Beca arrived at work on Monday and was immediately whisked away by a "glam team" to do a photo shoot. The label was planning to release an article in Rolling Stone confirming Beca's identity as DJ Reggie. A reporter from the magazine would be arriving that afternoon to speak with Beca and her publicist.
Beca spent over two hours with a photographer who had spent most of his career photographing "professional models." She knew this because he grumbled about it every thirty seconds. She yelled at him about an hour into the shoot to stop because it was only stressing her out.
"How on earth are you going to get a good shot of me if you keep yelling at me?!"
Fat Amy insisted on having Beca stop and get a drink and a small snack at that point.
"How is a doughnut going to help me?" asked Beca.
"It always makes me feel better," said Fat Amy.
Beca relaxed a bit for the second hour of the shoot. Her publicist had been present for that as well, and she couldn't help but wonder if Lilly had threatened the man. Either way, he stopped griping so much.
Her interview with Rolling Stone went much better. They talked a lot about Beca's history. She agreed to let the magazine reveal that she was also "Kate Swanson." Her duet with Snoop Dogg had recently become a TikTok trend, so she agreed after briefly conferring with Lilly.
The reporter had been very interested to learn about the sheer amount of effort she'd put into finding work after storming out of her first producing job. Beca was careful not to mention the label or the artist.
The second piece of good news arrived the next day. The Posen-Conrad investigation team had successfully identified the source of Beca's identity leak.
"I should have known!" Beca exclaimed. "Bumper was so pissed when I fired him!"
The private investigators discovered that Bumper had submitted Beca's story to a site that paid people for submissions before sending them around to the different celebrity gossip sites. The attorneys had already notified him of the violation, and he'd responded that he hadn't signed the NDA. He gave up when they immediately sent him proof that he'd signed it. The penalty had been nearly the amount the site had paid him for the story, and he'd ruined his chances of ever being hired by any record label.
Things were fairly quiet for the rest of the week. The news article was set for the December issue of Rolling Stone, which would leave room for the magazine to update the article with any Grammy nominations Beca would receive. DJ Reggie had ceased to be interesting as soon as the "Kimye" divorce story had come out, and Beca enjoyed being able to be out and about without most people realizing who she was.
One of Beca's songs played on the radio on the way back from daycare during that week, so Beca took the opportunity to explain her job to her son.
"Hey, Johnny?"
"Yes?"
"Did you know that Mommy helped make this song?"
"The one on the radio right now?" he asked.
"Yes, this one."
"I didn't know that. That's so cool!"
"Thanks, dude. I wanted to let you know because I think you're old enough to know that I make music that a lot of people really enjoy. I'm kind of famous."
"You are?"
"Just a little," said Beca. "But, pretty soon, a lot of people will know that I'm the real DJ Reggie. There's going to be a magazine article in a grown-ups' music magazine in December."
"Will you read it to me?" Johnny asked.
"It's going to have a lot of big words, but I'll show you the pictures they took of me."
"That's cool. What does it say about me?"
"It doesn't say much, honey. Your dad and I want you to be a regular kid. I don't want a lot of people bothering us. I want you to be 'Johnny Swanson' and not 'DJ Reggie's son.'"
"I don't understand," said Johnny.
"Sometimes, when someone is famous, people think they get to know everything about someone. I want to keep our family private. When you're older, we can think about changing that. But, for now, I want to do a lot of the same things we always do. We'll have our fun times out and about, go to swim lessons, spend time with Miss Chloe, and do what we always do. I don't want anyone to act differently around you because your mommy is famous. But I want you to know that people might talk to me about my music, and I wanted you to know why."
"Your music is really good, Mommy."
"Thanks, kiddo. I'm glad you like it."
The Friday before Halloween, Jesse called early that morning.
"Beca, I really think I should cancel this weekend. Claire has the stomach bug."
"Oh, no! The poor thing! I'll keep Johnny. I don't want him catching it. Maybe I'll get him to grab a few extra pieces of candy for her."
"That's great," said Jesse. "I'm sure she'd like that."
Beca ended the call. She explained things to Johnny over breakfast.
"I hope she feels better," he said. "Are you going to take me trick-or-treating?"
"I sure am."
"Can Miss Chloe join us?"
"I'll ask," said Beca.
She thought to herself on the way to work after dropping her son off at daycare. Their neighborhood hadn't had a lot of trick-or-treating the previous year. Most of the houses had their porch lights off, and several people who'd left theirs on didn't even answer the door. Johnny had only been three, so he hadn't noticed that they'd gotten candy from about ten houses out of the thirty on her block. They'd lived in an apartment prior to that, and she'd just taken him to her dad's on Halloween. He'd been too little to understand and/or eat candy back then.
She called Chloe once she'd settled at her desk.
"Hey, Becs."
"Hey, Chlo. It looks like we have Johnny this weekend. Claire is sick. I'd rather keep Johnny than have him bring home the dreaded stomach bug."
"Yeah, I agree with that," said Chloe.
"I want to take him trick-or-treating, but my neighborhood is kind of lousy for that."
"Well, my condo building doesn't do much either. Let me check with Alan and Beth. I know their neighborhood has a huge party before they let the kids loose on all of the houses. I'm sure Cassie and Denny would love to trick-or-treat with Johnny."
"Are you sure it isn't too much trouble?"
"I'm sure," said Chloe.
"Thanks so much. I love you."
"I love you, too."
Beca got to work, and she smiled when she received a text from Chloe that her brother and his family would be thrilled to have them join them on Halloween.
She told Johnny when she picked him up from daycare, and he was so excited. "I can't wait to see them again, Mommy. They're not going to say mine is a baby costume, are they?"
"No way, dude," said Beca. "Miss Chloe sent their parents a picture of you dressed as Marshall and they loved it!"
"Oh, yeah. I forgot."
"Miss Chloe invited us over for a sleepover, so why don't we get packed up as soon as we get home so we can see her?"
"That's so cool," said Johnny. "I'm so glad I get to spend the weekend with you. Claire wasn't very nice to me last time I was at Daddy and Amanda's."
"I'm sorry to hear that. Just keep being the nice boy that I know you are, and I'm sure she'll be nice back."
"Okay. I'll try."
They packed their things and headed to Chloe's.
"Miss Chloe, can we make our own pizzas again?" Johnny asked.
"You read my mind," said Chloe. She led him to the kitchen where she'd already laid out the ingredients.
Beca smiled again as she watched her girlfriend patiently help her son make his own pizza. A single, happy tear fell down her cheek.
"You okay?" Chloe asked quietly, kissing the tear away.
"Yeah. You two just make my heart smile," said Beca.
"Well, I love you and I love Johnny."
"Are you even a real person?"
"Last I checked," said Chloe, laughing.
They made their pizzas, and Johnny headed to the playroom, declaring that he was going to build a tower that was bigger than he was.
"It's going to be as tall as my mommy!" he exclaimed as he took off.
"When are you going to break it to him that you're not very tall?" asked Chloe.
"You're, like, an inch taller," Beca said, rolling her eyes.
"And don't you forget it," she said, giving Beca a quick kiss on the lips.
"You're lucky you're that pretty."
"Uh-oh!" Johnny yelled from the guest room. Both Beca and Chloe ran in. Legos had fallen all over the place, but that had been the only thing that had happened.
"You scared me, dude," said Beca.
"Sorry. I just got nervous when the tower fell."
"Why don't you start another one?" asked Chloe.
"I will," he said.
He'd built a good-sized tower before Beca and Chloe called him for dinner.
They put the Charlie Brown Great Pumpkin special on for Johnny to watch afterward.
"Mommy, why aren't the kids in trouble? Lucy said a bad word about Linus."
"I'd forgotten how mean she is," said Beca. "I guess Lucy's parents have different rules than I do." She didn't like for him to use the word "stupid" because she didn't want him calling someone that at daycare.
"Oh."
It was time to get Johnny to bed after the show was over. He was super excited to take a bath in the guest bathroom.
"This tub is so big, Miss Chloe," he said.
"I'm glad you like it."
They tucked him in, and Johnny insisted he wouldn't scream the next morning.
"I'm sure you won't," said Chloe.
Beca and Chloe opened up a bottle of wine and split it while talking and cuddling before heading to Chloe's room and making love before sleeping.
Johnny knocked on their door the next morning. "Mommy! Miss Chloe! It's Halloween!"
"It sure is," said Beca.
"We'll be out in a minute," said Chloe. "Can you wait for us in the kitchen?"
"Okay!"
They put on pajamas and headed into the kitchen. Beca poured Johnny some grape juice while Chloe started coffee.
"So, Johnny, guess what I got at the store yesterday!"
"What?"
"Pancakes with sprinkles! And I bought extra Halloween sprinkles and candy corns to decorate your pancake!"
"Mommy, Miss Chloe is the best!"
"I certainly think so," said Beca, kissing her on the cheek.
"Ewwww…" said Johnny.
Chloe mixed up the pancakes and had them on the griddle while Beca made eggs and sausage.
"This is so much breakfast," said Johnny.
"You don't have to finish it," said Chloe.
"Oh, I'm going to finish it," he said while both women laughed.
The two women took Johnny over to the local library for their noon Halloween party. He wasn't the only kid his age dressed up as Marshall, and nobody made fun of his costume. They even saw Hazel there, who proudly introduced them to her dad.
"Daddy is back from...how do you say it again?"
"I was in Portugal," he said. "Hi, I'm Kevin."
"I'm Beca and this is Chloe."
"Yeah. Whatever Daddy said," Hazel said. "Johnny goes to school with me. His mommy has a girlfriend. Isn't that funny?"
"It's not what you're used to, sweetheart."
"But it's okay. I was helping Johnny learn how to swim."
"That's very nice of you," he said. He turned to the women. "I understand my wife was less than accepting when she met you. I apologize."
"She has apologized to us already," said Beca. "No hard feelings. We turned it into a teachable moment for Johnny."
"I'm glad," he said. "You two are a lovely couple."
"Thanks," said Chloe, snaking an arm around Beca's waist.
After a librarian read a story to the kids about a square pumpkin who gets picked on by all of the round pumpkins, they each got a small bag of candy.
"I'm taking an extra one for Claire," Johnny said.
"That's so nice of you," said Beca.
They headed back to Chloe's once everything was over. They had a small lunch and then Johnny worked on his "tall tower" until they needed to head to Alan and Beth's.
Johnny was bouncing off the walls by the time they arrived. "Cassie! Denny!" he yelled as he got out of the car.
"You look so cool," Denny said.
"I like your costumes, too," said Johnny.
Cassie wore a red dress and an orange, curly wig. Beca remembered the number of times she'd watched Annie as a child. The only movies she'd ever been able to sit through before Johnny had been musicals. She'd been known to belt out "Tomorrow" all over the house when she was young.
Denny wore a dinosaur costume. "I'm a T-Rex!" he exclaimed before doing his best roars.
"Let's go get these guys sugared up," Alan said.
"That's what you do on Halloween," said Beca.
They headed to the neighborhood park that had a pavilion and several grills. The community association had made a bunch of hot dogs. "It's a Halloweenie roast," said Beth.
"That's so bad it's funny," said Beca.
They ate hot dogs and chatted a bit until the kids were ready to let loose on the neighborhood. Cassie, Denny, and Johnny took off while the adults reminded them to slow down.
"Remember to thank people," Beca said.
"I know, Mommy," said Johnny.
"Come on, Johnny. This is the house that always gives the full-sized candy bars," said Cassie.
"That's the best," said Denny.
There was a long line of kids waiting at that house. Beca froze when she saw two adults and a little girl in a Tinkerbell costume walking back that she definitely hadn't expected to see.
Johnny spotted them at about the same time. "Daddy? What are you doing here?"
"Hi, Claire. Are you feeling better?" Beca asked, even though she smelled a rat.
"Mommy? Mr. Jesse? What is Miss Beca talking about?"
Beca saw red. She was about to rip Jesse a new one when she stole a quick glance at Amanda, who seemed equally shocked and nearly as angry.
"Jesse, you said Johnny was sick!" Amanda exclaimed.
Beth stepped in and handed Beca her house keys. "Why don't you take Jesse and Amanda over to my house so you can talk in private? We'll be happy to take Claire with us. Chloe knows how to contact Beca if there's an emergency."
Beca saw Amanda glance over at her daughter, who was comparing costumes with Cassie, and she agreed. She walked over to her daughter and explained that she, Jesse and Beca needed to have a grown-up conversation and that she'd catch up with them later. Beca was relieved when Claire agreed.
"Johnny, can you be good for Miss Chloe, Mr. Alan and Miss Beth?"
"I will, Mommy."
Beca walked back to Chloe's brother's place. She was about to start on Jesse, but Amanda beat her to it.
"What was that all about?" she asked.
Beca saw Jesse actually squirm in his seat. "I...the kids fought so much. I didn't want them fighting on Halloween."
"And you picked Claire over your own son?" Beca asked.
"Well, she already lives with us. It wasn't her dad's weekend. And I never expected to see you in this neighborhood trick-or-treating," said Jesse.
"Not that it's your business, but my girlfriend's brother lives here. Those kids are Cassie and Denny," said Beca.
"Of course," he said. "That was really stupid of me. I wasn't thinking."
"You never do, Jesse. That's a pattern of yours," said Beca.
"I'm really sorry. What do I tell Johnny?" he asked.
"I really don't know, Jesse. I really don't."
"Tell him you made a mistake," said Amanda.
"I can't believe you did this," said Beca.
"Neither can I," said Amanda. "If Mark had done that to Claire, well, I'd have killed him."
"We should head back. I'll text Chloe and see where they are," said Beca.
Jesse sat with his head in his hands while Beca waited for a reply. Beca wasn't sure whether he was more upset about hurting his son or being caught in a double lie.
They agreed on a meeting spot, and all of the kids had bags full of candy. She saw Jesse take Johnny aside to talk to him. Her son had a very furrowed brow, and she wondered what he'd told him.
Johnny and Jesse walked back, and Johnny looked confused. Beca knelt down to his level.
"Hey, bud, do you want to keep trick-or-treating for a while?"
Johnny shrugged.
"Come on, Johnny!" Denny called. "This house over here always gives out Reese's cups."
"Okay," Johnny said, but he didn't have that spring in his step he'd had before.
"How was he when I left?" Beca asked Chloe.
"He was fine. He and Denny were comparing LEGO tower height stories."
"Did he say anything about his dad?"
"Not really. I'm not sure how much he understood. He actually seemed okay until Jesse talked to him."
Beca sighed. "We may have to take him home early if he doesn't perk up."
Luckily for everyone involved, Johnny's disappointment seemed to disappear the second someone dropped some Reese's cups in his bag.
They finally called it a night when the kids decided their bags were too heavy to carry themselves.
On the way home, however, Johnny asked Beca a question that broke her and Chloe's heart to hear.
"Mommy, why does Daddy love Claire more than he loves me?"
"Oh, sweetie," said Beca, taking a few deep breaths to avoid breaking down in tears. "I'm sure he doesn't."
"Why did he lie?"
"He made a big mistake. Everyone makes mistakes."
"He said it was because we were fighting. It wasn't my fault, Mommy. Claire was hurting my feelings. Next time, I'll be good," said Johnny, beginning to sob.
"Oh, honey, it's not your fault," said Chloe, squeezing Beca's hand. "Hey, why don't we all have another sleepover at my place?"
"Okay," said Johnny, still crying.
They arrived at Chloe's house, and she tried to cheer him up by putting him in the tub and grabbing a few bath toys that Cassie and Denny had left there a while ago. It helped a little.
It took Johnny a while to settle down, and Beca ended up rocking him to sleep, something she hadn't done since he was a year old. She sang quietly to him, as she'd done when he was a baby.
After she tucked him in, she shook out her arms. "Oh, man, it's been forever. Four-year-olds are fucking heavy when they're asleep."
"If only Jesse could see this," Chloe said.
"He doesn't think. He never thinks," Beca said. "Hell, that's how we ended up with Johnny."
"And you wouldn't have met me if you didn't have him."
"That's fair. A broken clock is right twice a day, isn't it? I got a great kid out of it."
"You sure did."
"Poor Johnny, though. My parents definitely did a shitty job when they split. Nobody should ever put their child in the middle. But I never felt like either one of them didn't love me."
"Do you know what he said to Johnny?"
"I didn't ask," said Beca. "I'm sure it was stupid, though."
"Yeah. I'm not sure Johnny had put together that Jesse had lied to both you and Amanda, and that Claire hadn't been sick. He was so cute and asked Claire if her tummy was better while we were walking."
"That's my sweet boy."
"Yeah. I can't say the same for Claire, though. She kept telling him she was fine and to leave her alone."
"He told me Claire wasn't nice to him the last time he was at his dad's. I almost wish we hadn't run into them, but I'm glad I know the truth. I just wish Johnny didn't."
"I'm sure it's hard," said Chloe.
"I'm exhausted," said Beca. "Can we get some sleep?"
"Of course."
The next morning, Beca and Chloe were awake before Johnny.
"He never sleeps this late," Beca commented.
"Yesterday was a lot," said Chloe.
By 9:00 am, Johnny still hadn't woken up. Beca sat by his bed and gently rubbed his back. "Hey, kiddo, time to get up."
Johnny whined a little before getting up. "Mommy?"
"Hey, bud. We're at Miss Chloe's again."
Johnny looked around for a minute. "Yeah."
"Are you hungry for breakfast?" Beca asked.
"I don't know."
"Come on, kiddo. Why don't you have some grape juice?"
"Okay." Johnny trudged into the kitchen behind his mom.
"Morning, Johnny," said Chloe.
"Hi," he said, quietly.
Chloe looked at Beca, and she tried to tell her with her eyes not to push.
"I'm going to make some cheesy scrambled eggs," said Chloe. "And I think I have some bacon around here."
Johnny sat quietly, sipping his juice. Beca gave him a peck on top of his head before walking over to help Chloe make breakfast.
"I've never seen him like this," Chloe whispered.
"Neither have I," Beca whispered back.
They cooked breakfast, quietly talking back and forth, avoiding anything that might upset Johnny.
Beca made him a plate and put it in front of him. "Here, dude, in case you want some. Chloe's cheesy scrambled eggs are really good."
Johnny picked at a few bites at first, but then he finished his plate.
"Thanks, Miss Chloe," he said.
After breakfast, Beca's phone rang.
"Hi, Jesse," she said.
"Hi, Beca. May I speak to Johnny?"
"Johnny, do you want to talk to Daddy?" Beca asked.
Johnny burst into tears. Chloe immediately ran to him and took him in her arms.
"I don't think so, Jesse."
"Shit. Really?"
"We had a pretty bad night," she said. Beca took her phone into Chloe's bedroom to continue the conversation where Johnny would be out of earshot. She told him about the previous night.
"He thinks that?"
"Yeah. He's four. What was he supposed to think?"
"I…"
"He thinks it's his fault for fighting with Claire. What did you say to him?"
"I told him I'd made a bad choice because they'd been fighting."
"Oh my god," said Beca. "Why did you say that? He thinks it's his fault for fighting!"
"Even though I said I'd made a bad choice?"
"You seriously don't get it. You should have just said you'd made a bad choice. He heard the word 'fighting.'"
"I guess you're right. What do I do?"
"I'm not forcing him to talk to you today. You're going to have to show him he's important and that you love him."
"How do I do that?" Jesse asked.
"Actions speak louder than words, Jesse."
"Any ideas?"
Beca sighed and rolled her eyes. "Try some one-on-one time."
"Yeah. I'll think of some ideas. I'll take him the weekend after next."
"Okay. I'll try to talk to him, too," said Beca.
"Thanks."
"Yeah, sure. Bye."
Beca walked into Chloe's living room to see her son curled up in her girlfriend's lap watching Paw Patrol.
Johnny looked up. "Do I have to talk to Daddy?" he asked.
"No, sweetheart," Beca said.
Johnny nodded and went back to the show. He didn't speak again until the credits rolled.
"Mommy, how do I get Claire to be nice to me?" he asked.
"You can't make her be nice."
"I don't want to fight with her, but she's so mean sometimes!"
"Let me tell you something," Chloe said. "You know Mr. Alan is my big brother, right?"
"Yes."
"He and I used to fight all the time. He used to pick on me, and I'd yell back."
"What did he do?"
"Oh, all sorts of things. He'd take the heads off of my Barbie dolls, and he wouldn't share his Legos with me. He'd yell over my favorite TV show because it was a 'girly show.'"
"Why did he do that?"
"Brothers and sisters do that. I'm sure I probably bugged him. I didn't always give back his Legos, and he probably thought my TV show was annoying. I don't know what was up with the Barbie dolls, but they were all over our playroom. My sister Evelyn and I had so many of them."
Johnny appeared to think that over before speaking. "What did you do?"
"Well, sometimes I handled it better than others. I'd scream and cry, or I'd tell my parents."
"I told Daddy and Miss Amanda, but Claire didn't stop," said Johnny.
"You and Claire might just have to work it out yourselves," said Beca.
"How do we do that?"
"If Claire says your show is for babies, you can ask her if she'd like a turn with the TV. She can watch her show after yours is over," said Chloe.
"I can do that."
"Claire lives with Daddy and Miss Amanda during the week, right?" Beca asked.
"Yes," said Johnny.
"Well, Claire is going to need some time to get used to having you around. She's used to being the only kid at home, so she has to learn how to share everything when you're at Daddy and Amanda's. Try to be patient with her," said Beca.
"I'll try."
"That's my boy. What do you want to do today?" Beca asked.
"Can Miss Chloe go somewhere with us?" Johnny asked.
"I have to work today," said Chloe. "Which reminds me, I need to be out of here in ten minutes. You guys can have the place to yourselves while I'm gone. I'll be back around dinner time."
"Bye," said Beca, giving her girlfriend a chaste kiss.
Beca and Johnny surprised Chloe that afternoon by visiting her at the petting zoo. The place wasn't busy at all, and Johnny got extra time to pet and feed the animals.
As they were heading to the car, Johnny said, "Mommy, I know you're famous, but I think Miss Chloe is the coolest!"
Beca tousled her son's hair. "Is she, now? Do I have to get a bunch of baby farm animals now?"
"Can you?" Johnny asked, eyes wide.
"I don't know what I'd do with them," said Beca. "I'm glad you think Chloe is cool."
"Yeah," he said. "I'm glad she's your girlfriend."
"Me too," said Beca.
Two weeks later, it was Jesse's turn to have Johnny for the weekend. Johnny whined, cried, and pouted for the ride to McDonald's.
"I don't want to go!" he'd shouted.
"Johnny, we talked about this. You know Daddy is sorry."
"I don't want to go," he repeated. "Claire is just going to be mean to me again."
"You don't know that," said Beca, even though she shared her son's concern.
When they got to the McDonald's, Johnny kicked and screamed. Beca had to wrestle him out of the carseat. She called Jesse over because she couldn't muscle him out of the car.
"Come on, kiddo," Jesse said. He eventually pulled Johnny out, and he'd turned his body slack. It looked like he was holding a rag doll.
"I want to stay with Mommy," Johnny whined once Jesse put him down.
"It's my turn with you," said Jesse.
"You don't love me. You just love Claire and Miss Amanda."
Beca felt her heart break in two at her son's statement, and she could tell from the look on Jesse's face that he did as well.
"That's not true. Besides, I have a surprise for you."
"What?"
"We're going to the football game on Sunday! Just you and me. And then I'll take you out to dinner."
"Miss Amanda and Claire aren't going?"
"No. Just you and me."
"Cool!" Johnny brightened up instantly.
"So, are you dropping him off late?" Beca asked.
"Right. Is that okay?"
"Yeah. Just text me what time to meet you."
"I will."
Johnny looked tired that Sunday evening when Beca picked him up, but he was still all smiles.
"Did you have fun with Daddy?"
"Yeah. The Falcons won!"
"That's great, dude."
"We had a good time," said Jesse.
"Daddy took me out for...what kind of food was that?"
"Indian."
"Yeah," said Johnny. "He said Miss Amanda and Claire don't like the food there. I thought it was yummy."
"That's great," said Beca. "Ready to go?"
"Yeah," said Johnny. He gave Jesse a hug. "Bye, Daddy."
Beca got her son into the car and headed back.
"Tell me more about your weekend."
Johnny yawned. "Daddy and Miss Amanda put Claire in time out for being mean to me," he said.
"What did she do?"
"She made fun of my show and then screamed when I asked her to wait her turn."
"I'm glad you know better."
"Yeah," said Johnny, yawning.
Things with Jesse got better after the football game. He and Amanda had made a better effort to mediate things between the children, so Johnny stopped complaining about weekends with his dad.