"Welcome home! Here, here, put those down. Let me show you everything."

Kate giggled at his excitement. She humored him and went along with everything like a good sport. As they walked through their new home, Kate had to admit that she was amazed.

"This is all really nice, Josh."

"So you like it?" He sighed with relief. "I just wish you could have had the chance to look at places with me."

"I know, but I had to spend time with everyone back home since I won't see them till Thanksgiving." She explained. "Plus, I told you we could stay at a hotel while we looked."

JC sat back on the leather sectional in the family room. "I know, but I wanted everything to be ready for you when you got here."

"You know you could have at least let me decorate and save your money. I'm sure a professional decorator cost a fortune."

"It was nothing, really." He pulled her down on his lap. "I wouldn't want to have you stressed out before you start school, anyway."

Kate kissed his nose lovingly. He groaned as she sifted positions on top of him. Her smooth legs draped on either side of him as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Her lips fell upon his, enjoying the passion that they held.

"What do you say we go test out that new bed upstairs." JC grinned.

"Thank you so much, Maddy. I owe you-"

Madison held her hand up. "Do what you have to do. Kendra and I will just have a girl's weekend."

Kate hugged her sister before handing over Kendra's duffel bag. "I'll call you on Sunday. Bye Kendra!"

The girl ran around the corner and gave her a tight hug. "Bye mom."

"I love you."

Kate drove the half hour drive out to the end of town. It had been years since she made this secluded drive to JC's house, yet it seemed as if nothing had changed.

"Kate? Seriously?" JC sighed when he opened the door for her.

"Can you please stop being an asshole for two minutes and just talk to me?"

He nodded and led her to the family room. Without asking, JC poured two glasses of Chardonnay and sat across from her on the couch. She took a moment to enjoy the wine before looking up at him.

"I don't think I ever really got the chance to thank you for giving Kendra and me the opportunity to go home for Thanksgiving."

"It's no problem."

She nodded and sat in the awkward silence. Kate glanced around the room and smiled inside when she saw pictures of her on the mantle and end tables. It gave her confidence that she still knew him better than anyone else did.

As the minutes went by, the ice was slowly broken through small talk. They found themselves laughing at old jokes and fun memories.

"Come have a smoke with me." JC suggested.

Kate sat down her third empty glass of wine. "You still do that?"

"Not as often as I used to. I figured it'd be like old times. C'mon."

She bashfully smiled and shook her head. "Josh, I'm not into that anymore. I gave that up the day I found out I was pregnant."

"Well you're not pregnant anymore, so let's go."

Kate fell into his pressure and joined him outside on the patio. She couldn't even begin to count the number of times in the past that she found herself on this patio, relaxing with a fat blunt.

In the silent darkness of the night, JC spoke up. "You still look as beautiful as ever, Kate."

She looked up at him with a smile. Even though most would say his words were masked by the drugs, Kate knew that they were the truth.

"Why did you really come here tonight?"

"I thought you knew everything about me." She countered.

He shook his head. "Not tonight."

Kate lay out on the bed with the covers still piled on top of her. She hadn't had a day off from school in months, so she was determined to make the most of it.

She groaned at the sound of the doorbell echoing through the large house. "Yea." She spoke through the intercom in the bedroom.

"Hey Katie! Let me in, I wanna see this fabulous mansion that Josh couldn't live without."

Kate laughed at the sound of Madison's cheerful voice. "Come in through the garage." She pressed the button to open the main gate and then the one that opened the garage door. She waited patiently for Madison to make her way up the drive.

"Wow, Katie, this place is amazing." She looked around in awe. She ran her hand over the smooth granite countertops in the kitchen and made her way to the family room. "And this view..."

Kate leaned against a wall, still trying to wake up. "Yeah, surprisingly, Josh has good taste when it comes to picking out homes."

Suddenly her expression grew serious and Madison grabbed her sister's hands. "Katelyn. Be honest with me." She nodded, trying to foresee where this was going. "What's the real reason you moved in with Josh instead of me."

Kate had planned on living with Madison ever since Madison moved to LA to go to school. The girls had always been inseparable since they were young, yet everyone knew that Kate and JC held a very close relationship also. But Madison was shocked and upset when she heard that JC would be buying a new house and Kate would live with him instead of her.

"I told you, it would be a tight squeeze for us to live in your house together. JC has all this room where I can study when ever I need to or blear my music when I want." Kate shrugged.

Madison folded her arms over her chest and shifted her weight to one side. "Katie, please don't give that bull shit answer. I'm not naïve like mama, so just tell me what's up."

She sighed heavily and walked over to start the coffee machine, just to kill time. "Well. Josh and I are a couple."

Madison stood speechless. She was excepting an answer along the lines of Kate being embarrassed to live with her in her small home. She never expected the answer she received. "What? You've gotta be shitting me."

Kate tried to hide the smile that had been waiting for a year to come out. "No, I'm not shitting you. I'm dating Josh."

"That's so strange. I knew you guys were close, but...I don't know...it's Joshua." She sat down at the table. "How long?"

She wasn't sure if she should lie about this question or not. "Um..."

"Katie, don't lie."

"Over a year."

Maddy's eyes grew big. "And you didn't tell me? Does Heather know?"

She shook her head. "Justin's the only one that knows."

"Do you love him?"