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With her best friend finally married and life falling into a pleasant pattern, Alex skimmed scripts sent to her by Annette. She dabbled in her writing occasionally but had completely shelved the idea for her charity for the time being. Life was too chaotic to try to figure out how to run a non-profit and get her baked goods into stores. There was comfort in the fact that the option was there, and her name alone would make the project a success. She took a few years off to simply live life and watch her children thrive with her husband by her side. The two of them knew how truly blessed they were to live the life that they did. Their luxuries weren’t lost on either one of them.
The media fell in love with the Heart twins and always looked for opportunities to photograph them and feature them on the cover of the tabloids, pixelated middle fingers and all. The older Jacob and Zachary Heart got, the more they paid attention to the endless flashes that were aimed their way any time they were in public with their parents. The paparazzi gave Slater Heart and his family the respectful distance he demanded, but they still took every opportunity they could get to photograph the boys. The first time Lorraine made the magazine covers, she was photographed along with her brothers as she leaned out of a stroller while Jake and Zach walked alongside her. The three of them casually flipped off a camera aimed in their direction.
By the time the boys were four, the two of them had developed humorous personalities and a stubborn nature. They both had refused haircuts from the first time Alex approached the subject. They were determined to be like their father and wanted to grow their hair long. Zach continuously fought Alex because he wanted his hair red like his father’s.
Lorraine had also developed a stubborn personality and refused to embrace being potty trained. Alex was constantly frustrated with the topic, but Slater didn’t have a care in the world. As far as his little girl was concerned, she could stay in her diaper until she was five years old. Ten years old any time she nuzzled her face into his neck and cuddled him, a gesture she had learned from her mother.
Beyond their habits of giving the public something to talk about, Jacob and Zachary showed a natural musical talent that thrilled Slater, and he indulged them with it. The family living room was suddenly overtaken. Guitars, a small drum set, and a miniature baby grand piano were at their disposal for the times they wanted to play ‘band’ as Jake and Zach called it. They would ask to see Heart & Soul videos. The two of them mimicked the instruments and the stage moves and made Slater proud when he heard them pick up on the melodies of the songs.
Whiling away an afternoon at the piano in his office, Slater worked on a new song. He wanted to talk to Chris and the rest of the band about a new album. He hadn’t broached the subject with his wife yet, because she knew a new album meant a tour would follow. He had been creatively motivated lately and had enough work for an entire LP. He played the notes on the piano and was lost in the song while the boys strummed along playfully on their guitars. He proudly noticed Zach kept time with him and made notes of the playful riffs he created. They sounded perfect for the song he worked on.
Jacob looked between his father and his brother and pushed a lock of his dark hair out of his face. His green eyes, so like his father’s, narrowed when he stopped playing to listen intently to Slater. He set his guitar aside, walked to Slater, and pulled on his sleeve to get his attention.
“Yeah?” Slater asked absently, then glanced at Jake when he pulled again.
“I want to try,” Jake requested.
“Hang on, buddy.” Slater made a note on his music sheet and shook his head in frustration that he couldn’t quite find the bridge to the song.
“Papa,” Jake said.
Slater perked up at the endearment. He heard ‘daddy’ and ‘dad’ so often, ‘papa’ always got his attention, he thought it was so sweet.
“I want to try,” Jake requested once more.
“Ok.” Slater pulled Jake onto his lap. Maybe a break was needed to get a fresh take on the ballad. “You hear that?” He played a few keys and let Jake run his fingers over the piano to get a feel for it. “Trying to figure out where to go from here. Any ideas?” He had heard both boys, and Lorraine, play with the miniature baby grand the kids had in the living room, but it was always playing. He hadn’t given any of them a go on the real thing. Slater held Jake on one knee with his arm around him to keep him close. He watched Jake concentrate as he played the notes. When Jake’s little fingers glided over the keys, he turned to look at Slater over his shoulder. “Holy shit,” Slater breathed. He quickly jotted the notes down on his music sheet and smiled at his son. “Can you play that again?”
Zach had stopped strumming on his guitar when Jake climbed into Slater’s lap and listened as his brother played the piano. He picked up his guitar and walked toward them. He slipped the strap Uncle Chris had given him for his guitar over his shoulder and joined Jake when he played the keys once more, then added his flair to the song.
“What the fuck?” Slater’s head whipped toward Zach. He looked between his sons while they both played together like it was the easiest, most natural thing in the world. He set Jake aside and ran to the top of the stairs. “Allie! Allie, baby, you have to hear this!” he cried with excitement.
“What is it?” Alex asked from the bottom of the stairs.
“Come here.” He gestured for her to hurry.
Alex walked up the stairs with Lorraine and gave him a look of warning. “If you’ve taught them another crude phrase or hand gesture, you’re going to be in trouble.”
“No, it’s nothing like that,” he promised. He smiled at Lorraine and thought she was adorable with her wavy red hair just starting to reach her shoulders. Her big brown eyes smiled back at him. He took her hand in his as Alex followed him into his office. “Listen.”
Alex stood by his side and listened to the boys play. “Oh, wow,” Alex sighed with pride. Her eyes glistened with tears. “They sound good.”
“It’s amazing.” Slater shook his head in awe. “They’re always playing with their guitars, I never realized Jake had such an interest, never mind the talent.” He shrugged one shoulder. “I mean, it’s young, amateur, but it’s there. I can hear it.”
“We’ll need to get them both lessons, right away,” Alex decided.
“Why the fuck do we need to do that?” Slater asked. “Between Chris and I, we’ll teach them.”
Alex clapped for the boys when they finished playing. “Didn’t you have lessons?”
“Yeah, and I hated every minute of it because I was only taught church songs.”
“But-” Alex interjected, then stopped when Slater spoke over her.
“Let me do this my way. If I think they need further teaching we’ll talk about it, but listen to them.” He smiled with pride when they started playing again. “Clearly it’s in the blood.” Slater walked to his desk for the phone. “I need to call Chris and tell him about this. He said JJ’s been showing an interest in guitar and drumming. They need to come over.”
“They’ll all be here the day after tomorrow,” Alex informed him.
“Oh yeah, I forgot. Wait.” Slater looked at Alex while he dialed. “What’s the day after tomorrow?”
“Thanksgiving,” Alex replied. “You haven’t noticed the abundance of pies and homemade rolls Kathleen and I have been making?”
“That’s what smells so good?” he asked.
Alex rolled her eyes at him. “Yeah, that’s what smells so good.”
“Is Kathleen going to be here for Thanksgiving?” Slater asked.
“No.” Alex shook her head. “She’s going to her daughter’s house for the holiday, so it will be you, me and Chris and Mona. Just like old times.”
“Yeah, just like old times.” Slater winked at her with a smile. “But with five kids around.”
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“Oh, Alex,” Mona sighed. She got comfortable on the couch while Ricky crawled into her lap and rested his head against her chest and sucked his thumb. “That was amazing, I need a nap.” She looked down at her son and smiled sweetly at him as his eyes drifted closed. “You put my baby in a food coma.”
“I’m glad you enjoyed it.” Alex settled next to Slater on the couch. “Happy Thanksgiving everyone. I’m so glad you came, now I just have to find the energy to clean all this up.”
“Leave it for now.” Slater put his arm around her and gave her a squeeze. “Everything was amazing. You and Kathleen did a great job.”
“So, Alex.” Mona smiled at Chris when he sat down next to her and kissed Ricky. Their little boy was fully zonked out. “It’s being reported-”
“Great, here we go,” Alex muttered. “How do you find the time to still indulge in celebrity gossip with two little boys running around?”
“It’s a guilty pleasure Brent and I indulge in when the boys are napping,” Mona admitted.
“What are they saying now?”
“They’re teasing at the fact that you’re reading scripts and rumor has it you could be back to work soon on a feature film. It was brought up because they showed a picture of Jake and Zach walking with Kathleen. The two of them were wearing sunglasses and flipping off the paparazzi.”
“Those are my boys,” Slater said proudly.
“They never disappoint, do they?” Mona giggled. “So, are you thinking of it?”
“Yeah.” Alex took a deep breath. “I talked to Annette this morning and there’s one, in particular, she wants me to focus on.” She looked at Slater with the information. “It wouldn’t start shooting until after the first of the year, but she keeps dropping the ‘O’ word.”
“’O’ word?” Chris asked.
“Oscar,” Alex and Mona said in unison.
“It would be a dream come true,” Alex sighed.
“Let’s see if they talk about it again.” Mona clicked on the television and switched to E! News.
They sat and watched for a few minutes about mindless celebrity chatter. Slater perked up a bit when the boys were shown on the screen. It was the exact shot Mona had been talking about and was followed by news of Alex’s possible return to the big screen, in real form this time, not animation.
“There you have it, Alex.” Mona set the remote down while the show continued in the background, then quickly reached for it again when they heard a name mentioned.
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“Ashley Kohl has herself front and center in a scandal once more,” the host said to her co-host. “The former Playboy model is also the former girlfriend of Slater Heart. She’s mostly known for being the person to sell Slater’s journal to the National Enquirer and X-rated pictures of him and actress Alexandra Lorraine to Penthouse. She’s now being accused of breaking up the marriage between Hollywood heartthrob, Edward Cain and his now-estranged wife Candace Stewart.”
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“Oh, my God,” Alex snorted. “Candy Cain!”
“Shh,” Mona shushed her and turned up the volume so they could all hear.
“Daddy!” JJ looked at Chris, his brown eyes were wide. He pointed at the television when they showed pictures of Ashley. “It’s the bitch!”
“Nice,” Alex snickered. “I agree, JJ.”
“So, it’s ok for Chris to teach JJ to say that, but you always get on me for what the boys pick up from me,” Slater said defensively.
“Chris hasn’t taught him the stuff the boys have picked up from you.”
“Not true. Chris?” Mona shook her head and rolled her eyes when Chris raised his middle finger and grinned at JJ.
“Fuck!” JJ yelled.
That got the attention of Jake and Zach. The three of them raised their middle fingers and made the four parents laugh. There was just something so funny about their inappropriate behavior, and somewhat acceptable since they were the sons of rock stars.
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The co-host of the show continued the story. “Candace Stewart, known simply as Candy, Playmate of the Year, hired her Playboy model friend as the family’s nanny and housekeeper.”
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“You’ve gotta be kidding me!” Slater exclaimed. The thought of Ashley being nice to children, or lifting a finger around the house was ridiculous. He paid close attention while the hosts on television elaborated on the subject.
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“Candy is coming out openly about the fact that she caught the two of them in the act. She states that she promptly threw Ashley out and is divorcing Edward Cain. Rumor has it because this was such a quick union between the model and the actor, the two of them married in a rush when she found out she was pregnant, that no prenuptial agreement was put into place. This could be a messy divorce with Ashley Kohl right at the center of a scandal. Again. We’ll keep you updated as we get more information.”
“It’s very interesting to me.” The host gave her own two cents. “It seems to me this girl loves a scandal. I believe she wanted to ruin Slater Heart and Alexandra Lorraine.”
“I agree, but all it did was make Alexandra Lorraine, Alexandra Heart with three adorable children with the rock star.”
––––––––
“Hey look!” Zach pointed to the television when they showed a picture of him, Jake, and Lorraine in public with Alex and Kathleen. “There we are!”
“Giving them the finger,” Alex muttered. She turned down the volume on the TV, clicked a few buttons, and played a DVD at the request of the children. Heart & Soul’s number one videos were displayed on the screen. Alex snuggled against Slater and was thoughtful for a moment. “It’s always the nanny, isn’t it?”
“Mm-hmm,” Mona agreed. She took a drink of her wine and adjusted Ricky on her chest as he snoozed away. “Why do you think I hired Brent?”
“You hired him because he’s good with the boys and he feeds me,” Chris stated and narrowed his eyes. “You saying you don’t trust me?”
“Not at all.” Mona patted his cheek. “However, I know how women work and I know how sexy you are. I simply eliminated the possibility and we got incredibly lucky with Brent.” She looked at Alex. “I mean, he’s no Kathleen, but who can be?”
“Wait a sec.” Slater sat forward. His gaze was intense on Alex. “You’re not worried about Kathleen, are you? I mean, I know I’m irresistible, but Kathleen?”
“No, I’m not worried about Kathleen,” Alex assured him. “Irresistible? Your ego needs a vacation.”
“We’ve got three little ones, Allie. I think you find it pretty damn hard to resist me,” he teased her as he leaned in for a kiss.
Chris’s attention was on the boys as they all watched the Heart & Soul videos. The three of them mimicked the music on their instruments. “They’re amazing, aren’t they?” he asked to no one in particular. “JJ likes the guitar, but look at him on the drums!” he said proudly. “He’s got major rhythm.”
“I know,” Slater agreed. “I’m going to jump in with Jake on the piano lessons. I can find my way around a guitar, but I want you to spend some time with Zach. The younger they are, the more they’ll soak up, it’ll be second nature for them.”
“Future opening act,” Chris stated.
“Only if they grow in that direction,” Mona said seriously.
“How can they not?” Slater asked in wonder.
Chris nodded and turned to Slater. “Dude, it’s time,” he said firmly.
“Album.” Slater nodded in agreement and held Lorraine close when she crawled into his lap and rested against him. “I’ve got a lot of material, and some new stuff these two helped out with.” He pointed at Jake and Zach.
“Another album?” Alex asked. Anxiety filled her belly. She knew it had been years since Heart & Soul had been on the road, but to her, it still felt like yesterday. “Album means tour,” she said quietly, with dread in her heart.
“Actually, baby, Ben has something different in mind this time.”
“Like what?”
“Let the fans come to us,” Chris said.
“Meaning?” Mona wondered. This was news to both herself and Alex, neither one of their husbands had mentioned anything recently.
“A residency at the Hard Rock Hotel in Vegas,” Slater answered with pride.
“How does that work?” Alex asked.
“It’s a newer concept. Only been done so far by the late greats like the Rat Pack. We play at one place for a certain amount of time. Live there for a while.”
“You want us to move to Vegas?” Alex exclaimed. She quickly glanced at Ricky to make sure she didn’t wake him up. “Sorry,” she whispered to Mona, then smiled at Ricky when he didn’t move a muscle. “He’s a deep sleeper, isn’t he?”
“Oh, yeah. He can sleep through just about anything.” She kissed his head, leaned her cheek against him, and looked between Chris and Slater. “Vegas, huh?”
“For how long?” Alex wanted to know.
“Allie, it’s all in the early stages, you know how this works. We don’t even have an album out yet, so we don’t know for sure, but he suggested three to six months. You love Vegas, baby.”
“Yeah, I do, but I love it here. This is home. I feel like we just settled back in from your tour.” Alex smiled at the memories of being on tour with Slater and giving birth away from home. “So much has happened since then. Life has changed for all of us.”
“Yeah, it has,” Mona agreed. “The kids were born. Chris and I finally got married. That was a perfect Vegas trip.”
“I remember you and I had a blast in Vegas that one summer,” Alex said to Mona.
Mona laughed as she thought about that summer. “We decided to spend your birthday in Sin City-”
“We both got drunk and you told MTV Chris’s ass was yours,” Alex finished for her. The two of them giggled over the memory. “Ah, Vegas,” Alex breathed deeply.
Lorraine sat up from snuggling Slater on the couch and paid attention to the new video that was on. It was one of their faster songs featuring live footage from one of their concerts. As the parents talked away, she slid out of Slater’s arms and stood in front of the television, her big brown eyes were intent as she watched her father work the crowd with so much energy.
“So, you really think we have a band here?” Slater asked Chris. Now that his lap was free he reached for his beer bottle on the coffee table in front of him.
“I think so,” Chris answered. “I think it’s only a matter of time before they’re jamming with us on stage.”
“If we do this residency in Vegas, we should have them come out and play a song.”
“That would be awesome!” Chris agreed.
“It would probably terrify them!” Mona declared. “With crowds that big-”
“They’ll never know any different if we start them early,” Slater interrupted.
Chris was excited at the possibility. He nodded his head with Slater, the two fathers were full of pride that this could be their sons’ future. “We’ve got Jake on piano, Zach on guitar.”
“It’s pretty clear JJ favors the drums,” Slater pointed out.
“Maybe Ricky will take up bass.”
“Alex,” Mona said softly. She nudged her friend’s arm to get her attention. “Look at Lorraine.”
Alex turned her head in the direction of her daughter. Her mouth opened slightly in surprise while she and Mona watched Lorraine sway to the music, her moves so very much like her father’s. Both of them gasped when they realized she was keeping time with him, having memorized the song. Her little voice melded with Slater’s. “Oh, my God,” Alex whispered. She tapped Slater’s thigh repeatedly to get his attention. “Look at her.”
Both Slater and Chris turned their attention to the pretty little girl with her father’s hair, captivated by how well she sang the lyrics and danced to the music. The four of them held their breath when Lorraine, unaware she was being watched, took off her black headband and placed it over the front of her forehead to look like a bandana. Her little hands reached up and brought strands of her red hair over the top of the headband. Her eyes didn’t leave her father on the television screen while she made sure her hair was perfect and still moved her hips to the music just like Slater did in the video.
“Daddy.” Lorraine suddenly turned and locked eyes with Slater. “Watch me, I can be like you. Watch what I can do.”
“Show me, Lorraine,” he encouraged her. He knew where the song was going and wondered how she was going to pull this off.
Lorraine quickly ran to the area where the boys were playing their instruments, grabbed a microphone out of a stack of toys, and positioned herself in front of the television once more. They all watched in awe when her feet moved to the music just like Slater’s. She held the microphone in one hand and reached her other hand in the air. She arched her body, threw her head back, and let out a wail as the song peaked. Her voice, young as it was, rang through the room. It somehow carried the same strength as Slater’s. Every jaw in the room dropped as Lorraine continued to sing the song in her strong, raspy voice, moving faster to the music. Alex didn’t know if she should be terrified or excited. Lorraine Heart was a little mirror image of her father.
“Holy shit,” Slater whispered to Alex with pride. “I had no idea.”
“Neither did I. She’s always watching and I’ve noticed her dancing, but I had no clue she had this in her.”
Slater stood up, scooped Lorraine into his arms, and laughed with her when she let out a delighted squeal. He turned to Chris with a nod and proudly declared, “I guess we have our lead singer.”