC, he was still able to do things that made her feel all tingly inside. She felt her anger towards him decreasing quickly.  

“Let’s get started,” Alani said, clapping her hands together.

JC watched from afar as he saw her pull her long black tresses into a messy bun and immediately jump into professional mode. Seeing this side of her was new, different and unbelievably attractive and he was loving the view.

—

“Are you sure you don’t have any kids? You did so well with the twins,” Lance praised her. They were all seated outside in the patio area, sharing a spread of appetizer foods and wine. The twins had gone inside for an afternoon nap with their nanny, allowing the adults some time to chat. 

“I don’t have any kids. Honestly, I don’t know for sure that I want any of my own, but your kids are total sweethearts and if anyone can change my mind, it would be them,” She responded, pouring a hefty glass of Riesling. 

“So, what do you think about LA?” Michael asked, “Do you think you could ever see yourself living out here?”

Alani took a sip and quickly pondered the idea, “You know, I haven’t given it a lot of thought yet. I’ve only been here for a day. I’m hoping by the end of my trip I’ll have a better answer to that question.”

JC sat back and let the three of them converse, choosing to stay quiet to let them all get acquainted. He watched Alani let her hair down out of the bun and shake it casually before taking another sip of her drink. He licked his lips subconsciously, feeling his manhood twitch to life. 

She looked over at him for the first time since their little spat and immediately recognized the look of desire on his face. If she was honest with herself, her anger for JC had disappeared because she had a great time photographing the twins and enjoying the company of Lance and Michael, who were so welcoming and kind. Everything had gone well and there was no reason to be upset.

“I’m glad I got to meet you both before the barbecue JC is going to have. It makes it a little less intimidating.” Alani confessed. She was still nervous about meeting other friends, but felt good about how this meeting went and hoped the others would be similar. 

“There’s nothing to be intimidated about! We’re nobody special.” Lance shrugged.

“Hey! Speak for yourself!” Michael chimed in, causing the whole group to laugh.

“You are indeed special,” JC teased.

“Not everyone can be a zaddy like you.” 

JC ‘s cheeks flushed at the term he had been referred to on social media. He found it hard to believe how many random women still fawned over him after all this time.

“A zaddy, huh?” Alani winked at him. 

“I mean, I’ll be whatever you want me to be, mama.” He flirted back flashing her a devilish smile.

“Woo! It’s getting hot out here!” Lance raised his glass in the couples direction. He was glad that things were turning around after the awkward beginning to their day. He liked Alani and she seemed to make his friend happy. That’s all that mattered to him. 

—

When they finally arrived back at JC’s home, they were both tired from the day’s events. JC was glad to see Alani getting along with some of his closest friends, people he considered family.

“I hope that we are okay,” JC said, pulling Alani into his lap once they were settled into his living room.

“I’m not going to lie, Josh. I was so pissed at first. I like surprises but not in this way. I really tried to stay angry with you but I can’t. You were just looking out for me. Overall, I really appreciate what you did for me.” She gazed into his steel blue eyes, sensing some relief. JC was a genuine nice guy and he only had good intentions. She knew that, for sure. 

“Thank you.” She kissed him sweetly. “But don’t do that shit again.”

He laughed into the kiss, happy with how everything turned out. 

“Lance’s twins are adorable. I never knew I could like kids so much.” Alani spoke.

“They’re good kids. Alex has taken a liking to me.” He hesitated before continuing, “What are your thoughts on kids?”

She felt him tense up, realizing it was a touchy subject but one that should be addressed if they wanted to have a serious relationship. “Um, I had pretty much counted it out for myself. My friends don’t have any, so I’m not around them much, but today was fun. I feel like I could see myself in a mom role. If it happens for me, great. If not, I think I would be content with that.”

JC’s hand found her cheek, where he stroked it tenderly as he listened to her talk. Her answer was near perfect. It matched his very thoughts on the subject. How did he get so lucky to find someone who he was so in tune with? Most of his previous girlfriends had pressured him into wanting the marriage and the kids. He didn’t feel that pressure this time and it felt good to just go with the flow.

“I feel the same way. If it happens, I will be over the moon. If it doesn’t, well it wasn’t meant to be.”

“Hate to change the subject, but I saw the way you were looking at me at Lance’s.” She watched his gaze change from confusion to quick realization. 

“Ah, you caught me. I couldn’t help myself. Your hair is a weakness for me. I love running my fingers through it and when you take it down, it does something to me.” He admitted, unashamedly running his fingers through her hair, still captured by her brown orbs. 

“What does it do to you?” She whispered, their faces inches apart, exchanging breaths, each waiting for the other to make a move. 

“I could just show you.” He whispered back. He pushed her back onto the couch, and settled his body on top of hers. His hands reclaimed their spot back into her hair. His lips captured hers in a deep, sensual kiss that made his whole body tingle with want. Alani rested her hands on his back, familiarizing herself with his strong body that she had missed during their time apart.

‘I’m so glad you’re here,” He mumbled onto her skin as his lips grazed her collarbone. 

She involuntarily pushed her body closer to his, feeling him hard and thick against her thigh.

The thought crossed her mind that the last time they were intimate was in Maui, the night before he left. The span of time that had passed and the events between had put a strain on that issue for Alani in particular. She wanted that aspect of their situation back, but wanted it to be and feel natural. In this very moment, it felt that to her and she was willing to go all the way. 

“What are you thinking about?” JC had paused to make sure she was on the same page he was, not wanting to do anything she was uncomfortable with.

“I’m thinking about how we should take this upstairs..”

“That’s the best thing I’ve heard all day.”