Prologue

Chapter One- Thirteen years later

"You up Janie?"

"Yes," the girl called to her mother through the door. She sighed as she slowly got out of bed; the first of sophomore year. There were times, like now, when she was convinced that she was only one that hated first days of school; most of the schools population was probably popping out of bed to jump into clothes that they had laid out the night before. Janie Boykewich stumbled over to her closet and scratched her hair as she stared blankly at the clothes. It wasn't like she trying to impress anyone, hell she had a boyfriend and she hated high school anyway. With a sigh she grabbed a random pair of jeans and threw them on with a yellow fitted graphic t-shirt that advertised free Popsicles. Janie was different from most kids in several ways; one was the aforementioned hatred of first days of school and the second being that she was actually pretty popular at school but didn't exactly want to be. She started doing things in middle school because she figured it would make her parents happy and it did…and the activities just kind of stuck. She loved to sing but not really in front of people so what did she do? Joined the choir, not that she can read music or anything though. She also liked to run. So she joined the track team and became on of its stars. She would have been perfectly happy running around with her friends after school but her parents kept talking about their glory days in the high school band so she figured if she joined something, they might just shut up about it. If she had to hear the story of how they started dating one more time, she was tempted to tell them she was going to run away with a kid she met from the band. Just for a reaction, just to see what they would do.

"Janie!"

She poked her head out of the bedroom. "What?"

"Breakfast."

"Not hungry?"

"Not caring," was her mothers standard reply. Her mother was the type of mother that made sure you had three solid meals a day; or at least two seeing as how she couldn't control what they ate at school. It also didn't help that she owned one of the popular diners in town, she always brought home food. She sighed as she walked down the hall, banging on her brothers door as she went by.

"What?" was his muffled response.

"Food."

"Hey Jane, me and your mom were thinking-" her dad was saying as she sat down at the table.

"I am not going on that dumb vacation!" she snapped as he parents brought up their yearly vacation they took. They went to different places every year but Janie was now at the age where she would much rather stay home and hang out with her friends during the summer rather than travel with her family.

"Actually, I was going to say that I let you drive this morning," Ben smirked. "But if you're going to snap at me about that too…"

"No I can do that," she said sweetly. "After all I should be getting my license soon, right?" she looked at them.

"We already enrolled you in drivers ed. next month," Amy agreed.

"Sweet," she smiled.

"Alright hurry up you guys or all three of you will be late."

Ben got up and kissed his wife as she smiled and shooed him out the door. His job was somewhat of a joke between the two of them. He took up the cymbals years ago in order to get into the band to impress Amy and ended up actually liking it. He continued to practice music, even after Amy dropped it all, and took up the guitar and piano as well. Fifteen years after first looking at a triangle, he was the music teacher at the high school he used to attend.

"See, I told you it wasn't a big deal," Ben said as Janie pulled into a parking spot at school slowly, convinced she would hit something.

"Ok…that was more than just a little terrifying," the girl admitted sheepishly.

"It'll get easier."

"Meaning I can drive home?"

Ben pretended to look shocked. "You're actually going to be seen with your father after school today? And what do I owe the honor?"

She laughed. "You're right; on second thought I'll just see you at dinner."

"Thought so," he said as she kissed his cheek.

She bounced out of the car and walked up to the school, talking to her brother animatedly until they parted ways so he could go to the middle school and she to the high school.

"Oh my God Janie, your dad is such a fox," her best friend said as she walked up to her.

"Ugh!!" she cried as she put her hands over her ears.

"What it's true! I just never noticed…"

"Do me a favor and stop noticing," she said as she gave her friend a dirty look.

Julie Peters just shrugged and dropped the subject. "So where's Riley? Aren't you guys like attached at the lips or whatever?"

"Obviously not," she grinned.

"Ok schedule time," sang out the last person that rounded out their threesome. Janie, Julie Peters and Nadine Young had known each other since they were about seven and ever since they all agreed that school, boys and the Olsen twins were the Anti-Christ, they had been inseparable.

"I have lunch at the ungodly hour of ten thirty," Julie moaned.

"I have gym with that horse of a teacher Mrs. Erif," Nadine countered.

"I…have a free period?" Janie questioned as she looked at her schedule.

"What?"

She shrugged. "I have no idea."

"Lucky bitch," Nadine lamented.

"Oh please. That gym class will be the easiest thing the world," Julie rolled her eyes.

"Easy for you to say, you're not being taught by Mr. Ed," she shot back.

"Mrs. Ed actually," Janie corrected.

"See, thank you for understanding!"

Janie held up her hands with a smile on her face. They bickered all the time but it part of the reason they all got along. They came from three different upbringings and had different personalities but they managed to stick together no matter what. The bell rang and Janie shrugged on her bag as she walked with Nadine to their first class, tuning out her chatter as a boy brushed past her. He had roughly hit her arm and then kept going, throwing a backward glance over his shoulder and looked right at her. He had the most incredible blue eyes she had ever seen and his brown hair kept getting his eyes so he had to do a head shake to keep it out and he smirked at her as he continued to maneuver himself down the hall.

"Hello?" Nadine shook a hand in front of her face. "Earth to Janie Boykewich…"

Janie blushed as she turned to her friend. "What's up?"

"Oh I don't think so ma'am! Riley's missing for what, ten minutes and already you're checking out other guys?" she rose an eyebrow at her and Janie averted her eyes. "Oh my God calm down lady," her friend started laughing. "I was just kidding. Wow, you're face is priceless you know that?" she laughed as she walked into their classroom.

"Coffee?"

Ben looked up to see a Latina woman standing in the doorway, hand on her hip.

"I don't have a class for another hour," he replied and she smiled.

"Good because I definitely need some sort of caffeine to make it through today."

"Soda?"

"Please Benjamin," she snorted.

Fifteen minutes later they were lounging in the woman's office. "Alright I had a motive for doing this today."

The man raised his eyebrow but didn't say anything.

"I saw Ricky the other day," she said quietly.

"Ricky…"

She rolled her eyes. "I thought you were smarter than this. Ricky, you know the guy that's Janie's-"

"Got it," he interrupted. He hated the thought that Janie wasn't biologically his, although his daughter never knew it. They just said that she took after her side of the family and so far she bought it. But now, knowing that that scum was back in town, well that could make things difficult.

"When are you going to tell her again?" she cocked her head to the side.

"Never?" he asked as he took a sip of coffee.

"Right because that will work. She has ways of finding out Ben, you know that."

"What's he doing here anyway?"

She snorted. "Like I talked to him? Apparently they're moving back to town, his wife's demands."

"Who the hell would marry a guy like him?"

Adrian smirked as she raised the cup to her lips and his mouth dropped. "Tell me he's not gay!!"

She nearly spit out her drink as he started laughing. "That is so not funny!" she laughed.

"Oh come on, him and Jack? They'd be cute together," he shrugged.

"Do you really have to make two of the guys I used to date, gay together?" she pleaded.

He shrugged. "I didn't make them do it," he said innocently.

"I hate you sometimes you know that?"

He rolled his eyes. "But really who married him?"

"Our old Bible-thumping, Christian do-gooder herself."

"Could still be Jack," he pointed out.

"It's Grace you asshole!" she said as she threw an eraser at him and a knock sounded on the door.

"What's up?" Adrian asked.

"I have a free period…" Janie said confused.

"What?" Ben sat up straight. "How did you get that? I thought juniors and seniors…" he trailed off as he looked at Adrian for confirmation.

"Do I look like I make the schedules?" she held up her hands. "What part of counselor don't you get?"

He sighed as he got up. "Alright, let's go figure this out."

"Ummm, it's ok," Janie said as she stepped out of the office. "I can do it on my own. It's bad enough people know that you work here Dad," she said softly. "I don't need everyone thinking that you have to hold my hand for things."

"What was that?" he asked pointing after his daughter.

"She's sixteen Ben, come on."

"She's been in a mood lately," he grumbled as he sat back down.

"As much as I hate to say it, and I know you don't wanna hear it, that would be Ricky's sperm contributing to your daughter."

"Amy?"

She lifted her head as the blonde woman approached the counter with a big smile on her face. "Yes?"

"Oh my God!"

Amy racked her brain quickly. Obviously this stranger knew her and she did look familiar, especially when she smiled.

"…Grace?" she tried tentatively as the lady nodded and Amy relaxed a little bit. "Wow! What's up?"

"Oh nothing, I just moved back into the area actually. Me and my family," she corrected herself.

"And who would the lucky guy be?"

Grace faltered for a second and the looked back at her. "Ummm…it's actually…it's Ricky."

"Ricky?" Amy asked as her breath caught.

"Yeah," Grace said slowly. "Don't worry though, I already told him that he shouldn't try to find you," she said with a sad note in her voice.

"Oh… But won't he find out anyway? I mean…you're here."

She shook her head. "I said I was just going out for a little while. Although I do hope that we can be friends Amy," she said as she clasped their hands together.

She laughed with a nervous undertone. "Sure Grace. Friends," she said slowly.

"Great!" the blonde beamed. "So, do you mange this place?"

"Actually I own it," she said with a smile. "Ashley and I do, my sister."

"Wow," she replied impressed. "That must have been hard to do."

She shrugged. Her father had gotten into a car crash when Janie was still very young and Amy was bouncing from job to job and when he didn't pull through, it turned out he left everything he had to Amy and her sister. Ashley immediately wanted to open a restaurant, fresh out of culinary school, and Amy agreed to help her take care of it by becoming partners with her. Now the restaurant does so well that they actually net a pretty good profit and neither Amy or her sister were in any trouble when it came to finances.

"What about you? I mean this town isn't very big…"

"I actually work from home. I'm a writer for a magazine for Christian teen girls."

Of course she is, Amy thought and then immediately felt guilty for thinking that. Grace had always had strong religious beliefs and apparently nothing had changed. Although it made Amy wonder how much Ricky had changed.

"So did you end up marrying Ben?" Grace asked as she positioned herself in a comfortable spot.

Amy smiled a soft smile and nodded. "When we were eighteen we eloped."

"Oh my God that's so romantic! How old are you're kids?"

Amy gestured to a picture in a collage on the back wall. "Janie's sixteen and a sophomore and Ethan is about to turn thirteen and he's in seventh grade."

"Wow…" she said softly as Amy's eyes dropped.

She remembered back when she was pregnant and Ricky suddenly decided that he wanted to have a part in Janie's life that Grace was all gung ho with him and thought it was wrong that Amy had denied him.

"Does she know?" Grace asked quietly.

"No. We told the hospital staff he was the father and he adopted her as soon as he could."

Grace grew quiet at that. "Well perhaps it was for the best."

Amy nodded. "I think so."

"You'll never guess who I saw today," Amy said as Ben walked into the kitchen that night.

"Guess what?" he said at the same exact time. "Who?" he asked letting her go first.

"Grace Bowman. Well…it's not Bowman anymore-"

"Because she's married to Ricky," Ben finished. "Adrian saw him in town the other day."

Amy groaned. "Why is this happening?!"

"Why is what happening?" Ethan asked as he opened the fridge.

"Nothing," Amy said. "Why are you home?" she asked a second later. It was customary for both kids to be out until dinner; Janie doing her school activities or with Riley and Ethan going skateboarding with his friends.

"Jake got a girlfriend," he made a face.

"And he can't hang out with you anymore because of that?" Ben raised an eyebrow.

"They had plans or whatever," he said.

"Does that bother you?" Amy ventured.

He shrugged. "I don't know yet. Can I tell you at the end of the week?"

She laughed and nodded as he left the kitchen and they heard the television go on.

"It's not like Ricky Underwood is going to come knocking on our door demanding to see this girl that he's never even met. Come on, give the guy at least a little credit," Ben said softly, resuming their conversation.

"I guess you're right," she said as she played with her hair.

"Of course I am," he smiled. "Anyway, Janie is my daughter as far as I'm concerned. Some kid that we knew in high school isn't going to change that ok?" he said as he wrapped his arms around her.