Kate sat at the kitchen island, drinking coffee and watching JC cook the two of them breakfast.

"You're quiet today." She spoke through the silence. "Have a lot on your mind?"

He leaned down on the counter in front of her. Chills raced up and down her spine as he stared into her eyes. Only he could have such a strong affect on her emotions and the fact that he knew it, drove her crazy.

"I want to spend time with Kendra."

A look of shock was painted on her face. That was the last thing she ever thought he would say. "What? You wanna spend time with Kendra?"

"Yeah...well with you there of course." He went back to nursing the eggs.

"Yeah, that's fine. I'm sure she'll like that."

"Have Maddy drop her off here. I was going to have a few of the guys over and I know that Brianna's in town with Joey. What do you say?"

Kate wrinkled up her nose, but quickly changed her expression when JC turned around. "I don't know."

"What do you mean? Why don't you want me to get to know her?" JC's brow creased.

"It's just that, she has this little Nsync craze right now-"

"And of course, you still haven't told her that you know us." He slid the eggs out of the pan with a little frustration. "What's so bad about knowing us?"

"Nothing." She mumbled. "I'll go call Maddy."

JC watched her disappear around the corner and couldn't help but think that there was more to the story.

Joey and Justin arrived before Madison had dropped Kendra off. Kate relaxed in the presence of the guys.

"She looks just like Kim." Kate shook her head as she watched Joey's daughter play with Justin.

"Oh yea. She definitely has her mother's looks."

Kate smiled as she saw the proud look in Joey's eyes. For the first time since Kendra was born, she wished that she could see that look in the eyes of Kendra's father. Her pain of guilt quickly subsided when she heard Madison's voice echo through the entryway announcing their presence.

"Hey you!" Kendra raced excitedly into her arms. "Did you have a good time with Aunt Maddy?"

She simply nodded. Kate knew that she was a bit nervous, being in a new place, so she tried to warm her up.

"I have something to tell you, Bug."

"Yeah."

"Do you remember meeting my friend, Josh?" She nodded. "Well, Josh is in the group, Nsync." She stared at her with a blank expression. "You know, JC, right?"

"You know Nsync?"

Kate could see the excitement racing through her body. "Yes, sweetie, but-"

"Where's the baby?" Justin loudly interrupted their conversation.

A high-pitched scream escaped the little girl's mouth. Justin stepped back in shock and started laughing.

"I take it you've never told her that you knew us." He didn't wait for her response. "Hey little cutie, I'm Justin and I'm guessing you would be the wonderful, Miss Kendra."

"Yeah."

Kate rolled her eyes at the way he turned on his charm. She introduced her to everyone else in the house and Kendra soon dismissed the fact that the guys were who they were.

She watched as Kendra played freely with Brianna. After awhile, JC stepped in and asked her to show him some of the things she learned in ballet class. Being the natural performer that she is, Kendra did half of her routine for the guys who were amazed and proud.

"Okay, Bug, we have to get going." Kate announced.

"I don't wanna go." She whined.

Kate grabbed her coat and helped her put it on. "I know you don't, but we have to go see that lady who is going to help you with your singing."

"I didn't know you could sing, K." JC joined the conversation. "Next time you come over, you'll have to sing for me."

Kate and Kendra said their goodbye's and the house grew silent until Justin finally spoke up.

"JC, who's Kendra's father?"

"I told you, I don't know."

Joey peeked in the other room to make sure Brianna was still distracted by the television. "Why don't you just ask her?"

"I tried, but she brushed it off. From what I gathered though, he seems like a real asshole. He doesn't pay child support and he's never been in her life." He tried to explain.

Justin and Joey glanced over at each other, making sure they were both on the same page.

"JC, do you ever wonder if you're Kendra's father?" He stared at Joey, unsure of how to approach that question.

"I asked her if I was and she told me I'm not. Kate wouldn't lie to me. Especially about something like this." He absentmindedly chewed on his lip. "You think that too, J?"

Justin shrugged. "I can't help but think that. Kendra seems to have your personality and there's no doubt about it that she has your eyes and smile. Then on top of all of that, she can dance really well and I'm willing to bet she can sing well too." Justin went on. "Kate can sing and dance to a point, but she had never had that understanding of music like most musicians do."

JC stood, shaking his head. "She could have gotten her musical abilities from her real father who could be any guy."

"Kendra is six years old. You stopped talking to Kate six years ago. Do the math."

"No. She would have told me. She would have said something six years ago when she found out she was pregnant. She specifically told me that I was not the father." His mind was spinning and it took all his might to try to focus on one thing. "She would have told me, right?"

Justin sat there, watching his friend stew in confusion. "You treated her like shit when you two were together..."

"Please, don't remind me." He rolled his eyes.

"But I have to, JC. I mean, why would she want to confide in you after all you had done?"

"You don't know what you're talking about, J." He tried his best not to raise his voice.

"Shut the fuck up!" Justin slammed his hands down on the table. After getting a stern glare from Joey, Justin quickly apologized for his word choice. "You weren't there that night, JC. You didn't have to take care of her for two days straight. You have no idea what it was like...you have no idea what she was like."

"You're right." He said softly. "I have to find out though." JC grabbed the set of keys sitting on the counter and headed for the garage. "I'll be back."

Kate and Kendra had just gotten back from the vocal coach when there was a loud bang on the door. Kendra jumped slightly and glanced over at Kate who wore a worried look on her face.

"It's okay, baby girl." She reassured her. She looked through the peek hole. She sighed and opened the door when she saw JC on the other side. "Josh, what-"

"Who is her father?" He rudely cut her off with his loud voice.

"Kendra, go to your room." The girl left without question, knowing that her mom was serious. When she heard her door close, Kate turned to JC and let him in. "I really don't appreciate you just barging in like that."

"Who is Kendra's father?" He asked again, but this time his voice was calmer.

"I told you, he's no one you know."

JC grabbed her arm just as she was about to walk away. "Kate, you're lying to me."

Her eyes jetted from him to the ground. "Josh." She whispered.

"Say it, Katelyn."

"Josh."

He saw her body start to shake and for the first time since they broke up, he felt the need to hold and protect her. "Katelyn, say it. Say that she's mine."

Kate tried to relax in his arms once she realized he was there for her. "She's your daughter, Josh."

His hands grasped her head as he lowered his forehead to hers. He sighed gently against her in attempt to pull all of the reality together. "How did this happen? When did it happen?"

"It was the last time you can back home from the tour to surprise me." She took a step back to look at him.

"But we were careful. You were always on birth control." His forehead creased together as he tried to figure everything out.

Kate shook her head and put herself back in that time of her life. "I had stopped taking it when you left. I figured that I wouldn't see you for a while, so there wasn't a point to keep taking it."

"Why didn't you tell me you were pregnant? I would have been there for you and Kendra." He softly explained.

"I tried to tell you. You never returned my calls."

"Ever heard on leaving a message, Kate?" He found his voice growing louder with frustration. "Just about every time you called, I was drunk off my ass. After we broke up, the only way I could cope with the pain was to drown myself in drugs and booze. The last thing I wanted was for you to hear me like that."

"I was so scared, Josh. After I moved out, I got a serving job and I worked any shift at the restaurant that I could. By the time Kendra was born, I was able to afford an apartment from the university." She rested her hands on her legs. "When I couldn't get a hold of you, I convinced myself that I could do it all on my own. It's been the most challenging thing in my life, yet the most rewarding."

JC paced around the room, trying to find the right emotion and the words to go with it. "She's absolutely gorgeous, Kate."

"You were around her during Thanksgiving and you've seen pictures of her, what made you question if you were the father now?"

"Justin and Joey." He simply put it.

"Josh, she looks just like you and acts like you too." She laughed to herself. "For the past six years, it was like you were never gone."

"I see it now. I guess the idea of me being a father was so far off that I didn't even think about it." He said. "Does anyone else know?"

Kate shook her head. "Although I think my mom knows, but hasn't said anything. When she saw you two together at Thanksgiving, I'm sure she wanted to say something, but held her tongue."

"Kate." He held onto her hands. "Thank you for raising our daughter while I was trying to figure things out." She nodded, grateful that he wasn't angry with her. "She needs a father and I'm sorry it took so long, but I would love to be apart of her life...and your life."