Miles, Kai, and Sean all look at me, and then their eyes move simultaneously to JP.

I watch as their eyes roam over his open shirt and undone pants. JP's usually pulled-back hair is messy and wild from sleeping.

I'm sure I don't look any better, but at least I'm dressed.

I think.

I glance down at myself discreetly and am relieved I am in the clothes I was in yesterday. Then, I look back at JP, and he's still watching me.

"Are you fucking deaf? I said, get the fuck out!"

JP glares back at me, taking a deep breath in, "No problem. Just remember, you're the one who asked me to stay." He says, and I glare back at him for not only saying it again but in front of them.

"So you say," I tell him, "bet you feel proud of yourself, thinking you're causing something, don't you? But no one knows better than me that you don't have the balls to man up when it counts, JP."

JP's mouth forms a tight line, but then he gives me a smug smile and grabs himself over his pants, "Trust me; they're there. You, of all people, would know. You seem to have forgotten how much you loved putting them in your mouth."

A mixture of a choke and gasp escapes from me. Meanwhile, I hear Miles whisper, "What did he say?"

"Get the hell out!" I shout.

I move away from the door as JP approaches, trading positions with him, and I see his shoes on the floor and pick them up.

"Don't forget your shit!" I throw a shoe at him, but he turns and ducks when the first one comes flying at him, almost hitting Sean, Miles, and Kai, but they move out of the way, barely. I throw the other one, putting as much force behind it as I can, aiming for his damn head, but JP catches it quickly.

"Thanks, princess."

"Don't call me that!" I scream at him.

JP  smirks at me before turning away, walking past the guys who move out of his way. "Morning, gentlemen."

They mutter their greetings back to him as I turn away, groaning in frustration at how full of shit he is.

"Hey moms, uh, we wanted to see if you wanted to go out to eat breakfast, but if you're not in the mood...that's cool," Miles says, uncertain if it's safe to approach me or not.

I stand up from the bed, not wanting to be in this damn house. "No, let's go. I want to go. Let me just get ready. I'll meet you guys outside." Kai and Miles nod, but I can see the worry on their faces.

They walk out of the room, and I head to the bathroom to wash up.

When I walk back out of the bathroom, Sean is still by the doorway. I know what he must be thinking, but nothing happened. I shove the drawer angrily after grabbing a change of everything I need. I take off my robe and begin getting dressed.

"I can see you're upset, Stella. But what the hell was he doing in here?" Sean walks up behind me and turns me around firmly. "I tell you I'm in love with you a few days ago, and you tell me you need space, that you needed to be alone and when I come here...he's here, in your room and obviously spent the night with you." He's fighting hard to stay calm.

"Nothing happened, Sean. I fell asleep out on the terrace, and he brought me back in here and fell asleep. On top of the covers, nothing happened," I repeat. I don't want to tell him JP actually didn't have clothes on; that doesn't seem like helpful information at the moment, and I'm sure he could figure it out based on how JP looked when he left.

"Then why are you so upset?"

"Because he's an arrogant, vain, condescending, egotistical, self-absorbed, pretentious, big-headed, asshole," I state.

Sean lifts my chin, "You do realize all of those mean the same thing, right, gorgeous?" He smiles at me, amused.

I laugh, realizing he's right, and lean my forehead on his chest, sighing deeply, and he brings his arms around me, pulling me in closer to him.

"As much as I like feeling you half-naked up against me, I'm sure the kids are wondering where we are and starving."

I pull away, looking up at him. "Thanks for not going all crazy; I know it looked bad finding us like that, but thank you for believing me."

"I wouldn't put it past him to take advantage of the situation," Sean says before he kisses my forehead softly. I know I thought the same thing and even said it to JP, but it bothers me to hear Sean say it.

He leans back as he cups my face, "You're so beautiful," He kisses me softly, "We haven't been together since Miami, Stels." His dark blue eyes convey his desire before he kisses me again, then deepens the kiss quickly.

"Excuse me. I forgot my phone."

I jump at the sound of JP's voice, and Sean shields me; I peek around Sean and watch as JP walks purposefully to the nightstand. He's dressed in a navy suit and white dress collard polo. His hair is pulled neatly back in the man bun he wears. He picks up his phone and walks back out without saying anything else.

"I'm sorry, I should have closed the door after the boys left," Seans says afterward.

"It's okay; it's not like he hasn't seen me naked before--" I stop, my eyes wide. "I didn't mean--I shouldn't have---I mean--"

"It's okay, Stels. I know what you meant, and you're right, unfortunately. I'll wait outside with the kids."

"No. Just wait; I'll hurry." I finish getting dressed, and we head out of the room; he holds my hand as we come down the stairs.

I see Adonis, JP, and Cristian murmuring near the door, but I gasp when I see Enzo is with them.

I rush down the stairs and run towards Enzo, slamming into him in a hug; he holds on to me tightly. "Enzo, I'm so happy to see you." My eyes fill with tears instantly.

Enzo rests his chin on my head. "Please forgive me if I hurt you or worried you, Stella mia."

"I'm just so happy to see you," I cry and laugh through my tears as I cup his face; his golden hazel eyes look down at me with guilt.

"Please don't cry for me," He wipes my face and brings me close to him again.

"You're my best friend, Enzo. When you hurt, I hurt. Please don't shut me out like that, again." I cling to him. I meet JP's regretful gaze as I hug Enzo, realizing he knows now I was reliving how it felt when JP shut me out all those years ago, too.

"That was not my intention; I'm so sorry," Enzo tells me quietly.

After a little while, we step back as I wipe my face. "Come with us; we're going to go get some food."

"Another day; we have a meeting. But we'll talk later, yes?"

I nod my head, and he cups my face as his thumb brushes at the wetness from my tears.

He smiles at me, greets Sean in a man hug, and tells him to take care of me.

I greet Cristian with a kiss on his cheek, and he tells me to be safe. The tension between JP and I is palpable when I also greet Adonis before Sean pulls me outside the front door where the kids are waiting for us excitedly to go out.

Sean tells me to jump on his back, and we race off towards the car. He yells at the younger kids, "last one, there is a rotten egg!" I laugh as everyone starts running, not just the little ones, but Lucy, Kai, Miles, and Marco, too.

<><><><><>

When we return to the Villa, Sean leaves to meet with a client for his publishing work and the kids spend time with Melanie for most of the afternoon. 

Even though Melanie has been sleeping more and more, she seems to have a resurgence of energy today, and the kids love seeing her be lively and laugh as she sings along to the songs Kai and Miles played on the guitar.

And now we are finishing an intense game of twister. It's down to Marco and Lucy.

"Marco, left hand green," Miles calls out.

"Finally, he gets a hard one," Carmen states.

"Please, I got this," Miles puffs out as he reaches his long arm over, but he loses his balance leaning too far over and falls on top of Lucy. They smack their heads together, and we all burst out laughing.

"Ow!" They both grimace at the same time but end up laughing, too.

"Lucy wins!" Carmen announces happily.

Marco looks down at Lucy and brushes her hair away from her face. "Sorry, I didn't mean to hit you."

Lucy laughs, "I know, but why does your head have to be so big," She rubs her forehead, wincing.

"Blame my dad. My mom always said he had a head too big for his body," Marco laughs.

"Looks like we missed a fun game night," Santino walks in, followed by Enzo and JP. Santino winks at Marco, given the compromising position Marco and Lucy are still in.

Marco's face reddens, and he leans away from Lucy. He stands and then helps her up, too.

"I'm jealous you got to have fun while I sat in boring-ass meetings all day," Enzo says as he falls back on the couch with a groan. He lays his head in my lap, looking up at me. "Dude, you thought Timo liked to hear himself talk; JP's on a whole other level."

I chuckle when I look over and see the scowl on JP's face.

"The kids were just going to finish out the night with a movie if you want to hang out," I play with Enzo's thick black hair.

"Sure, but we got to get all the snacks ready!" He jumps up, energized all of a sudden, and I chuckle as he walks up behind JP and pushes in the back of JP's knee while he talks to Adonis, and JP nearly falls over.

"Damn it, Enzo!" JP's hand shoots out to grab hold of him, but Enzo moves quickly out of the way.

"I'm too quick for you, old man!" Enzo laughs as he runs away and then smacks his head into the wall when he turns around. The last thing we see is his feet in the air as he falls back, groaning.

"Oh!" Kai and Miles say together.

Adonis, Santino, and JP laugh, but JP is laughing uncontrollably.

"Are you gonna help me up, or are you gonna keep laughing your ass off?" I hear Enzo say from the floor. JP holds his hand out and lifts Enzo, still struggling to keep himself under control, and I bite back a smile.

"I don't think I've heard JP laugh like that since..." Marco stops, his eyebrows screwed up in concentration. "I can't even remember."

"What are you talking about? I laugh," JP states defensively.

"Not like that," Marco smiles back.

"Well, that shit was funny," JP shrugs.

"Ooo, JP, you gotta put money in the swear jar. That's two times, now." Lola informs him, her hand on one hip and holding two fingers up with the other hand.

"You're right, Lolabug. Thanks for keeping me in check, princess." He winks at her.

"No problem, that's what wives are for," Lola gives him an exaggerated wink back, and everyone laughs.

I hand Enzo an ice pack to put on the small bump showing up on his forehead. Kai, Miles, Lucy, and Marco come back into the room with all sorts of food and snacks. Lucy pops the lid off her Ben & Jerry's ice cream tub and digs out a spoonful of ice cream.

"Mmm, this is actually pretty good, considering what's in it." She says, reading the container. "It was the only different one in the freezer; the rest are chocolate chip cookie dough."

"That's because JP said that is Stella's favorite," Carmen informs us as she eats some popcorn; everyone looks over at me as I sit down. I look over at JP, but he's talking with Santino and Adonis.

"What's the flavor?" I ask Lucy as I eat a Twizzlers as I watch the back of JP's head. Enzo lays back on the couch, eating gummy bears, and lays his head on my lap again.

Lucy laughs, reading the label out loud, "Chip Happens is the name; it's chocolate ice cream, with fudge chips and crunchy chip swirls. But it works."

"Like real chips? Sounds gross," Marco states, sitting down next to her.

"It's not, here try it," She shoves a spoonful in his mouth, surprising him. "I just changed your life, didn't I?" Lucy grins at him, and I stifle a laugh as he looks back at her with a shocked look on his face.

"She's literally another version of you, Stella," Enzo chuckles as he watches Lucy and Marco, too.

"Ew, you guys just shared a spoon; it's like you just kissed in front of all of us," Carmen says in disgust. I grin and catch JP smiling at Carmen as well; I wonder if he remembers like I do when Carmen would react the same way whenever JP kissed me in front of her.

Lucy laughs nervously at her comment, and Marco glares at his sister.

"Who was your first kiss?" Carmen asks Lucy as she leans over the couch to talk to her in between them. "Marco probably doesn't even remember his there's been so many."

"Shut up, Carmen," Marco glares at her.

JP puts a hand on Marco's shoulder but looks at Carmen sternly. "That's enough, Carmen," JP says firmly.

"What? It's the truth," Carmen crosses her arms and scowls.

"I haven't had a first kiss, Car," Lucy tells her honestly. "And no, not including you, Miles."

Marco sits up and looks between them. "You guys kissed?"

"Nah, more like saved her life, bruh," Miles says proudly as he leans back, linking his fingers behind the man bun above his head.

Kai sits up and begins telling everyone about the terrifying moment I thought I lost Lucy, "So we had just gotten back from vacation, which by the way, if you haven't been to Abu Dhabi, you need to go. Anyway, we ordered Chinese food and were setting up everything..."

Kai tells them how Miles had just gotten out of the shower, and we all made him go put clothes on since he was only in his towel and how Lucy laughed when he tripped up the stairs on his way to his room to change, but then started choking.

Kai proudly tells everyone how Miles rushed down and took over once he saw what was going on and stayed calm to save Lucy.

Enzo lifts his head from my lap to talk."Wow, Miles. That's impressive. Not many people can stay calm and focused like that. Especially when it's someone you're close to."

"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't scared out of my mind," Miles says, smiling softly at Lucy.

"Were you scared, too?" Carmen asks Lucy quietly.

Lucy nods her head. "Yeah, it was really scary."

"What did you guys do in Abu Dhabi?" Santino asks as he pops in some skittles in his mouth.

"More like what didn't we do?" Kai says, laughing, and then tells them about our two weeks there.

"The last night was the best, though," Lucy tells everyone. "We went on this excursion out in the desert. We rode camels and rode in the sand dunes; there was outdoor eating with belly dancers."

She starts laughing as she remembers the camel riding. "Kai's camel kept spitting on him or sitting down when we all starting to go. And Sean's camel kept trying to eat his hair!"

JP looks up from his phone at the mention of Sean.

"He ended up with this awful cowlick on the side of his head. Huh, mom?" Lucy laughs again, and I nod.

JP excuses himself after his phone rings, and I watch as he walks out, Adonis following closely behind him.

The kids choose to watch a Pixar movie. But they all fall asleep before it's over, including Santino, who's snoring on the recliner.

"Damn, I wish this movie was around when I was younger," Enzo says. "Pulls at the heartstrings, doesn't it?"

"It does give kids good ideas on how to deal with and recognize strong emotions," I state. I look down at him as I scratch his head. "Are you doing okay, Enzo?"

Enzo turns his head to look at me. "Yes, I'm okay now. Which probably doesn't make any sense, but I am. That first day or actually night was rough, but JP was there and helped me through it," He sighs heavily.

It surprises me to hear JP was there with him. I assumed he was alone, the entire three days.

"I feel somewhat at peace with it, but then I wonder what my mom would think of me..." Enzo says quietly as I stroke his hair. He pulls out his wallet and shows me a picture of him and his mom.

I feel emotional remembering Katerina and how sweet she was. Enzo is around nine or ten, and she's in the middle of laughing but has both arms around Enzo from behind as he grins into the camera.

"I know she's proud of you, Enzo. There's no doubt," I hand it back to him. He stares at it, his thumb moving over her face.

"You're a good man, Enzo. Despite everything that's happened. Everything you've been through and exposed to, you're still the sweet, kind, loving, and protective Enzo she raised."

I ruffle his hair playfully, "You just have a certain set of skills that make you a little scary."

"A little?" He sits up, raising an eyebrow.

"Fine, a lot scary, but only when you need to be," I chuckle.

Enzo turns to face me on the couch, and I do the same. "Listen, I want you to be happy, Stella and if Sean is who makes you happy, then just tell me now, and I'll shut up."

I look down and pick at the fuzz on my socks, "He told me he's in love with me."

He lifts my chin, "Do you love him?"

"I care about him, but..." Tears prick my eyes, " I don't know."

"You would know if you did, Stella mia. I know you're scared because of what happened in the past," He sighs, and he looks down as he holds my hands, "I know you're mad at JP. But anyone can see you love him even when you hate him. Of course, JP can be an idiot sometimes, but hear me out, okay?"

I look up at him and nod.

"You remember, the last day we saw each other when we were kids? You came over, and you asked me if I was crying. You know now why I was," Enzo pulls in his lips as he holds my hands in his. "My twelve-year-old mind wanted you to be safe and away from what I knew was coming, and the only thing I could think of to get you to leave was to be mean to you. So I pushed you, I pushed you so hard you fell back. The way you looked up at me after you fell haunted my dreams for a long time, Stella."

I squeeze his hands to reassure him and comfort him. He smiles at me, "And even then you still didn't leave, you stayed on the porch until my dad pulled out of the driveway."

"Fast forward ten years later, and JP did the same thing; yes, there are some differences, mainly he should have known better, but I can understand he felt like it was the only way for you to leave. To keep you safe. Alive. He'd rather break your heart and his if it meant you were away from everything he knew you hated in this life."

I wipe the tears away, "He should have talked to me, Enzo. He didn't even try."

"I agree," Enzo says as he tucks my hair back, "but sometimes we make decisions with clouded judgment, and the decisions we make in those moments end up being far worse than going through what we were trying to avoid in the first place. Life sucks that way. But if there's one thing you've taught me, bestie," He smiles at me as I chuckle through more tears, "you don't give up on people you love when they make mistakes."

He sighs, "I'll support you, whatever or whoever you choose."

I lean forward and hug him tightly. "I love you, Enzo. Thank you."

He kisses my temple. "I love you, too, Stella mia."

"Forgive me for interrupting," Adonis stands at the doorway. "You need to come upstairs." His face is somber and more serious than usual.

"It's Melanie." 

~~~~~

Stella's already on an emotional rollercoaster and it's only get worse....

What do you think of Enzo's advice?

*Don't forget to vote please!*