Stand In The Rain

Forty Three

You can tell our friends the kids' names, but let's keep middle names to ourselves for now ;)

Deal. You & Henry rest up xo

XO

This was the brief texting exchange JJ had with Emily on the ride to the Hotchners' house, and because Lars the chauffeur was both very professional and just a stand-up guy in general, he saw JJ to the door and even waited until Haley greeted her at the door and let her in to go back to the car and leave.

"Who was that just now?" Haley asked as she helped JJ put her things away. "And here—I'll take the Tupperware."

Depositing the empty containers she'd bought into Haley's outstretched hands, JJ answered, "That was Lars Björkman, the Prentiss family chauffeur; he's really cool. Is Penelope here yet?"

"No, but come on." Haley pointed with an elbow in the general direction of the living room. "Charlotte and Quinaln are probably in the kitchen, putting the finishing touches on the food, but Cho is at the table now."

Haley led JJ from the front door over to the dining room table, inviting her to sit at the table while she went back to the kitchen.

Cho was at the dining table, reading a story on her iPad.

She was a stay-at-home mother, and she loved it because after her own crazy life experiences—even before meeting Archer—all she'd wanted was to be a wife and a mother. She had also been into such wealth in Japan that she'd literally never had to work a day in her life because she could afford it. At least she was very normal and down-to-earth.

Cho Kanagawa–Jareau was an extremely beautiful woman with the looks of a movie star and a beautiful heart full of gold. She was also a qualified genius with an IQ in the range of Spencer's, but she didn't flaunt it, so nobody knew unless she told or someone asked.

JJ had been ten the first time Archer had brought Cho home to their house in Pennsylvania to meet the family, but she'd been completely enamored with her from the first night. The feeling skyrocketed later that day when Archer pulled her aside to tell her that he was going to propose to Cho and that he needed her help to do it.

Needless to say, JJ and Cho had been close ever since, and it was twenty years later.

"How are you doing?" JJ asked her sister-in-law as she sat in a chair beside her.

Cho put her tablet in lock-screen mode and sat back in her chair. "Exhausted, as big as a house, and ready for my boys to join us already. Tomorrow makes eight months, you know. The babies are very cozy even though mommy wants to just evict them."

"So my nephews can come any time, then?"

"Any time after tomorrow."

Today was the thirteenth. "What's happening tomorrow?"

"Archer said I could tell you since we're hanging out right now, but at this very moment, Toshio and Sakura are flying in from Tokyo. They'll be here tomorrow morning."

JJ lit up—Toshio and Sakura were Cho's parents, and she'd known them for almost as long as she'd known Cho. "I can't want to see to see them and introduce them to Emily! They'll even be here when our families meet!"

"I told them about that—and not to worry, Elizabeth and Sandy both know, too. Everyone is excited."

JJ smiled. "May I ask you something, Cho?"