" Guys, we need suggestions." Sky walked into the practice room, Cara right behind him.
" For what?" Natalie asked.
" For names." Cara walked over to the white board on the wall, grabbing a marker. She labeled one side Boy and the other Girl.
" Okay, I need boy names." Cara started.
" I thought we were doing Albert?" Sky murmured.
" We are, I need other suggestions though." Cara nodded.
" Finn!" Iain called.
" Okay." Cara scribbled it down.
" Nicolas." Nick smiled cheekily. Natalie poked him in the side.
" I mean, Thomas." Nick corrected.
" My biological father's name is Thomas." Bexley commented.
" Hugo?" Nick gave a questioning look.
" I love it, but where did Hugo come from?" Cara laughed.
" I don't know." Nick sighed.
" Anything else?" Cara asked.
" Patrick!" Jeff called.
" Patrick?" JoJo wrinkled her nose.
" Anyway, any girl names?" Cara called.
" Blake?" Michael offered.
" Eliza!" Jeff shouted.
" Winnie." Ben offered.
" Good girl Winnie Foster, everyday-" Penny immediately sang.
" I vote for Katherine." Anthony called.
" Like from Newsies?" Natalie tilted her head
" Well, if they met in Newsies." Anthony shrugged.
" That's fair." Sky nodded.
" Any others?" Cara asked.
" Darlene?" Penny offered.
" Why Darlene?" Bexley knit her eyebrows.
" No reason." Penny shrugged.
oOOo
" Mommy, I can't find my book!" Penny shouted, searching through her suitcase.
" This book?" Bexley held up the book that had been sitting on the nightstand not three feet away. Her and Josh were sitting on their bed playing cards.
" Yeah, that one." Penny beamed, skipping over to grab the book.
" So, you gonna tell me who Darlene is?" Bexley cocked an eyebrow. Josh glanced between the two of them.
" Nobody." Penny shook her head, glancing away from Bexley.
" You sure?" Josh questioned slowly, noting her reaction.
" Yep." Penny nodded quickly, hopping off the bed.
oOOo
" Ben, your children are tap dancing on my ribs!" JoJo called.
" They're good like that." Ben chuckled from across the room.
" Tell them to stop." JoJo pouted. He made his way over to her, kneeling in front of her stomach.
" Kiddos, you need to stop practicing your kick boxing, it's annoying mommy." Ben scolded her stomach.
" Kick boxing?" JoJo laughed.
" Yep, they're probably just a passive aggressive as their mother." Ben nodded, sitting next to her.
" And they're probably as indecisive as their father." JoJo stated.
" I'm not indecisive." He made a face.
" You want Italian or Chinese for dinner?" She asked.
" I would love pasta, but I could also go for some fried rice-"
oOOo
Penny sat in the warmup room, fully invested in her book.
" Hey squirt." Ben strolled in.
" Hi." She didn't look up from her book. Ben chuckled, sitting down next to her.
" Whatcha reading?" He asked. Her eyes lit up as she launched into a fully summary of the book.
" And right now, Percy and Annabeth are in a bubble under the sea." She finished.
" Wow, that's intense." He nodded.
" Yeah." She returned to her page.
" So, is there a reason you're not talking to your parents?" Ben asked.
" I am?" She tilted her head.
" Penny, we've all known you long enough to be able to tall when you're lying." Ben said casually.
" Is this about Darlene?" She closed her book, taking note of the page number.
" You're mom and dad are really worried." Ben nodded. She sighed, drawing her knees to her chest.
" I had a little sister, but my father took her away." Penny said, looking at her shoes.
" Her name was Darlene?" Ben asked.
" Yeah. I haven't seen her in a long time." Penny nodded.
" Were you afraid to tell your parents?" Ben questioned carefully. Penny gave a short nod.
" Why?" He knit his eyebrows.
" Because what if they want a younger kid. She was always cuter than me-"
" Penny, I'm gonna stop you there. You were Bexley and Josh's daughter from the first moment you met them. They wouldn't give you up for anything." Ben promised.
" I just don't want to go back." She whispered.
" And you won't. No matter what, Penny, you are apart of our family." Ben stated.
" I love this family." She cracked a small smile.
" As chaotic as we are?" Ben chuckled.
" Just adds to the fun." She nodded.
oOOo
" Do you want to try and find her?" Bexley asked. Josh, Bexley, and Penny sat around her dressing room. Penny had explained everything about her younger sister.
" Yeah?" Penny gave a confused look.
" If she's your sister, she's certainly apart of our family." Josh stated.
" So, we can look for her?" Penny's face lit up.
" Absolutely, but there's no guarantee that it'll be fast." Bexley added.
" That's okay." Penny threw her arms around their necks.
" I love you guys!" She smiled.
" We love you too." Josh grinned.
YOU ARE READING
After Headlines
RomanceIt had been three years since tour. Three years since moving in with Josh, Ben, and Bexley. Two and a half years since JoJo made her Broadway debut. A year and a half since Sky and Cara got engaged. One year since Cara went on tour with the cast of...