AN: I am so sorry I took so long to update but my life's been pretty hectic and I've also had a pretty awful throat infection so it hasn't been easy to come up with the time to write. This one's the longest chapter I've ever written. Hope you enjoy it. PLEASE do give me your feedback, it means the world to me. Happy Valentine's Day! All the love, C. x
"Morning, Jim."
James rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand, opening them up to find Robert perched over his body along with three drooling dogs, grinning like a fool.
"Jesus, Rob. What the hell?" he sat up, being careful not to wake a sleeping Joy beside him and not to startle Sophia's pets.
"Sleeping outside with all these predators on the loose? Edgy, I like it."
"Shh, keep it down." the raven-haired man scolded, getting up and leading his friend inside.
"What did you guys do last night? Stayed up talking, dancing, professing your hardcore crushes on each other? Was it romantic? Six feet under the stars and all that?" the blond actor conjectured, chasing James around the kitchen.
"We talked. Period." he enlightened his blond friend, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Why are the dogs out back?"
"Soph asked me to take them out for a walk in the woods, I came back through the deck and I saw you two all cuddled up so we decided to say hi."
James glanced at the clock on the wall, putting the coffee pot in the stove. It was about to strike a quarter to seven.
"Do you have any idea how early it is?"
"Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise." the blond man recited, clearly proud of himself.
"Why am I friends with you again?"
"Haha, very funny. You were pratically on top of Joy when we got to you, so you should thank me for keeping you from crushing her with your large mammal physique." Rob joked, taking a bite from an apple.
"I was not."
"You were." Stephen confirmed, walking into the kitchen.
"How do you know?"
"Rob dragged me out of bed to help him with the dogs." his friend quipped, slapping Robert in the back of the head.
"Ow! Stephen, it's about time you lose your fear of dogs."
"You should talk, you're afraid of owls."
"I'm afraid of nocturnal animals, because they're extremely shady." Robert countered, "Dogs are loving and harmless."
"Whatever, dude, I just came along because you promised to make me pancakes after." Stephen noted, sitting in a stool, waiting for the food.
"Okay, Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum, but would've it killed you to let me sleep a couple more minutes?" James groaned, pouring the coffee into two mugs.
"Yeah, you were starting to snore pretty loudly." Rob shrugged, taking a frying pan from the cabinet.
"I don't snore."
"Of course you don't, and we didn't take pictures of you two cuddled up."
"I'm going to pretend you two aren't closeted stalkers." James avowed, picking up the mugs filled with the steaming hot beverage and heading outside.
The three dogs Sophia had adopted were laying around the singer's sleeping figure. Griffin rested so close to her face his drool was dripping onto her nose, making the actor smile goofily as he sat down beside them. Setting his mug next to his legs, James gently nudged his TV wife's shoulder.
"Hey..."
The blonde actress mumbled something incoherently, slapping his hand away.
"Joy..." he chuckled, nudging her again. "I came bearing coffee."
The singer opened one eye, wincing at the brightness of the daylight, but smiling sweetly once she saw the yellow mug he was handing her. Stretching slowly, she crossed her legs, taking the hot beverage from his hands.
"My knight in shining armor. You're always one step ahead." she winked, waiting for the coffee to cool down before taking a sip.
"One of my many qualities." James shrugged, showing her a crooked grin.
"We can cross modesty off that list." the singer teased, smirking.
The raven-haired man feigned hurt, placing his hand over his heart.
"I'll have you know I am a very humble man."
"Mmm, definitely..." Joy laughed.
"Don't mock me when you've got dog drool all over your nose." he snickered.
The blonde beauty's smile dropped and she quickly cleaned herself up with the long sleeves of his sweatshirt.
"Oh my god, Haas never did that to me! Mostly because he's the size of a small stuffed animal but either way..." she paused. "Mmm... Yeah... I can definitely smell it now. Wow, it stinks."
"It probably doesn't smell that bad." he dismissed, laughing.
"Yes, it definitely does. Come here and smell for yourself." Joy urged, pulling him by his t-shirt.
"Okay." James sighed, leaning in closer to his friend.
The tip of his nose touched hers and they both took a shaky breath as the space between them became non-existent. James closed his eyes, inhaling the scent of Griffin's drool. His face twisted in disgust under Joy's intense gaze.
"You were right." he stated, only moving a few inches away from her face so he was now looking directly into her eyes.
"Told you." she spoke quietly, lost in the icy blue eyes of the man she had spent nine years of her life working with.
"You two are so weird." Stephen grumbled from the sliding door.
James jumped back, almost spilling the remaining coffee on his mug all over his lap, which seemed to amuse Joy, once she had to bite her lip to keep herself from laughing.
"What have I told you about sneaking up on people?"
"Robbie's the one who usually sneaks up on people so... I don't know." their friend raised his hands up in defense.
"What's up, Coletti?" the raven-haired man sighed.
"Found a beat-up ball in the pantry, there's an old hoop out in the front. Earl went to wake Jeff up a couple of minutes ago. Are you in?"
"What is it with you and waking up people who are sleeping in peace?"
"Early rise makes a man wise or whatever. We didn't want to go into Sophia's room to get Jesse because they're young and in love and probably doing it." he rambled, switching the ball from his right hand to his left and vice-versa.
"I highly doubt there's anyone in the world that willingly gets up at..." Joy got her phone from her back pocket to check the time. "... seven in the morning to do that but sure..." she conceded, taking the yellow mug to her lips.
"Bridezilla's so freaked out about the wedding she gets up extra early to get everything done on time, even though she technically doesn't need to move one finger. She definitely schedules time for sex and what better way to start a day than by doing the dirty?"
"You need to get laid, dude." the singer pointed out, lifting herself off the ground and meeting her friend by the door. "I'm smelling Rob's pancakes."
"Yeah, he made a batch. They're in the kitchen. I'd hurry up if I were you." Stephen advised, ignoring her comment about his celibacy. "James, get your fat ass to the front in five. Don't forget to bring your trunks."
The raven-haired man went inside, finding Joy and Robert attempting to make a Mickey Mouse pancake. He leaned against the doorframe, observing the way her whole body seemed to vibrate when she laughed at their friend's dad jokes, a stray strand of hair falling over her hypnotizing brown eyes, only to be tucked in behind her small ears.
Rob eventually acknowledged his presence, cleaning his hands on Sophia's Italian Squad apron.
"J-man! Do you want some? These are Joy's so I think they won't taste as awesome as mine do." he boasted, flinching when she promptly elbowed his side. "But you can give them a try."
"Thanks, but I should go get dressed or Stephen will probably bite my head off. Where's Jeff?"
"He should be down in a minute, Hil told me he usually needs five to ten minutes to stop acting all grouchy before getting up."
He nodded curtly, taking one last glance at his long-time crush, but failing to do as he was supposed to and leave. The singer licked the wooden spoon Robert had used to mix the batter absentmindedly, moaning at the delicious taste of chocolate chip pancakes, only noticing James was staring at her when she looked up.
"What?" Joy asked, smiling. "Do I have something on my face again? Oh, shoot, I've still got your sweatshirt on!" she gasped all of a sudden, taking it off, exposing her midriff and part of her lace bra in the process. "Thank you. I should really go wash my face. Pancake mix and dog drool are not a good combination."
The singer walked past James, who was still trying to keep his brain from retaining the memory of Joy's sexy underwear. How could she make his stomach churn just by showing a little bit of skin and fabric?
"Nice." the blond man extolled, wiggling his eyebrows.
James sent him a pointed look, turning on his heels and heading to his room, the one he hadn't spend more than two minutes in so far. Putting on his trunks and the trusty old basketball shorts he brought everywhere "just in case", placing his bag back in the spacey closet, he fled the room, already dreading getting told off by his friend for being late.
"What the fuck, Lafferty? I thought being on time was a part of having manners." Stephen grunted, throwing him the ball.
"Yeah, okay, I'm like two minutes late, Coletti. I was busy." he explained, shooting and scoring a three-pointer.
"Yeah, getting a boner from watching BJ lick a wooden spoon." Rob snickered, coming up from behind them. "Nice shot!"
"Don't call her that..." the raven-haired man muttered, passing the ball to Jeffrey, who still looked like he was half-asleep.
"Her name is Bethany Joy. BJ's an adequate nickname!" his TV business partner reasoned.
"It would be if it didn't have a sexual connotation attached to it, Roberto."
"Bite me, Steph. I never even thought about that."
James sighed loudly, shaking his head as he waited for his friends to stop arguing and play.
"Alright, gentlemen, are you going to act like a couple of unreasonable toddlers all morning or are we going to play? Because if we aren't I'm happy to go back to bed." Jeffrey snapped, asserting his dominance by showing them his most menacing glare.
"N-no, sir. We're here to play." Stephen stuttered.
"Definitely, yeah, we're in." Robert confirmed, running a lap around the improvised court.
"That's what I like to hear."
"Joy, babe, are you ready?" Sophia called out from the other side of the door.
The singer woke up to the sound of her friend's voice, nearly jumping out of her skin. She definitely couldn't handle all-nighters like she did in her twenties. The minute she got to her room, three hours before, she had fallen asleep, her phone still resting between her fingers from texting Michael to check up on Maria.
"Mm... I'll be right there." the blonde beauty mumbled, making herself barely audible.
The door flew open, revealing Sophia in a short white sundress and a straw hat.
"You're in last night's clothes!"
"I am."
"You two will be the death of me." Sophia exaggerated, grabbing both of Joy's hands and pulling her up. "Get your swimwear on pronto, I only have a couple of hours before the wedding planner gets here and starts testing my patience, so hurry. Oh, and I left some beach towels on a shelf down the hall. I figured you guys would somehow manage to forget to bring those."
"Aye, aye, captain." the singer muttered, opening the closet to find a bag that wasn't hers.
Sophia probably ran out of storage space and shoved this in here, she thought to herself, picking up her Louis Vuitton and rummaging through it to locate the swimsuit she had luckily decided to pack.
It didn't take long for her to join her friends downstairs. Little Gus was tapping his foot impatiently by the door, all geared up with floaties, a fisherman hat, tiny sunglasses and several coats of sunscreen on.
"Come on, Joy! Mom said I can only go swimming when you're in the water." he whimpered, tugging at her hand.
"Okay, okay, I'm coming." Joy chuckled, pratically being dragged out of the cabin by the seven-year-old.
Hilarie locked arms with Sophia, smirking when she saw the four men gathered around the made-up basketball court, sweating and apparently out of breath.
"You guys have to admit it: you're getting old!" she teased, blowing her husband a kiss.
"As if." Stephen scoffed. "I could go on for days!"
"Actually..." Jeffrey stopped his movements, passing him the ball. "I'm going to freshen up. Good game, gentlemen." he high-fived his team member and made his way to his wife.
"But..."
"Steph, we've been playing for two hours, and you didn't even let us stop to get water, you little dictator." Robert reasoned. "I promised Gus I'd teach him how to do a headstand underwater yesterday so..." he informed them, following Jeff.
"Stop calling me Steph!" the olive-skinned actor shouted, placing his hands on his hips and looking back at James.
"You want to join them, don't you?"
"I'm all sweaty and the sun's burning like mad, man. I'm only human." James complained, cleaning his forehead with his soaked t-shirt.
"Fine." he snapped. "Go ahead. If anyone asks, Rob and I won."
"Of course, buddy."
Joy set her towel next to Gus', undressing herself in a hurry as the little boy continued to emphasize the urgency he had to dive into the lake's cool water, taking off his prescription sunglasses and the hat his mom had made him wear.
"Gus, stop bugging Joy. She's already being kind enough to dare going in with you." Jeffrey reprimanded, sitting between Hilarie's legs while she applied sunscreen on his back.
"It's fine, don't worry about it. You should see Maria at the beach." the singer joked, securing her dirty-blonde hair in a ponytail. "Let's go, Augustus. Show me what you've got." she held her hand out for the seven-year-old to grasp.
"Hey, have I been replaced already?" Robert gasped, taking his Batman tee off and running to the pond, making a huge splash around the pair as he delved into it.
The blonde actress resisted the urge to scream when the freezing water touched her upper body.
"I'm going to kill you." she threatened her friend through gritted teeth.
"We need to take the plunge now, Joy! It's now or never!" Gus yowled, excitedly.
She looked down at Hilarie's son, tightening her grip on his small hand.
"Only if you don't let go." the singer requested, showing him a goofy smile.
"I promise."
James came down the pathway precisely when the pair arrised, releasing small shrieks. He noticed how the striped black and white swimsuit his former co-worker was wearing hugged her curves perfectly, showing off the amazing body that she sported, at the ripe age of thirty-six. It also displayed the singer's perky chest in a wonderful manner, not showing a lot of skin, but just enough to make the actor's breath hitch in his throat.
"Christ, James, what the hell are you doing standing there like a spare prick at a wedding?" Stephen came up from behind him, slinging a towel over his shoulder. "Seriously? Watching her swim from afar? Dude, seriously, this is starting to get creepy. I know you already came to the conclusion you like her and all that, why don't you do something about it?"
"It's not that linear."
"Of course it's not linear, it's like a fucking rollercoaster, but you either go on it or you'll probably spend the rest of your life asking yourself why you were such a wuss when you were thirty-two."
"I'm still thirty-one, you know…"
"Your birthday's in a month or so, get over it. Now, try to act normal, you dork."
Robert picked Gus up, throwing him into the water as Joy floated on her back nearby, taking in the peace the nature brought her, smiling softly with her eyes closed. All of a sudden, she felt herself being lifted, instinctively grabbing onto whoever was holding her's neck.
"Joyous, let's play a game!"
"Put me down, Coletti." the blonde beauty warned playfully, slapping his chest.
"Whatever you want." Stephen shrugged, dropping her. "As I was saying…" he continued, when Joy came up, with a scowl on her face. "Do you want to play the best water game ever invented?"
Her expression softened when she saw the raven-haired man entering the lake slowly, trying to adapt to its cold temperature. He approached them, goosebumps all over his skin and a sisyphean smile on his handsome face. Seeing him topless wasn't new to the singer, but she couldn't help but bite down on her bottom lip when she glanced at his muscular arms and broad shoulders.
"What's up?" James asked, jumping up and down to generate some heat.
"Stephen wants to play a water game." Joy explained, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Not a water game, the water game." their friend reiterated.
"Spill it." she sighed.
"I want to have a chicken fight!"
"Oh, can I play?" Gus chirped, dog paddling to them, his Nemo floaties keeping him afloat.
"Sure, little man. You know what, you can even be my partner." James smiled, stooping down to his level to help the seven-year-old get on his shoulders.
Joy looked on, charmed by James' laid-back approach when dealing with children. It was amazing how he'd always find ways to surprise her. Those were the little things that made her heart beat slightly faster.
"That means you're with me, hu?" Stephen nudged her sides, rubbing his hands together.
"Are you really going to make me fight a little boy?"
"Of course, kids are sneaky and shouldn't ever be underestimated." he replied.
"It's not that bad if I take into consideration your mental age is five." the singer agreed consdescendingly, patting the top of his head.
"That's right… hey!"
"I'm still not fighting a seven-year-old, Stephen."
"Whatever…" her friend groaned. "Anyone wants to take Joyous' place?"
"Augustus!" Hilarie called from the shore. "Time for a snack break!"
"But mom, James and I were going to win at chick fighting!"
"I know, sweetie, but I brought your favorite cookies. What do you say?"
Gus gave James an apologetic look.
"Sorry…"
"No need to apologize, buddy. Cookies are a priority." James winked, crouching to let him climb off his shoulders. "Race you to your mom?"
"Yeah!"
"Ready? Three, two, one… Go!"
The pair swam to the waterfront, the raven-haired man slowing his pace down so Hilarie's son could win. Gus made it to his parents as James was just getting out of the water.
"I won!" the boy cheered.
"You're a force to be reckoned with, little man. Well done!" he high-fived his youngest friend, sitting down next to him. "Can I still have a consolation cookie?"
The singer couldn't stop grinning at how sweet the scene was.
"He's a genuinely great guy, isn't he?" she mumbled.
"One of the greatest out there…" Stephen confirmed, a knowing smile on his face. "Get your Kardashian-quality ass over here, Lafferty! The chicken fight is still happening!" he crowed.
The actor rose to his feet, saluting Gus and heading back to the water, meeting the trio who was waiting for him.
"Alright, it's Dumb and Dumber against the JLs." Joy declared, standing on the tip of her toes, pushing James' shoulders down.
"The JLs?" he inquired, squating to let her climb onto his toned shoulders.
"Yeah, apparently that's what everyone calls us on the internet." she chuckled, trying to find a comfortable position. "Joy Lenz and James Lafferty."
"That's what that means?"
"What did you think it meant?"
"I…"
"Are we doing this or not? Rob has really let himself go." Stephen nagged, clearly having a hard time carrying his friend.
"I have not. It's water weight!" Robert protested.
James hesitantly held onto her wet shins, feeling her smooth skin under the touch of his hands. She was light, which worried him because Rob could probably take her down in an instant.
"You ready, sweetheart?" the olive-skinned man asked, with a cocky smile plastered on his face.
"You guys are going down." Joy replied confidently, grinning down at her partner in crime.
If someone had told James a month before that he'd have his head between Joy's legs at a weekend-long wedding he'd laugh and vouch that person had gone crazy. Never in his wildest dreams had he thought about the possibility of seeing his former co-worker so often in such a short amount of time, not to mention becoming even closer to her and have her feel comfortable enough to be in such a usually uncomfortable position with him.
Stephen lunged forward, as Robert outstretched his arms to get a hold of Joy. The singer laughed loudly when he came close enough to attack her sides with tickles, almost losing her balance, hadn't James held on to her for dear life.
The actor could've heard her laugh until the end of time. How could he have become so infatuated so fast? It had to be this strange hold she had on him, on everyone. Joy was the kind of person anyone would be lucky to fall in love with. He couldn't help but think he was slowly, but surely, falling for her.
Her giggles brought him back to reality, smiling at the adorable sound coming out of her mouth.
"Push him, Lafferty!" Joy begged, out of breath.
"Say no more."
The raven-haired man let go of her right leg, using merely one hand to shove Stephen's chest and make him forfeit the last ounce of strength he had to keep Robert on his shoulders. The dynamic duo went down with a loud splash.
"Yes!" the blonde actress chanted, pumping her fist in the air. "Good job, James!"
Without really putting any thought into it, she leaned down, tilting his chin up with her dainty hands and kissing his forehead, hearing someone hooting from the land.
Being left speechless by her unexpected sweet gesture, he dropped down to his knees, letting Joy get back on her feet.
"We're still the dream team!" she boasted, heading back to her towel.
James didn't say anything, only smiling back at her with a grin that could make any woman swoon. She wasn't any woman, but she bit hard on her bottom lip nonetheless. The singer could try to deny the immense attraction she felt towards her TV husband but her efforts would be proven to be ineffective undoubtedly.
"I'm going to get something to drink. Anyone want anything?" the actor inquired, glancing around for any takers.
"Water, please!" Sophia requested, typing something on her phone.
"Got it."
He quickly paced to the cabin, jogging to the fridge to retrieve a couple of water bottles, realising he wasn't alone.
"Hey bud." Jeffrey greeted, cutting a tomato into tiny pieces on an old chopping block. "Couldn't you have dried up a bit before coming in here?"
"Sorry, I was really thirsty, the temperature is particularly high today. You're making lunch?" James asked, pointing to the pot on the stove.
"My son insisted I'd make lasagna. That kid knows damn well I can't deny him anything. Not anything, but most of the things he asks for."
"I guess Hil's the bad cop then, hu?" James suggested, taking a sip from his water.
"Someone has to be."
"Right." the raven-haired man agreed. "I'll just dry myself up to avoid being a hazard. Imagine Sophia slipping and twisting an ankle the day before her wedding. I'd be a dead man walking." he joked.
"Hey, hey, hey!" Jeff called out, stopping him from leaving the kitchen. "We need to talk."
"We do?"
"Yeah, man!"
James raised an eyebrow, wondering where the conversation was headed.
"Okay..." he trailed off, chuckling nervously.
"Hil told me."
"About...?"
"You and the lovely Joy."
"We're not anything but friends, Jeff." the raven-haired man clarified, clearing his throat.
"I must say, I was a little skeptical at first." Hilarie's husband continued, ignoring James' dismissal completely. "My wife's a hopeless romantic and she loves setting people up. Sometimes, things go wrong, so I'm trying to contain the matchmaker inside her."
"Yeah, I've been set up on blind dates by her numerous times."
"How were they?" Jeffrey added the meat to the sauce he had been preparing, smiling knowingly.
"Disastrous." James disclosed, inhaling the delicious scent that had invaded the room. "Wow, this smells heavinly, what's your secret?
"Oregano. Key ingredient for my lasagna. As I was saying, Hilarie loves love. Ever since I first met her, she made sure I knew what I was getting into. It's ironic, because we were actually set up on a blind date ourselves: I knew Jensen Ackles from my days as a member of the cast of Supernatural, and he happened to be in a relationship with a wonderful woman you guys worked with."
"Danneel..."
"Precisely. I wasn't really into those kinds of things, but Jensen pratically dragged me there. He said: Jeff, if you don't go I'll have you know you're missing out on the love of your life. He was right. If I hadn't taken the plunge, I wouldn't have my smart, beautiful wife and my genius of a son by my side today. I try to transmit to my child that some people and opportunities only come once in a lifetime."
"That's a good lesson..."
"I'm not finished, Lafferty." the older actor barked, interrupting him. "As I already said, I doubted your compatibility with Joy because I had never actually spent any time observing how you two got along with each other." he carried on, stopping momentarily to pour the now properly seasoned meat and sauce on the glass platter. "However, I now think my wife finally got one good match."
James' mouth dropped open at Jeffrey's words, confused and surprised by what he seemed to mean.
"You guys have something there. I'm not sure what it is and you two sure as hell don't either, but you should figure it out, together. It's not one-sided. Don't be afraid to show her how you feel. People want you to believe that's emasculating but in fact being able to express your feelings isn't anything you should ever be ashamed of. So, you know... Do it. The time is now. Don't let her slip away. It's just like what they say at weddings: speak now or forever hold your peace."
Joy brushed her teeth, ready to go to bed after a fun but extremely long day. The wedding was less than twenty-four hours away and she could hear Sophia pacing around upstairs. The singer remembered how nervous she was on her wedding day, laughing at how silly her worries were back then. Is he going to be waiting for me at the end of the altar? What if he gets cold feet? Will I be a good wife? What comes next? Everything that concerned vanished as soon as she had looked into her husband's eyes and said I do. She could only hope her friend found happiness that would last her for a lifetime.
The blonde actress padded to her room, closing the door behind her and moving carefully in the dark in order to find the comfy bed she had been sleeping in that same morning. Locating it, she threw the sheets back, nearly screeching when she touched someone's skin.
Rushing to the light switch, Joy turned it on, seeing a very confused James open his eyes and look around.
"What are you doing here?" she panted, checking if her black lace-trimmed chemise was covering up her body correctly.
"Trying to sleep?" he replied, waiting for his eyes to adjust completely to the sudden clarity.
"I know, but what are you doing in my room?"
"Your room?"
"Yeah, I was the first to get here, so I got to choose where I'd stay."
"Oh. Shoot. It was empty when I got here so I just assumed you changed here yesterday but were staying in another room." James stuttered, stumbling over his words once he realised he was an intruder, blushing furiously as he tried to gather his belongings without looking at her sexy sleeping garment. "Do you know where the spare bed is? Jesse mentioned they had one somewhere."
The singer placed a hand on arm, leading the mumbling mess back to the bed.
"It's late and we've both had little to no sleep this weekend. You can stay here." she offered.
"Are you sure?" his eyes shot up, instantly being met with a breathtaking view.
"Yeah, of course. It's not like we've never shared a bed before." Joy pointed out, shutting off the light. "Scoot."
James moved to the other side of the king-size bed, nearly falling off it, earning a hearty laugh from his roommate, who grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and pulled him a little bit closer.
"You're very respectful of my personal space, and I'm thankful for that, but you don't have to hurt yourself. It's fine, James. Now, snooze. Tomorrow's going to be hectic. Believe me, I've been there."
The actor nodded, keeping his gaze fixated on her serene face while she once again gave into her tired body's desperate need of rest right by his side. As he felt her shift in her sleep, there was only one thing replaying in his brain:
Speak now or forever hold your peace.