Chapter One-Hundred and Sixty-Five

Toby patted John on the back as he settled at the table for lunch, smiling as John actually ate his food without looking like he was about to die. "Hey, can Chancie have table scraps?" He asked, noticing how the dog didn't beg.

John shrugged, knowing that she never got them until after they'd eaten dinner. "She usually doesn't get fed at the table. Mom doesn't want her begging when we have guests over."

Toby nodded, pouring some low-fat ranch on his salad. "Oh. Brian told me that you're a godfather now?"

John chuckled, meeting the blond's eyes as he remembered holding his godchild for the first time. "I delivered her." He smiled, able to see her perfect little face as Julia had pushed her from her body. "I was the first one to see her."

Toby's eyes widened, looking between John and Claire for confirmation. "You delivered her?" He asked, taking the little picture book from John and looking at the perfect little girl. "Holy shit…" He met John's eyes, shock clear on his face. "What's it like?"

John shook his head, remembering the blood and amniotic fluids on his hands and how terrified he'd been that Julia would bleed out when he'd seen the first few drops. "Messy." He chuckled, taking the photo book back and placing it in his wallet again. "Loud, terrifying… but worth every second." He smiled, his eyes changing to the rich dark chocolate that always showed his gentle side. "I wouldn't change a thing about it."

Claire bit her lip, kissing John's cheek and running her fingers through his hair. "I want you to deliver our babies." She whispered, letting him kiss her lips.

He laughed, placing a hand on her stomach as he thought about the day he would get her pregnant with his child. "Only if the doc says we can do a home birth and there's a real midwife there."

She nodded, placing her hand on top of his. She knew that he'd always been hesitant to have children, but witnessing the birth of a child seemed to have eased his mind on the subject, and she was practically having to fight him off to avoid him getting the cart before the horse. "Deal."

Allison grinned as John walked into the music room, taking Kaylie's hand as they jumped in excitement at the news they were about to share with the class. "Come on slowpoke!"

John chuckled, giving Chance the signal to pin Allison even though he wasn't remotely threatened by the short stack. "Chancie, lock down."

"No!" Allison cried as Chance pushed her to the floor and laid on her shoulder, her weight holding the small girl to the ground with little effort on her part. "Chance, get off!"

John gave a long whistle, hitting three separate notes that told chance three commands at once. "Good girl." He praised, turning to look at the class and Miss Wilder. "Our band, Wrong Side of the Tracks, has been signed to LA records for a trial period. Meaning if 10,000 of our albums and tapes sell, we'll get a full label and be able to go on tours and do headlining shows." He grinned as the class erupted in applause, looking at Miss Wilder as she stood. "They also told me I should get a voice coach so that my vocal cords don't blow out again."

She beamed, giving Chance a pat on the head as she nodded her head. "I'd love to coach you. Will Saturdays work?" She asked, motioning to the tiny recording booth in the corner of the music room. "We can meet here-"

"My uncle built a recording studio in our basement." He stated, writing down the address to the house. "Will about four work?"

She nodded, letting Chance lick her fingers. "I'll see you then." She lifted her arms, choosing to have a more fun class to celebrate. "How about a concert?"

The class cheered, growing louder as they picked up their instruments. "Wait…" Kaylie started, looking at the bass still in it's stand. "Dom dropped out… who's gonna play the bass?"

John smirked, placing his guitar in it's stand and picking up the bass. "I can do more than sing and play guitar." He tuned the instrument up, looking at the group as he whispered the first song. "One, two, three, four." He plucked the strings as Kaylie took over on the guitar and he began the vocals.