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The next afternoon, Alex busied herself in the kitchen. She had called Annette first thing in the morning and invited her over for lunch to discuss work. As Alex knew she would, Annette jumped at the opportunity to talk to Alex about her career.
“Alex, it’s none of my business.” Kathleen set the baby swing in motion and gave the boys their pacifiers. “But can I ask why you’re having Annette over to discuss work so soon?”
Slater came up to Alex in the kitchen and hugged her from behind. “Did you tell her yet, Allie?”
Alex shook her head as she put the final preparations on a light lunch of Caesar salad. “Not yet.”
“Tell me what?” Kathleen asked. She looked between the two of them as they shared a smile.
“Well.” Alex hesitated for a moment, she wasn’t sure how the news was going to be received. She knew it wasn’t anyone’s business but their own, but was certain there would be strong opinions on the news once it was made public. “It wasn’t planned, and it was a shock to both of us, but-”
“Allie’s pregnant!” Slater blurted out, still so excited with the knowledge.
“What?” Kathleen gasped.
“I know it’s soon, so soon,” Alex started to ramble. “We weren’t even thinking about it or-” She stopped speaking when Kathleen grabbed her in a hug.
“Oh, congratulations!” Kathleen turned to hug Slater. “I had my first two children this close together.” She gave Alex another hug. “I know it’s a lot to take in, but let me tell you, it was the best thing that ever happened to me.”
“It was?” Alex asked with surprise.
“Yes.” She nodded. “Once you go through that first pregnancy, the second one seems easy. At least it was for me anyway, and I loved having them so close together and-” She stopped speaking and took a moment to kiss Alex on the cheek. “Did you think I was going to have a negative reaction?”
“I don’t know. I guess I figured a strong opinion, or maybe a ‘what were you thinking’ moment. I don’t know,” she repeated. “I’m still adjusting to the reality of it, I didn’t know how you would react, especially with being our nanny. I wondered if you would think twice about staying on with another baby to raise.”
“Now, how could you think for one minute that I would turn away from you?” Kathleen asked sternly with her hands on her hips. “You’ve all become family to me, I’m so happy for you!” She patted Alex on the cheek and spoke quietly so only Alex could hear. “Look at the bright side, you’ll be skipping out on your period for nearly two years.”
“I’ve never thought of it that way.” Alex shook her head. “I’m overwhelmed. It’s going to be a lot of work, for all of us.”
“Oh, honey.” Kathleen waved the comment off. “We’ll figure it out.”
Slater snagged a crouton from the salad and popped it into his mouth when Alex tried to slap it out of his hand, then sent Kathleen a wink. “I knew I liked you.”
Kathleen laughed lightly with Slater and turned to Alex. “So you’re wanting to get back to work before the new baby comes? I guess I can understand that. Motherhood does come with a bit of an identity crisis.”
“That’s kind of what I was thinking.” Alex was thankful to have someone to talk to who had experienced the highs and lows of being a mother. “Just something small if Annette has a project that’s the right fit,” Alex assured her. She walked to the swing and hunched down in front of the boys to check on them. “I’m still Alexandra Heart and I don’t want to be forgotten, but I’m not going to work myself into the ground to remain heard.” She smiled lovingly at Jake and Zach as they drifted to sleep. “First and foremost, I’m Mommy.”
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“I hope you don’t mind that I brought Ben with me.” Annette smiled at Jacob when Alex handed him to her.
“Not at all.” Alex looked at Ben and Slater as they sat at the table, having a beer, and catching up. “I prepared enough food and set him a place. I figured he would be joining us for lunch.”
“Oh, aren’t you handsome?” Annette fussed over Jacob when he grinned at her, then glanced at Alex. “How do you get anything done with these two smiling at you all the time?”
“I don’t feel like I get anything done, but Kathleen has been a great help.” Alex turned when Kathleen came into the room with Zach and handed him to Alex, then took Jake out of Annette’s arms.
“I’ll get his diaper changed and Alex if you’ll bring him upstairs with me, I’ll get them down for their nap.”
“Ok, I’ll be right back,” Alex assured Annette and followed Kathleen out of the room. She joined them at the table a few minutes later.
“I can’t believe how big they’re both getting,” Ben said.
“I know,” Alex replied. “To me, they’re both still so little, but to hold JJ last night showed me how much they’re growing. Help yourself.” She passed around the salad, waited while everyone took their share, and started to eat.
Annette dabbed at her mouth with her napkin and took a sip of iced tea. “Alex, it’s not that I don’t like seeing you, but I was a little surprised that you called telling me you wanted to discuss work. What’s going on?”
“I’m pregnant,” Alex stated bluntly and held up a small bowl. “Would you like fresh parmesan?”
Annette’s next bite of salad stopped halfway to her mouth. She locked eyes with Ben and looked between Alex and Slater. Alex stared at her while Slater sat back and crossed an ankle over his knee.
“Again?” Annette asked. “It’s so soon... I mean... were you trying? Sorry, it’s none of my business, I just had no idea you were even thinking...” She tripped over her words
“We weren’t.” Alex took a deep breath. “It’s a big surprise, but it’s a fact.”
“Wow.” Annette composed herself suddenly as she reached for Alex’s hand and gave it a squeeze. “Congratulations!”
“Thank you.” Alex smiled at her and accepted a hug from Ben after he shook Slater’s hand.
“Alex.” Ben gave her a sympathetic smile. “Just last night I looked at you and told you I had had it with pregnant women. I feel like an ass now.”
“It’s alright, Ben, we can be full of drama toward the end. Ok,” she exhaled with relief. “Now that you know, this is the reason I was thinking I want to do a project, but it has to be something realistic. I can’t be on location anywhere and it can’t be a feature film unless it’s a supporting role and it’s local. I’d need to be able to bring Kathleen and the boys if I want and I don’t want to work sixteen-hour days or weekends. Wow.” She stopped rambling. “That’s asking a lot, isn’t it? When did I become such a diva?”
“You’re not a diva,” Annette assured her. “While that is asking a lot, you’re in the category of headliners that those requests don’t seem out of the ordinary.” She pulled her planner out of her bag, then flipped to a section where she had some notes to review. “It’s actually interesting you reached out to me when you did. I was approached about a project for you, but I haven’t answered them yet. I honestly wasn’t even going to tell you about it because it’s like nothing you’ve ever done before and I didn’t think you would have any interest. Now that you’ve mentioned getting back to work and not working crazy hours, this might be the perfect fit for you.”
Alex’s interest was piqued. “What is it?”
“Disney is casting their next animated fairytale titled, Once Upon a Time. They’re looking for an A-list cast, specifically for the princess. It’s your typical fairytale, with towers and evil witches and a prince rescuing a princess, but it’s lighthearted and fun and sure to please families. Any interest in being the voice?”
“Disney wants me?” Alex asked with shock and glanced at Slater to see him grin at her proudly. “Even after the scandal, they want me to work on a G-rated family film?”
“Honey.” Annette squeezed her hand once more. “Have more faith in yourself. You’ve come out from under that scandal. You rose above and handled yourself with class and grace. Most of the time, minus the flip-out on Weasel. Yes, the scandal rocked the world, especially your world.” She looked between Alex and Slater. “Once the shock of the pictures wore off, yours was nothing but a tragic love story with a very happy ending. A new beginning.” She smiled widely, so proud of Alex and how far she had come. “You’ve gotten married and now you have a family, and now that family is going to grow. America wants their sweetheart back, Alexandra. What do you say?”
Did they really want her back? The thought seemed surreal to Alex, but maybe it was true. The headlines about them had faded, but they were still there. And once the news of the baby’s arrival was announced, they were sure to be featured in the media once more. She turned to Slater for his opinion. “What do you think?”
Slater sat up straight, set his beer on the table, and reached for Alex’s hand. “Usually I’m not one to tell you what to do with your career, but I think you should do this. It sounds perfect for what you’re looking for.”
“Ben?” Alex turned to get his opinion.
“Well, I’m not your manager, but I’ll be honest with you. It’d be foolish to turn this down. Slater and Annette are right, it’s perfect for you. Your work will be done in a studio.”
“There would be some filming while you’re recording simply because they want to get body movements, hand gestures, and expressions for the characters. It’s a month or so of work done in a recording studio. Kathleen could bring the boys, Slater could come. It’s just right for you.” Annette reached for her tea. “I’ve never been one to beg, Alex-”
“Except for that tampon commercial ten years ago,” Alex interrupted.
“You cashed in on that with Steven from the video for Mona’s duet with Heart & Soul,” Annette pointed out with a smile. “Say yes, Alex.”
“Ok.” Alex nodded, smiled at Slater, and turned back to Annette. “Ok, I’ll do it.”
“Perfect.” She made a note in her planner. “I’ll contact them immediately and get in touch with you on scheduling. In the meantime, when do you want to announce the pregnancy?”
“Not for another six weeks, at least,” Alex replied. “Dr. Green advised we wait until we’re safely out of the first trimester to reveal the news and she suggested no stage announcements this time,” Alex said with a giggle.
Slater brought her hand to his lips and placed a warm kiss upon it. “No stage announcements, baby.”
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One week after Alex started her voice-over role for the Disney film, confirmation of her pregnancy was released. The media pounced on the news and brought them center stage once more.
Home late from a productive day at the studio the day it was announced, she and Slater sat on the couch while Slater held a sleeping Jake and Alex fed Zach. They tuned into the news to hear the reactions.
“Go back to The Tonight Show.” Alex put a hand on Slater’s arm to stop him as he flipped through the channels. “It’s the opening monologue, let’s see if Jay mentions it.”
They watched as Jay Leno stepped onto the stage and the introduction music faded. The comedian addressed his audience with humorous jokes about various events that had taken place recently. When he mentioned the new Disney film in production, Slater turned up the volume.
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“So, you’ve probably heard about the all-star cast voicing the next Disney movie, Once Upon a Time? Yeah.” He nodded when the audience clapped. “Yeah. It’s great to see so many big names come together for a fun project. Not to mention, this is the first we’re seeing, or hearing rather, Alexandra Heart since she gave birth to twin boys with Slater Heart. Yeah, yeah.” He held up his hands to calm his audience on the claps and cheers for the Heart & Soul frontman and his famous wife. “Well, did you all hear the news today? In case you didn’t hear it, it was announced this morning that Alexandra Heart is pregnant.” He paused for effect when one of the musicians in his stage band hit a drum cymbal. “Again. They just had twins and now they’re expecting again?” He shook his head with a laugh. “That man needs to keep his hands off of her!”
“I can’t say that I blame him!” Jay’s lead musician, whom he frequently bantered with, chimed into the subject. “She’s beautiful.”
“Yes, she is,” Jay agreed. “And she’s had one hell of a time in the last year and a half, going on two years now. Mm-hmm.” He paused once more while the audience clapped. “I’m truly happy for her, and Alexandra.” He looked into the camera. “The offer still stands for you to come back on the show any time. We’d all love to hear about this new phase of your life. Congratulations!”
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“Oh, that was sweet.” Alex laid her head on Slater’s shoulder while she held Zach close and patted his back while he drifted off. She looked at Slater. “Heart & Soul has never been interviewed on there, you should go on there with the band.”
“Eh.” Slater shrugged and adjusted Jake’s pacifier when he stirred in his sleep. “Maybe one day. Right now, I’m just happy to be home with all of you.”
“I like coming home to you.” Alex smiled softly at him and reached out to play with the ends of his hair. “I like it when you all come with me to work.”
“I like seeing you in action. So far, I’ve seen you on the video shoot and now I’ve seen you in the recording studio, and those headphones do look sexy on you, by the way. One day, I want to see you in action on a movie set.”
“One day,” Alex promised.
Slater studied her face for a moment. Sometimes he was still unable to believe that not only was she his wife, but she was the mother of his children. He didn’t have a care in the world if people said that he had gotten soft. He had everything he had ever dreamed of having. His heart swelled with love when he stroked his hand over Alex’s tummy, slightly swollen with their child. “Baby, I’ve been thinking,” Slater said softly, as he tucked a lock of Alex’s hair behind her ear. “I love how you came up with the idea of giving the boys my first name as their middle name. I want to stay consistent with that.”
Alex nodded with a smile. “So, if we’re having another boy, you want his middle name to be Slater?”
“Yeah, and if we’re having a girl, I want her middle name to be Alexandra.”
“Oh, Slater,” Alex whispered with a sniffle and blinked tears out of her eyes. “I love that.”
“Me too. Alexandra is a beautiful name, and I like that it’ll be kind of like a tradition. Something we do as a family. What’s wrong?” he asked when Alex’s chin trembled and tears spilled onto her cheeks.
“I don’t remember any traditions my family had growing up. Responsibilities and obligations, yes, but not traditions.” She swiped at her tears, leaned down, and pressed a warm kiss to Zachary’s head. “As much as I’m enjoying working right now, I can’t wait for the days where we’re baking cookies at Christmastime. Or decorating the tree. Or waking up on Christmas morning and opening gifts while we all wear the same silly pajamas. We can take a picture every year, each of us in the same pose, and look at those photos as time goes by to see how much we’ve grown! I’m sorry,” she laughed and sobbed at the same time while Slater’s eyes filled with emotion. “Maybe it’s the hormones, or maybe it’s because I’m so full of love for all of you, I don’t know. I just know that life with you hasn’t been, nor will it ever be, boring and we’ll make sentimental and silly traditions with our family. Thank you for that. It’s things like that I had with Grams, but not with my parents. I’m looking forward to giving that to our children.”
“Me too,” Slater agreed. “But do you really expect me to wear snowflake pajamas and have my picture taken?”
“Of course not,” Alex reassured him with a grin. “I want snowflakes. I was thinking you could wear reindeer.”
“Honey, if there was ever any person I would wear reindeer pajamas for, it would be you and only you. Come on.” He stood up with Jacob in his arms. “Let’s get these two to bed.”
After the boys were tucked in, Alex washed her face and fell into bed happily exhausted. She snuggled into Slater’s arms when he held her close. “Oh,” she sighed and slid her foot over his calf beneath the covers. “This feels good. Mm, I’m looking forward to a day off tomorrow.”
“You liking the voice-over work so far?”
“I love it!” she answered with excitement. “It’s been a lot of fun, and I don’t feel so much pressure since it’s just my voice. No one will see my waistline expand. Plus, I’ve always wanted to be a princess. It’s the best of all worlds.”
Slater put his hand over her belly. “You feeling any movement yet?”
“Barely. Occasionally I feel something, but it’s nowhere near as obvious as it was with the boys.”
“Good to know there’s only one in there this time, huh?”
“The Doppler hasn’t picked up a second heartbeat. Kim’s been diligent about that after what happened last time, but it looks like we’re in the single digits, thank God! But only the ultrasound will tell for sure.”
“One more month.” Slater slid down the bed and placed a kiss on her stomach. “One month and we find out what we’re having.”
“You still think it’s a girl?” Alex asked when he moved back up the mattress and held her close once more.
“Yeah. I can’t say why I have such a strong feeling, but I just know in my heart, we’re having a little girl.”
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Alex missed the premiere of Once Upon A Time because he was right. One month before her due date, she gave birth to a healthy baby girl the same day the movie opened. The child’s early arrival was much like her brothers. The Heart children seemed impatient to be born.
Their sweet little baby girl, Lorraine Alexandra Heart, entered the world at just under six pounds with a soft cry and a full head of red hair. Like he was when their sons were born, Slater was instantly in love, as was Alex. She cried as she held Lorraine to her chest after delivery. Her mind drifted back to a moment when she thought she had everything she ever needed with Jacob and Zachary and she felt nothing was missing. She realized at that moment, there had been something missing and that someone was their daughter.
Their normal was anything but normal with media surrounding Lorraine’s arrival. People got the exclusive first pictures once again, and just as Annette stated, America wanted their sweetheart back. The media focused on Alex with a vengeance and wondered when she would be back to work on a feature film.
Alex ignored the hype and simply wanted to focus on their family as much as she possibly could. She had plenty of help from Kathleen and Slater, and Mona when she joined them with JJ for frequent playdates.
Mona surprised Alex one month after Lorraine was born with an announcement of her own that JJ was going to be a big brother soon. Between first birthdays and pending arrivals, she and Chris decided to postpone their nuptials until after the birth of their second child. They decided it was wise to wait a little longer for life to settle down for all of them. Alex was thrilled for Mona, so happy to share this part of her life with her best friend. With how quickly the two of them kept getting pregnant, Alex suddenly became an expert at remembering her birth control pills. She decided she was finished with having children for the time being, if not forever. Three children made her content and she wanted to savor every minute of it.
Mona took on the role of mother as fluidly as Alex had. The two of them traded their red carpet secrets for tips on how to sleep through the night, or how to sneak vegetables into their children’s diets. Kathleen adored JJ as much as she did Jake and Zach and was always willing to take on the role of his caregiver whenever Mona visited.
Mona quickly realized Kathleen couldn’t be cloned, and in her eyes, no other woman, young or mature, was going to be able to fill the shoes she wanted filled. Mona did the only thing she knew how to do. She brought in the gays.
Within a week of interviewing exuberant, capable men, she found her ‘manny’ as she decided to refer to him, in a young twenty-something by the name of Brent. Brent had a degree in musical theater, which would keep her children entertained. He also had a minor in early childhood development, along with two years of culinary school, which meant they would never go hungry. She hired him on the spot when during his interview, JJ wouldn’t stop crying. Brent took him from Chris and instantly calmed him, changed his diaper, and made them lunch, all the while with a baby in his arms. Mona thought she might have some convincing to do with Chris and her decision to hire a man. Once Chris saw how capable Brent was in the short time he was with them, Chris was sold, and happy there would be someone in the house who cooked. He adored Mona Davis, and was anxious to make her Mona James, but as beautiful and as perfect as Mona was in his eyes, she sucked in the kitchen.
Slater continued to be hands-on as a father. He indulged the boys with everything they could ever want. He spent countless hours with them, played music for them, and always enjoyed it when they would toddle around his office and dance to his melodies. He doted on Lorraine and held her as often as he could, in constant awe at how quickly the boys were growing and how fast life went by. He knew Alex had put a halt on any more children, but he often wondered how he could convince her to have one more. Maybe someday. He would know when the time was right to approach her about it. In the meantime, he was going to soak up the love with his wife and children.
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When Lorraine was eight months old, Alex was enjoying a quiet afternoon while the boys were with Slater in his office. She was comfortable on the couch and fed Lorraine a bottle. She talked with Kathleen as she folded endless mounds of laundry. All of it consisted of burp cloths, onesies, denim overalls she had taken to dressing the boys in, and a colorful assortment of girl’s clothes. She nearly jolted out of her skin when Slater ran into the living room. He held Jake in his arms, while Zach held tightly to his father’s back with his arms around his neck, and giggled at his speed.
“Allie!” Slater yelled in excitement. “Allie, you have to hear this!”
“What?” Alex asked, alarmed at his urgency. She stood up and smoothly handed Lorraine to Kathleen. “Hear what? What’s going on?” She waited while Slater put the boys down. The two of them grinned widely at their father, unable to stand still at Slater’s enthusiasm.
Slater smiled and rubbed his hands together in anticipation. “They just learned a new word!”
“Oh, I missed it,” Alex pouted slightly. She ran her hand over Zach’s hair while he continued to grin at his father.
Slater kissed her quickly and patted her on the bottom. “It’s ok because they’re going to say it now. They just said it a few minutes ago. I was playing the piano and I went to make a note on my sheet music and I dropped the pencil and they said it before I could.” He turned to the boys. “Ok, guys on three. One, two, three!”
Alex held her breath and waited for the big reveal. Slater clapped proudly when the boys said, very clearly and in perfect unison, “Fuck!”
“Oh!” Alex gasped. She rushed to them and placed her hands over their mouths. “No!” She shook her head vehemently but fought back laughter as she turned to Slater. “No! They can’t know that word!”
He looked between the boys with pride. “Too late, baby.”
“Slater, no!” Alex cried. “What have you done?”
“Wait, there’s more.” He couldn’t stop smiling while Alex stood in front of him with her eyes wide, her mouth open in shock. “Ok, guys,” he said again. “What do you do when a stranger takes your picture?” His laughter was loud as Alex gasped again when once more in unison, the boys lifted an arm and raised their middle fingers. “Awesome!” he praised and slapped them high-fives.
“Awesome?” Alex shook her head in mortification. “This is not awesome,” she admonished. A giggle escaped when Jake and Zach continued to repeat the word and flip the bird. “Stop that, oh, my God!” Her head whipped around when a snort of laughter escaped Kathleen. “You think this is funny?”
“Yes!” Kathleen propped Lorraine on her hip. “It’s actually a very smart move from Slater.”
“How do you figure?” Alex asked. “Stop that!” She lowered Jake’s middle finger when he continued to raise it.
“It’ll ruin their pictures,” Kathleen stated. “They can’t print a picture of a toddler giving them the finger, and if they do print it, they have to blur that out. The picture is ruined even before it’s printed. It’s perfect.”
Slater sent a smile her way and high-fived the boys again. “You just got yourself a raise. See, baby?” He turned to Alex. “It’s a good idea.”
“People are going to think we’re bad parents,” Alex began, still trying to make him see they should be more responsible with their language.
“But we’re not bad parents,” Slater interrupted her with a kiss. “You and I know that, and that’s all that matters. Fuck other people’s opinions, right guys?”
“Fuck!” Zach yelled and raised his middle finger.
“Fuck!” Jake followed suit.
The two of them ran around the living room. The more Alex reacted, the funnier they thought it was and continued their use of the word and the gesture.
Alex sent Slater a droll look. Her lips twitched with mirth. “You’re going to hell,” she stated simply.
“Most likely,” Slater agreed. He hooked his arm around Alex’s neck, then dipped her back to kiss her while the boys’ happiness carried on in the background. “But I’ll have a great time getting there.”