Chiara looked at Drew inquiringly as they manhandled the luggage up the stairs. But when they got to what was to be Gary's room and began to carry their things inside, LeeAnne spoke up from the hallway, where she was standing holding the baby.

"And where will I be staying?" she asked, looking up and down the hallway.

"Oh, erm, well, there's another room on this floor, right next to this one, as a matter of fact," Drew said smoothly. "Follow me, I'll show you."

Noah, who was carrying the fold up crib, followed him, as did Chiara, who was carrying the baby swing.

"Oh, I'm sorry, that probably should've stayed downstairs, I don't use it much in the bedroom," LeeAnne told Chiara after they were inside the room.

"No big deal, I can take it back when we go," Chiara said with a smile.

Gary came in to see how everyone was getting along, and LeeAnne turned to him with a small pout.

"I thought you said the baby would have her own room? A nursery?" She turned to Drew. "Gary said your house was huge, a real English mansion. Isn't there another room where baby Sienna can sleep? Otherwise her crying keeps me up all night long."

Drew looked nonplussed. "Not really. I mean, there are more rooms up on the third floor, but they're not furnished yet, you see."

LeeAnne brightened. "That's okay. All she needs is her fold up, which we brought with us, see?" She gestured to what Noah was holding.

"No, I meant for you," Drew explained. "You'd want to sleep up there with her, wouldn't you? In the next room? And none of the bedrooms have beds or dressers or anything yet. I don't even think we put curtains up, have we, Neddy?"

Ned shook his head.

LeeAnne looked puzzled. "Why would I want to do that?"

Everyone looked at the tiny bundle, and Chiara did a little math.

"She's barely three weeks old, right?" she asked.

LeeAnne nodded.

"LeeAnne and the baby will both be fine in here," Gary said firmly, putting an arm around her. He took the fold up from Noah and quickly set it up, taking the baby swing from Chiara when he was finished.

"What do you say we head back downstairs and have a quick drink before dinner?" he said to Drew with a smile.

"I think I'll take a quick nap," LeeAnne told him, laying the baby down on the bed and stretching out next to her.

"Brilliant," Gary said, kissing her forehead as everyone else left her room.

"You know, I'll be leaving at the end of next week," Noah told him as they were going downstairs. "If she needs another room, I mean. I'm right next to where she is."

Gary quickly shook his head. He even looked over his shoulder to make sure that LeeAnne's door was still closed and that she hadn't overheard Noah's words.

"What?" Mara asked. Mara and Luke had joined them on the stairs as they all headed to the lounge for drinks.

Drew poured drinks for everyone after first nodding to Ned. Chiara didn't know what the nod was for until she watched him take his drink and go stand at the entryway to the lounge. From there he could see the stairs, and therefore keep an eye out for LeeAnne, should she wake up and come down to join them.

Ned was the lookout, in other words.

"So please tell me, Gars, how in the holy fuck did it come to pass that your baby mama and your baby have joined us here for what was supposed to be a few months of serious song writing and recording?" Drew asked in a low voice as he passed Gary his drink.

Gary looked sheepish.

"Yeah, about that," he began. "I'm sorry, mate, truly, but she was breaking my bollocks every day about one thing or another. Mainly about money, though." He looked from Drew to Luke to Ned. "I was worried about what she might get up to if I left her in Los Angeles alone, you know? I mean with no one to keep watch on her. She spends money like it's water, always needs more, always." He gestured toward the baby swing and the changing table. "And she doesn't seem very serious about caring for the baby."

He looked at Chiara and Mara next. "I figured if she were here, at least I could kind of watch her. And she'd have Mara for company. I didn't know you'd be around, but the more the merrier, I suppose." This last remark was directed toward Chiara.

"Well, at least that explains why you told Luke that Drew told you girlfriends were welcome," Mara said as she sipped her drink.

"Right," Gary said with a grin. "I thought you could maybe help her a bit, you know? Both of you, I mean," he said, turning to include Chiara in his smile.

"Hold on, there, Gars," Mara said, her tone steely. "I have a wedding to plan, I can't be some sort of child minder for your girlfriend and her baby, all right? And Chiara here actually has a job, a business that she has to run completely on her own, I hope you realize."

Chiara looked at Mara with real gratitude. "She's right, Gary. I mean, I'm not super busy at the moment, but as soon as the snow melts, I'm going to be gone, every day."

"Well, I thought it would better in general if she and Sienna were here with me rather than in Los Angeles on their own," Gary said, swallowing his drink. "I hope you don't mind, mate, and I hope I didn't put you in a bind."

"No, I'm sure everything will be fine," Drew said, trying to sound as if he meant it.

"I can't wait until the baby's awake so you can really see her," Gary went on. "She's a real peach, boys, just wait and see."

Chiara found his enthusiasm touching, and she saw real affection in his brown eyes. It was the first genuine emotion she'd seen from him, and the first feelings of warmth she'd felt for him as well.

"And thanks for the gifts as well," he continued in a quiet voice. "It meant a lot to me that you'd think of the baby and remember us when she was born, truly."

All three boys went to shake his hand and kiss his cheek, offering congratulations and smiles. This was the band that the public knew and loved, the boys who were close, who loved each other.

"What's going on here?" A voice called from the doorway.

Everyone turned.

LeeAnne was standing, looking very fresh in a new outfit, fresh lipstick, hair brushed, holding the baby, smiling at everyone.

"There you are," Gary called, walking to her and reaching for the baby. "I was just thanking them for the wonderful gifts they sent to Sienna. Remember? The car, the books, and the lovely playhouse?"

"Oh, right, yeah, they were really nice," LeeAnne agreed, nodding.

Gary walked back to the boys, holding the baby. "Look, look, she's awake at last."

"I think she's hungry," LeeAnne said. "Where'd you put the formula, Gary?"

"Oh, it's on the counter in the kitchen," he supplied.

"I'll go whip some up." She turned and went into the kitchen.

Chiara made eye contact with Drew, who was holding the baby, and gestured toward the kitchen. He nodded agreement, and she followed LeeAnne in case she needed help.

"Can I help with anything?" she offered. "You need to boil water?"

LeeAnne shook her head. "No, the microwave is fine, though if you could show me which buttons to push, that would be helpful, I suppose."

Chiara showed her how to heat the water and stood back, watching her measure the powder.

"I thought breastfeeding was more popular in the States?" Chiara ventured.

LeeAnne made a face of distaste. "Yeah, I got pressure from the nurses in the hospital about that, too." She stuck her chest out a little bit. "But I've got a nice rack, you know? And these are natural, too. I haven't had a boob job or anything! Can you believe it?"

She seemed to be waiting for an actual response, so Chiara shook her head.

"So yeah, I'm not going to ruin them by letting some brat suck on them. That would be crazy, don't you think? Why would I do that when they have this stuff now?" She gestured to the bottle full of powder. "I don't have to be a slave to my body just because someone has an old-fashioned and out of date idea of what I'm supposed to do.

"So you're with Drew?" she asked as they waited for the water.

Chiara nodded, smiling.

"You're lucky. I tried for him when they came through Chicago last year, but I couldn't find him." LeeAnne tapped her French tipped nails on the counter. "I managed to catch Gary's eye, which was okay, but I wisht he had more money, you know? I mean, I have to beg him for every penny for me and Sienna, it's a real pain in the ass.

"You know who the real lucky one is? That Mara girl who's out there. You see that ring she's wearing?"

This time Chiara shook her head. She hadn't noticed.

"She's getting married, and I heard no prenup." LeeAnne leaned forward to impart this last bit of information. "And that Luke Adesso doesn't have any bad habits, either, so he's rolling in dough." LeeAnne shook her head as if unable to believe Mara's good luck.

"What about you and Drew? Any plans? No? And who's that other boy? The young one who's not Ned?"

"That's Drew's younger brother, Noah."

"Oh." LeeAnne's eyes were bright with interest. "He's totally hot, isn't he?"

"What?" Chiara couldn't keep the shock out of her voice. "He's only fourteen, though."

"So? If they're big enough, they're old enough, that's what I say." LeeAnne winked at Chiara, who looked back at her in alarm.

Was she serious? Noah was practically a baby.

The microwave dinged and she took the water out and mixed up the formula, shaking the bottle up to a frothy mixture.

"Here we go," she said. "Thanks for helping."

They went back into the lounge, where Luke was now holding the baby.

"You want to feed her?" LeeAnne asked.

Chiara nodded, taking Sienna from Luke and sitting down.

The baby, who was wearing a yellow oncesie and wrapped in a pink blanket with a matching bib, regarded her from large, blue eyes with thick lashes. She had a shock of brown hair and already resembled her handsome father.

She took the bottle from LeeAnne and expertly inserted it between the baby's searching lips, finding the correct angle and making sure no air was getting in.

Drew came to sit next to her, putting an arm around her so he could lean in and watch the baby take the bottle.

"You're good at this," he observed.

"I used to babysit a lot before I started helping dad with the business," she told Drew.

They both looked at Sienna in silence for a few moments, heads together. Drew reached out and touched her tiny feet, which were poking out of the bottom of the blanket, smiling, before carefully wrapping them back up.

"Wow, you guys, she could almost be yours, with your hair color and the way you're sitting and everything," Mara observed, taking a picture of them with her phone.

"That might be nice," Drew murmured, smiling at Chiara, eyes warm.

Chiara blinked at him in surprise. "What? Drew, we've known each other for five months, are you mental?"

"I know, I know," He chuckled. "But everything else being equal, you must admit the idea has appeal, don't you think? Just a little?"

Chiara let her imagination wander, pretending that this baby she held was hers, hers and Drew's, and he was right, it was kind of fun to think about.

"Maybe a little," she whispered, leaning into him so she could kiss his cheek. "Like in an alternate universe or something."

He nodded, rubbing his head against hers, tightening his arm against her, pulling her closer.

"Yeah," he agreed. "Or something."

They both looked down at the baby she held.