Lisa wasn’t talking now. She refused to. Admitting you’re in love with someone isn’t very easy to do, especially when you’re involved in a very sticky situation. Lisa claimed that’s what she was in.

        Hannah walked silently, with Lisa beside her pushing Johnny in his carriage. She wanted to say something to calm Lisa’s fears, but knew no words spoken by her would be believed.

        Hannah was still trying to tell herself that her feelings towards Lance weren’t growing. How could she convince Lisa to go on her feelings when she was just ignoring hers towards Lance?

        Talk about a predicament.

        The carriage came to a halt when Lisa heard Johnny’s soft cries. “He just won’t stop crying lately,” Lisa said, picking up her son in her arms and rubbing his back.

        Since they were stopped anyway, Hannah glanced up at the sky. It was getting dark outside and you could barely see the moon. She couldn’t remember the last time she had time to just stand and look up at the sky and all it’s wonders.

        “Maybe he’s hungry,” Lisa said. “Maybe he’s tired.” She knew exactly why he was crying, but she couldn’t admit it to herself. Because if she admitted it, then she would know that it was her fault why her son was crying.

        Lisa had torn JC away from Johnny to help him, but it seemed to be only making things worse. But what could she do? Once they docked in New York Johnny would be parted from JC, anyway. Tearing him apart now from JC was the only choice she had. She was saving him a little pain.

        But what about her pain? JC had come into her life at a time when she getting ready to start over in New York with Johnny. He just decided to come and barge into her life. Into her heart.

        Damn him.

        Johnny did not want to stop crying. He was wailing now. Lisa tried to give him a bottle, but his tiny little hands just pushed it away, and he went back to crying.

        Suddenly his crying stopped. Just like that, Johnny was silent. And he had a small smile on his tiny little face.

        Lisa knew why when she turned around to put Johnny back in his carriage. There, standing right behind the carriage was JC, with Lance right beside him.

        JC was looking at Lisa like he was in a trance. He was smiling slightly, a small grin pasted on his lips.

        JC knew Lisa didn’t want them having any contact with each other anymore, but he knew better. She was hurting just as much as he was. He could see that now. That longing look on her face the moment she’d laid eyes on him those few seconds ago.

        No. There was no going back for either of them. This was it. The moment of truth.

        “Mind if we join you?” JC asked.

        Lisa turned away from him, putting her attention back on Johnny, who was now fast asleep. He had seen JC, so now he could go to sleep like he knew his mommy wanted him to.

        Lisa pulled the yellow blanket with stars around Johnny’s little body. She knew JC was watching her. She pretended not to notice.

        Hannah felt uncomfortable. It was obvious that both Lisa and JC had a lot to say to each other, but neither knew exactly how to start. And Lance was looking at her now. He was smiling barely, but he was still smiling. Hannah thought he looked some what sad.

        But why?

        “Mind if we join you?” JC repeated. He was doing his best to grab Lisa’s attention. That’s all it seemed to take. Just asking the question again, brought Lisa’s eyes up and they met JC’s.

        “We were just leaving,” Lisa said, then turned to Hannah. “Right?” Her eyes begged with Hannah just to agree to whatever she said.

        Hannah looked helpless. She looked from JC to Lisa, then back again. “Maybe you guys should talk. Why don’t I take Johnny back to the room?”

        “No,” Lisa said quickly.

        “Lisa,” Hannah warned. “I’m not just going to sit here and watch you two look at each other and not say anything. It’s obvious to me that there is a lot left unsaid. And you guys are going to talk to each other.” She was talking in a motherly tone now. It was like talking to two siblings who had a fight and refused to talk to each other.

        Lisa didn’t say anything. She just folded her arms over her chest and looked the other way, out at the water.

        “I think she’s right, Lisa,” JC said. Not like she cared what he had to say, anyway, he thought. But it was worth a try. He just couldn’t understand why they couldn’t be alone and just talk. JC didn’t even understand why they couldn’t see each other anymore. It made absolutely so sense to him at all.

        Lisa wrapped her red coat tighter around her body, then turned to JC. “Fine. If you want to talk, we can.” She hadn’t given in easily, but she had fought him a little. She couldn’t fight him anymore. She hated seeing the sadness in his eyes. She wanted to take the sadness away and fill it with something else. Something more.

        Hannah had to pull Lisa’s hands on the handles of the carriage. “You guys go and talk somewhere. I’ll take Johnny back.”

        “Okay,” Lisa agreed. “Put him right to bed, though. He’s had a long day.”

        Hannah nodded. “Whatever you want.” She was Johnny’s mother. And she knew best.

        Hannah and Lance watched as JC and Lisa walked in the direction of the stairs that would probably take them back inside. Unless they were heading down to the forecastle deck to chat it up with the crew.

        “I’ve never seen JC so sad,” Lance said from behind her. She had forgotten he was still there. But she wouldn’t tell him that. “It’s hard to believe that a woman has affected him like that.”

        “He’s affected her, too.” Hannah looked down at a sound asleep Johnny. “But she’s worried about her son. She doesn’t want him hurt. He’s already so attached to JC.”

        Lance looked offended. “Why would JC hurt Johnny?”

        “I’m not saying he would intentionally,” Hannah said. “Lisa just thinks that once they get to New York, JC will just walk away. She doesn’t want to put Johnny through losing another father figure. You know?”

        “JC really cares about Johnny,” Lance told her. “And Lisa.”

        “I won’t deny that. I’ve seen them together. He seems very smitten with Johnny. And Lisa, too.”

        Lance looked like he knew a secret that she didn’t, because he was grinning. “Oh yes, he’s very smitten with her.”

        Hannah looked away from Johnny long enough to take a glance at Lance. Was it crazy to have missed him when they’d only been apart less than twenty hours?

        “I hope everything turns out okay,” she said. She caught herself gazing into his eyes, and pulled herself away. “I better get Johnny back to the room.”

        “Mind if I come with?” Lance asked. It looked like he wasn’t going to take no for an answer. He grabbed a hold of the carriage and started wheeling it down towards the doors.

        “Lance, wait!” Hannah ran to catch up to him. She caught them up at the lift. Lance wasn’t running fast, but she had been walking pretty slow.

        “D deck, please,” Lance told the lift attendant.


        “You’ve got to be kidding me!” Hannah drank down the rest of her coffee that Lance had brought down for them.

        Lance just shook his head. He just finished telling her about how half an hour ago Janine had tried to seduce him right there in the gymnasium with Joey and Chris present.   
        “I’m not kidding you. I don’t kid around when it comes to things like that.” It had been outright embarrassing, too. And he hadn’t liked the seducing, either. And Lance was never one not to like being seduced. It happened so much that he was used to it. But with Janine, it was the same old story. She just wanted him in bed.

        And at that time, Lance wasn’t exactly thinking about taking a woman to bed. At least not any of those that were offering.

        Though he had received a lot of offers a few hours ago when he and JC were in the lounge. Apparently it was a surprise when he refused their invitations for a nightcap in their state room.

        Who knew?

        “Lance?” He was spaced out again. Hannah waved her hand in front of his face, but still not response. “Lance?” she repeated.

        “Huh?” All Lance could hear was his and Hannah’s heavy breathing in the room. Across the room, Johnny laid in his crib sleeping soundly.

        If only they were alone…

        “I asked what you were going to do about Janine,” Hannah said. She remembered the threat she had received from Janine the other night. It was hard to refrain from kissing Lance. It was like she’d been waiting all her life to.

        Lance shrugged. “Nothing. Once we dock, I plan on never seeing her again. Why do you ask?”

        “She just seems to think there’s a future for the two of you, that’s all. I just wondered if that was true.”

        The only future I want is with you.

        “No,” Lance said. “There is never going to be a future with her. We were over the minute I saw her in bed with that guy.” He cringed at the memory, but just shook it off. “I have better things to think about.”

        “Your record deal.” Hannah nodded.

        “No,” he said quietly, leaning closer to her. “I was thinking more about…” He paused and drew a breath. “You.”

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