After a few more minutes of crying, I take some deep breaths and collect myself to head back to the kitchen, but I find everyone gathered in the foyer instead.

Kai looks over at me and smiles, but his smile wavers as he notices my red-rimmed eyes.

"Are Miles and Lucy not back yet?" I ask him as he hugs me. He tells me they called him and should be here soon.

"We're going to head out," I tell the girls. "I promised the kids I'd take them out to the city." I notice Charlotte near the end of the hallway, talking to Adonis. She's waving her arms around, clearly upset, while Adonis looks like a statue.

"Oh, we'll come with you! I want to see the city, too!" Letty claps happily, and I look back at her as she pulls Jessica with her. She tells me Victoria and Destiny are staying and hanging out by the pool.

I hug Annalisa and Sam. "We'll have to get together; go out one night."

"Yes, we need to; I'll be leaving for a job in California after our girl here walks down the aisle," Samantha tells me as we step out onto the front steps.

"What?! That's awesome, Sam." I hug her. "I'm so proud of you."

"I'll call you later; we have to get you fitted for your maid of honor dress!" Annalisa hugs me as well.

We hear loud bass from music getting louder as a black, fully decked-out Dodge Challenger pulls up to the driveway; its windows rolled down.

Another large SUV pulls up as well, and I know JP's inside. I watch as he steps out of the car, buttoning his suit; his dark Ray-ban aviators hide his eyes, but I know he's looking at me as Adonis walks over to him.

Charlotte follows quickly behind Adonis, placing herself flush against JP's side. He peels himself out of her grip and moves to the front door of the car, and pulls out his briefcase, but I can see the looks angry.

I hear a door slam, and my attention is drawn back to the black Challenger. Two dark-haired girls walk away from the car. The older of the two girls glares back towards the driver as she holds the hand of the smaller little girl.

The driver is a tall teenager whose curly hair is bleached and shaved on the sides; a hairstyle that is a combination of a mullet or thick mohawk. They all stop when they see me standing at the bottom of the steps.

I recognize them immediately; they're all so grown up.

"Char!"

"Charmaine!"

Carmen screams and runs towards me, crying. She throws herself on me and holds on to me almost painfully as she sobs on me. Little Lola walks towards me slowly; she was too little to remember me, but I know she's upset seeing her sister crying and her own eyes fill with tears.

Marco walks closer to me, too; it's clear he's fighting the emotions he's feeling as his chin quivers even though he's trying to hold it together. I hold out my hand to him, and he reaches for it and then hugs me, too, his tears wetting my shoulder.

Tears fall down my face as I look over at JP, who's watching the interaction. I also glance at Charlotte who's angry eyes are glaring back at me, and I realize that she heard the kids call me Char or Charmaine, but I don't care.

Right now, all I care about is being in this moment with the kids.

After a few minutes, they pull away, and I wipe at Carmen's face. "Carmen, you are so grown up and beautiful. You look so much like your mom." She smiles tearfully at me.

I crouch down and introduce myself to Lola, and she smiles, telling me she knows who I am from pictures. I stand and look at Marco, "You've grown up so much, Marco! What's with this hair, though?" He laughs, dodging me when I try to ruffle it.

The sound of a motorcycle coming up the driveway grabs all of our attention, and Miles pulls up next to the Challenger and shuts the engine off. He climbs off and then helps Lucy off, too.

Miles comes bounding over to me, energetically as always. "Mom's, the drive was amazing! There are some really cool views out here. We found this open clearing that overlooks the ocean; it's incredible!"

From the corner of my eye, I notice JP's head turn towards us. I'm not sure what caught his attention first, Miles calling me Moms or the clearing he tells me he found.

I introduce Miles to Lola, Carmen, and Marco, but I notice Marco's attention is elsewhere. Miles looks over at what Marco is looking at, too.

I realize Marco is watching Lucy as she unlatches the helmet she's wearing, and her long, curly hair tumbles out in waves, his mouth opening slightly.

"Wow, she looks like princess Moana," Lola says excitedly.

"No way, she looks like Willa from Zombies 2," Carmen says. Lola cocks her head to the side and agrees with Carmen as Lucy hurries over to us, just as excited as Miles.

"We just went on the most amazing drive, mom!" She laughs, hugging me.

"I'm glad you had fun. We're getting ready to go to the city." I tell her and then gesture to the kids, " I'd like you to meet Lola, Carmen, and Marco."

"Well, aren't you the cutest little girl I've ever seen?" Lucy bends down and shakes Lola's hand. She straightens and shakes Carmen's hand, too. "Hi, I'm Lucy."

"You're really pretty," Carmen tells her. Lucy laughs, thanking her, and tells Carmen she's pretty too.

"Hello," She extends her hand out to Marco, who's still standing there with his mouth still hanging open. Santino nudges Marco from behind, and he shakes out of his trance and then takes her hand and shakes it.

"Hi, I'm pretty--I'm mean, you're pretty, wait, what?" Marco stammers, and his face is tomato red.

Marco is oblivious to the mixture of groans, chuckles, and sniggers the men and girls around us make at his expense, from his less than smooth moves.

Lucy's eyebrows furrow, but she laughs as she looks down at their hands since Marco hasn't let go yet as he keeps staring at her.

I smile, biting my lower lip, and catch Annalisa's eyes. She wiggles her eyebrows at me, grinning.

"Let go of her hand, bro," Santino whispers to Marco.

Marco once again snaps out of it, and lets go of her hand. Santino steers Marco into the house, but Marco looks back at Lucy before disappearing into the house.

"Don't mind my brother; he's not allowed outside much because he's always in trouble," Carmen informs us, shaking her head; Lucy and I laugh.

"Okay, are we doing this or what?" Letty asks.

We start to head towards the SUV, but Carmen grabs onto my arm. "Wait, you can't leave, please!" Tears well in her eyes.

"Don't worry; I'll be back again," I tell her I'll be coming to visit her mom.

"You promise?" She asks, and her bottom lip quivers, breaking my heart.

I hold out my pinkie to her, "Pinkie promise." She grins and hooks her pinkie with mine.

A heated argument between JP and Charlotte breaks out, and John Paul tries to walk away, but she latches on to his arm, and he whirls around, wrenching his arm out of her grasp.

"I'm not finished talking to you, Johnny." She fumes at him.

"I was finished yesterday. Why the hell are you here again?" He seethes in return. "Nothing is going on between us. If you want to maintain the business relationship, I suggest you stop coming around whenever you feel like it. We are colleagues, nothing more!"

"What about the last few weeks?" She crosses her arms, smirking at him.

"I fucking barely remember anything! I thought you were someone else, calling out someone else's name from what I hear! Where's your sense of dignity?" He counters.

She scoffs, "Right, you honestly thought I was her? Because we look like twins, right?" She flicks her short blonde hair to make her point.

I don't want to hear anymore, and the kids should not have to listen to their lover's spat. So I guide them back towards the front door. Little Lola grabs my hand as I wrap my arm around Carmen's shoulders.

"We'll have to get together, go to the park or something? Or maybe the zoo?" I tell them. They both nod at me enthusiastically.

"Maybe JP can come, too? Like we used to do before?" Carmen asks me excitedly. "He's back now. He's not Johnny anymore." She adds, whispering.

"We'll see." I smile at her. I know I need to talk to him, eventually. Especially after what Mel told me about naming us, guardians.

Carmen hugs me, and then Lola does the same but hugs my leg instead.

We hear a car speed away, and I assume Charlotte is the one driving the red sleek, compact car out of the property.

"JP, can we have our tea party now?" Lola calls out. He turns back and smiles at her as he walks up and picks her up, tickling her. She giggles and shrieks as he moves his fingers over her belly and sides.

"Yes, we can have our tea party now." He tells her. Lola pulls his glasses off and puts them on, then she wraps her tiny arms around his neck, pecking his cheek. "This needs to go." She tugs on his beard.

"It stays."

"It goes."

"Stays."

"Okay, listen, how about I eat all my veggies, all gone, and then it goes away?" She tries to bargain. "I can't poke my fingers in your holes anymore." She pouts, patting his face; I assume she means his dimples, and I find myself smiling at the interaction.

He laughs and kisses her cheek, which makes her light up. "That's a good trade, but I know you won't eat your vegetables."

"I'm all growed up and eat veggies, now." She informs him.

"We'll see about that." JP counters.

He looks over at me for a moment, and I feel a warmth come over me as his intense dark brown eyes meet mine, but I watch as they become guarded. "Stella." I suppress the shiver I feel as my name rolls of his tongue.

He doesn't say anything else as he walks into the house. Lola waves energetically, looking back at me. Then, I'm snapped out of my state of small shock when Carmen hugs me again. "Bye Stella, I can't wait to see you again."

I turn back to my group and see Enzo watching me as I approach him, "Brrr. That was as cold as it gets between you two." I shake my head, rolling my eyes at him.

"Miles, Lucy, you ride in the SUV, and I'll take the bike. " I announce. I tell the driver where I want to go first. The kids clamber in the SUV, talking excitedly with Jessica and Letty.

I say goodbye to my mom, and she looks worried, but I assure her I'll be back and make her promise me she'll get some rest. Cristian tells me to be careful before kissing my head.

Enzo holds his hand out, expecting me to throw him the keys.

He looks at me with a quizzical brow when I don't. "I'm driving, Stella."

I grin at him mischievously, "No, I am. You can ride, bitch."

He sighs and puts one of the helmets on, and hands me the other. I swing my leg over the bike; once I feel him get on behind me and holds me around the waist, I push back the stand and head down the driveway.

I catch a glimpse of someone watching us from the second floor of the house through the balcony doors as we drive away.

<><><><>

"Okay, girl. You've got some tea to spill." Letty says as we look out the observation deck of the Empire State building.

"You've got more names than I do, and I'm Mexican!" She laughs, "The look on that Charlotte's face was priceless when those kids screamed both 'Char!' and 'Charmaine!"

"Is Stella even your real name?" Jessica questions, seriously.

"Yes, Stella is my real name." I sigh deeply, looking over the city. "I changed it to Charmaine when I was twelve after my Aunt who I thought was my mom, was killed by some men that work for a crime boss named Gio Dante, who I later found out is my Uncle." They gasp in unison.

I begin telling them about my life, from Enzo, his parents, and my parents, who were actually my Aunt and Uncle, to Timo, who turns out was my birth father. I tell them about the night I believed everyone back home was killed and everything else that happened until I ended up in Miami.

"Damn, your life is a real-life telenovela or movie; it's got everything in it!" Letty exclaims.

"For reals, I thought my life was a crazy train wreck, but I think you've got me beat, no offense," Jessica says, chuckling.

"None, taken." I smile at her because I know my life is a never-ending pandemonium.

"On the plus side, you legit have men falling all over you, girl. Forget love triangles; you've got a damn octagon going on." Letty laughs.

Jessica and I laugh with her, but then I correct her. "No, there's no octagons or triangles."

"Psh, first there's Rio, Amir, Tej, then Jess' brother, Sean, then we got Enzo, and now JP," Letty tells me, whispering the last part as Enzo is standing nearby with the kids.

"I told you, nothing has or will happen with Rio, Amir, or Tej. Enzo is like my brother. JP and I, that...was a long time ago. And I'm with Sean, now."

Jessica looks at me thoughtfully, "JP's is the love you thought you lost. And now he's here, alive. Despite the awful first impression he made on all of us, once everything was explained to us about the accident and memory loss, it makes sense, and it's obvious he still loves you."

"Girl, are you really trying to get her to bounce on your brother? That's brutal," Letty comments but laughs.

Jessica shakes her head at Letty, "No, I'm not. But I've watched as JP keeps trying to get rid of that cockroach, Charlotte."

"He's one of the most powerful men in New York. If he wanted to get rid of her, he could do it." I mutter.

"She's right." Letty agrees. "Can't say I blame that Charlotte bitch, though. You totally held out when you described JP. He's freakishly tall; how tall is he? And he's literally sex on legs; I can only imagine what he can do in bed." She winks at me.

"Have you told Sean?" Jessica brings me back to reality harshly.

"Yes, I apparently drunk called him that first night, but we haven't talked about it," I inform them.

"It's none of my business, but I know my brother. He wouldn't stand in the way of you and JP. At least not while there's still unfinished business between you two," She tells me.

"There is no JP and me!" I raise my voice, startling her and myself. Enzo and the kids look over as well.

Jessica walks towards me, "You can lie to yourself all you want, Stella. But we can all see it." She reaches out to place her hand on my shoulder and squeezes it. "I can't imagine going through all that you have and then having to see everyone you thought you lost and having to sort through all the emotions that come with that. But I know you'll figure out what's right for you."

She walks away with Letty, leaving me to look out over the city, with my thoughts going in all different directions.

We spend the rest of the day taking the kids and the girls to Times Square, eating lunch at Central Park, the Statue of Liberty, and ending the day walking around Columbia University's campus. The kids ask all sorts of questions about my time studying there.

I tease Enzo when we walk by the library, where it seems like everything started in a way. He frowns, "I hate that. That is what you remember our first meeting or reunion as."

I laugh, "Don't worry, it's followed closely by the night you broke in on Joey's birthday and kicked everyone's ass."

"Yes, I like that memory better, too." He laughs, putting his arm around my shoulders.

I notice Lucy is quiet; she has a contemplative look on her face as we walk around the campus. Her eyes light up when she sees a catalog for one of the designer degree programs Columbia offers. She flips through a brochure, and I watch as she tucks it in her back pocket.

As the evening draws on, Cristian's driver takes us back to his condominium. I turn to Letty and Jessica. "Well, I guess I'll see you guys later. "

"Rio is going to call you, you know? He said he's not going to let you quit." Letty chuckles. "Especially, since this isn't long-term; you do realize we work and live in Miami, right?"

I laugh, "Yes, I know, and I'll talk to him. He knows Annalisa is getting married in three weeks. And I was already planning on staying until after the wedding anyway. But something else has come up, and I may need to stay."

"Wait, so you might not come back?" Letty asks me, panic in her voice.

"Honestly, I don't know. I need to talk to the kids first." I tell her. "But I will let you know as soon as I can."

I give them both a hug as we get out of the car and then head up to the penthouse.

Once we walk into the penthouse, the kids collapse onto the couches, exhausted from all the sightseeing. I tell Enzo I'm going to go out on the terrace to unwind myself.

I sit on the patio furniture and overlook the breathtaking skyline of the city. I realize at that moment how much I've missed the city, New York, my home. The traveling has been lovely over the last few years, and I'm grateful I've had the chance to see and enjoy all different types of countries, cities, and cultures, but nothing compares to home.

I wipe at my eyes and wonder what I'm going to do; there's so much going on; Annalisa's and Joey's wedding that is in a couple in less than two weeks.

I also know I'm not going to leave Rio hanging, and I need to reach out to him, and then I think of Melanie and the kids, which leads me to think of Lucy, Miles, and Kai.

And Sean.

What will he say when I tell him I'm a guardian over the kids with...JP?

~~~~~

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Xoxo LJ Rae 💋