Mikayla woke up, feeling Justin’s arm wrapped around her. She smiled, remembering the sex from the night before.  It had been passionate, yet tender, her apology for sleeping with JC.  

She felt Justin tighten his hold on her body, shifting to feel him ready to go.  “Good morning,” she cooed. 

“Mmmm, yeah,” he smiled sleepily. “I love you.”

“I love you too.  After yesterday, I…”

“It happened. I knew it would eventually. I’m just glad you’re not walking away from me, our life together.”

“We’re having a baby.  Little Silas is going to be so loved.”

“We’re telling everyone this weekend?” Justin asked. 

“Yeah.  Is it bad I want JC to be there?  He finds out with everyone else?”

“It’s not a great idea, no. I mean, he’s back in our lives, wanting you back in his…”

“I think we can make this work, Justin…”

“I know. I just… let’s have him over tonight for dinner. Hash things out together, tell him you can’t leave me, and why, but that he can have you too.  Right now though, I’m glad I have you all to myself…”

“The kids will be up soon…”

“It’s a school day, Jackie can help them. Your alarm hasn’t even gone off yet, I think we’ll be fine.”

On cue, her alarm on her phone went off, Justin cursing his luck. 

Mikayla turned to face him, giving him a quick kiss.  “Shower sex?”

“I’ll take it.  I’ll try to be quick so you’re not late dropping them off before work.”

“It’s preschool and I make my own schedule, it’s fine. If we’re late because I had a little shower session with my husband, who would know? Just us…” She kissed him, tugging his bottom lip with her teeth. “Let’s go, before the kids wake up.”

They were both still naked from the night before, making the next parts easy.  Mikayla turned on the shower, Justin kissing her as they waited for the water to warm up.  They walked into the shower, kissing under the spray, hands wandering over each other’s bodies.  

Justin pressed her against the wall, his body ready.  “You ready baby?” he asked.

“Yes… fuck me, Justin…”

He kissed her deeply, his hand pulling her thighs up to wrap around him, rolling his hips to enter her, both groaning in each other’s mouths.  His pace was firm and even, gasps of air choking Mikayla in pleasure.  She was his, no matter what JC said or did.  Whatever role he had in their lives now wouldn’t take that away from Justin.  

He was going to be a dad, his own flesh and blood, and was so thankful that Mikayla wasn’t letting JC get in the middle of that.  He had raised JC’s kids, but he was damned if he was going to let JC raise his without him.  He knew that wouldn’t have happened like that, being cut off from this new baby, but that’s how it had been with the twins, so it was somewhere in the back of his mind.

Very much at the forefront was the passion and pleasure he was getting from and giving to Mikayla.  He knew he had to be quick, get her and the kids off to school and work, not feeling regret about it not lasting long.  He knew she enjoyed it nonetheless.

A smile spread across her face, her lips parted and she gasped for air.  “God… Justin…”

“Don’t say anything, baby.  Let go…”

She kissed him deeply, her body caving in around him, Justin thankful for the wall behind her to help keep her up as she rode her wave.  Justin himself was barely able to stand, pressing her firmer into the wall as he rode out his release.

He carefully washed her, turning the hot moment into something more intimate before she left for the day.  She kissed him before getting out to start getting ready, Justin washing himself as she got ready in the bathroom.

“Would tomorrow night work?” Mikayla asked.

“For what?”

“To have JC over?  At least clear the air a little bit.  Maybe not go over everything, but let him meet the kids, tell him he’s their dad, and that we’re pregnant.”

“He’s gonna need a lot of alcohol first…” Justin laughed, the sound bouncing off the walls.  

“I’m sure.  I think we all will, well, except me…”

“A little wine won’t hurt, take the edge off…”

“Thankfully that’ll be tomorrow, if he’s free.  We’ll offer coming to stuff this weekend, if he wants.  It’s really up to him how involved he wants to be in everything.”

“How do you think he’ll react, finding out he’s been a dad this whole time?” Justin wondered as he stepped out of the shower.

“I expect stammering, disbelief, maybe anger at one or both of us for not telling him sooner.”

“We’ve tried, over and over.  It needed to come from you, and the timing was never right, not after you went to talk to him.  Once he deleted that voicemail, that was it.”

“I know.  I still can’t thank you enough for agreeing to all of this.  Marrying me, taking on his kids…”

“Now we’re having one of our own.  Is it bad I want him to look like you, so people won’t automatically try and put him on my path, be another me?  Let him choose what he wants to do.  I feel like if he’s my mini me, there’s gonna be a lot of pressure.”

“There’s no pressure on the twins…  If fans and other people outside our main circle wanna put that pressure on, he’s never going to feel it.”

“When he’s older, at school.  Maybe the kids will say things, I don’t know.  You’re right, though.  The twins don’t get any of that, maybe they’re too young for that yet.”

She finished getting ready, smiling as Justin dried himself off, otherwise getting ready naked. She stepped towards him, pulling him into her arms, one hand grabbing his ass. “Save that for tonight…”

“Mmmm, noted,” he said, kissing her deeply. “You better go check on the kids before I make you all really late with a round two…”

“Like I said, save that for tonight. I love you, Justin.”

“I love you too, Kay.”

Mikayla went downstairs to the kitchen, Jackie already having the twins eating breakfast. They had their pajama tops over their uniforms just in case they made a mess, pulling them off one they finished eating. 

“Alright, let’s get you two to school and then Mommy will head to work!” Mikayla chirped. Justin came downstairs to get his morning hugs and kisses, sending them on their way. 

Mikayla was dropping off the kids, Maribel smiling at them.  “Remember, Mom, tomorrow is our Mother’s Day muffins celebration.  It’ll be first thing in the morning, so come ready for some refreshments and cute activities.”

“I’m looking forward to it,” Mikala smiled.  “I remember seeing a couple when I was teaching, so I’m looking forward to being on the mom end this year.”

She hugged and kissed the twins goodbye, getting in her car.  She thought about JC, pulling out her phone.

I still need time to think, but I also can’t stop thinking about yesterday.  Just know I love you, no matter what I decide.

She knew in her heart she couldn’t have with JC what she had with Justin, too much had happened.  But she knew there was still something there, and she couldn’t deny it anymore.

Her phone rang, Candace calling. “Hi Candace, everything ok?”

“Yes.  Can I have you go to one of our school sites?  I know you’ve been wanting to get back into teaching, missing it a bit, and one of the music teachers called out sick.  Is there any way you could cover?  I know they’re practicing for their spring musicals, but I have no doubts you could handle it.”

“Sure, just send me the address.  I’ll head over right now.”

Candace sent her the address, Mikayla programming it into her GPS.  She sent one more text before leaving the parking lot.

Hey babe, filling in for a sick teacher today.  Excited to be back at the piano teaching, even for a day.  Love you, I’ll see you when I get home.

She drove off towards the school, a warmth spreading through her at being in front of a class again, realizing she needed to play the piano more at home, even for fun with the twins or Justin.

She got caught up in traffic in the school parking lot, the older kids being dropped off first. She finally made it out of the parking lot and on her way.  

She approached the light at La Cienega, being first at the light to turn left. She went to grab her little car container of gum, when it slipped out of her hand.  She leaned over the passenger seat to greet it, the light turning green. 

The car behind her honked, Mikayla quickly sitting up and entering the intersection. She saw a truck speeding down La Cienega, stopping her car to make sure the car stopped. Her eyes widened as the car behind her honked again, but the truck blew through the light. 

If I’d gone when the light turned, that truck would’ve hit me.  “Thanks, gum,” she said aloud as she turned once it was safe to do so. 

She made it to the school, one of their newer locations, checking into the office. The principal gave her the schedule for the day, along with where their auditorium was.  She had some time that she found the binders she needed for her first set in the bookshelf by the stage, going over notes for the songs in advance. She missed this, wondering if things were better with JC, if he would come back to the role he once had, she could go back to teaching.

She finished a class, her last class before lunch, taking a minute to relax by playing the piano for herself.  She closed her eyes and began to play, lost in the music. Her lunch was before the first lunch group of kids, so she had quiet to concentrate.

She finished playing, hearing soft clapping at the door. She smiled as she saw JC in the doorway.  “It’s like the first day we met all over again,” he sighed.

“What are you doing here?” Mikayla wondered. 

“I wanted to see you. Stopped in at corporate and Candace told me you were here.  I know you said you needed space, but I had to see you.”

She looked around. “Come with me.”  He followed her to the office similar to her own all the years ago, though slightly bigger and just for the music teacher. She closed the door behind them. 

“It’s my lunch break, so you have incredible timing.  We can go grab something, keep it professional.”

“Or I can go pick something up and we eat in here.”

“Why do I feel you already grabbed something?” Mikayla smiled. 

“Cuz you know me. After all this time, it’s like no time at all.”

“Yeah.  So… lunch?”

“I’ll be right back.”  He smiled at her, opening the door to the auditorium. 

She pulled out her phone. Hey, full disclosure- JC brought me lunch.  I promise no sex this time…

A few moments later, he phone buzzed.  If it’s not too weird, tell him I say hi. No fucking cuz it’s not your office?

That, and we haven’t discussed the ground rules for this.

Well, if you want to kiss him, I understand. I don’t need details of anything, but yeah…

I REALLY don’t deserve you.

Maybe not, but I sure as hell never deserved you, ever.

I love you.

Love you too, Kay.

“Justin?” JC asked from the doorway.

“Yeah. He says hi.”

“I’m not here to pressure you into figuring things out…”

“I know. It’s nice, this.  I missed it.  I do have one question.”

“Hmmm?”

“Why ask me to leave you a voicemail and just delete it?”

“I was upset, I figured you wanted to get back together and I needed more time.  By the time I realized the mistake I’d made, you were engaged.  It was too late.”

“Except it wasn’t.”

“I know that now.  He really tried to get us back together for a bit, didn’t he?”

“He did.  A lot happened in a short time, but that’s ancient history.”  

“If I stand any chance of there being any kind of us being together, I’m not running away, pushing you away this time. I’ve been kicking myself the last 5 years…”

“Not gonna lie, I wondered how certain things would have gone,” she sighed.

“I would’ve proposed, eventually.”

“Enough of that.  Let’s focus on the future, or at least right now.”

“So, the twins are 4?” JC asked. 

“Barb is 4 going on 14, I swear. Justin’s working on a movie, I know she’s gonna rock the red carpet like she’s the one everyone’s there to see.  Joshy, on the other hand…”

“Joshy?” JC gasped. 

“Shit, I was on autopilot… I guess this is when I tell you…”

“Tell me what? You named your son after your ex boyfriend?”

 

“I named him after his dad…”

“Justin’s their dad…”

“Legally, yes.  Biologically, they’re yours. That’s what the voicemail was.  Telling you you were gonna be a dad.  I thought you just walked away from us, knowing they were yours.”

“So that night at the VMAs…”

“Yeah. Asshole comment given you had the chance to know they were yours. Literally everyone else there knew but you, so yeah… You deserved it.”

“But when?”

“The weekend in the Hamptons… At the funeral, after you left, I passed out. Justin drove me to the hospital, and I found out I was pregnant.  I didn’t sleep with Justin that night when my grandma died. Close to it, but no. I didn’t sleep with him until we got married.”

“You waited that long? The twins were born by then…”

“We had a super secret quiet wedding at his place in Tennessee about a month after the funeral. 2 weeks after the funeral he took me to his house in the Bahamas, offered himself to raise the kids with. He told me he loved me, and that even if I didn’t love him back, he’d step up as their dad, give them a family. 2 weeks later we got married.”

“So I have… WE have two 4 year olds?!”

“Pretty great ones too, I gotta say.”

“I want to see them,” JC said firmly. 

“Ok,” Mikayla said, blinking.  “Not a problem. We were actually going to have you over tomorrow night. Not necessarily to talk about this situation, but, yeah. I guess I should be completely honest with you…” she continued, biting her lip. “I’m pregnant.”

“Already?”

“Not from yesterday, with Justin. 16 weeks in.  We’re telling family on Sunday.”

“Oh. Ummm, so how does that…?”

“I’m not leaving Justin. I can’t, not with the baby coming. We miscarried last year, filing for divorce while pregnant with his baby to be with you… even the media wouldn’t know what to do with it.  Assuming they catch wind of anything.  So while I haven’t fully decided on where this is going, I love you, want to be with you in some form, but I’m staying married to Justin.”

JC’s head was swimming.  “Ummm, wow, that’s a lot to take in in a short time frame.”

“It’s a lot to take in at any time.  Imagine living it…”

“Kay, I’m so sorry I deleted that voicemail, didn't give you the chance to tell me the greatest news ever,” JC smiled.  “I’m really a dad?”

“You can do a paternity test if you doubt me, but there was no way they were Justin’s, you’re the only man I was with at that point.  Those kids are 100 percent yours and mine.”

“We wanted that for so long, Kay.  For me to just walk away like that, for you to even talk to me, let alone sleep with me yesterday, consider anything more… I don’t deserve it.”

“Justin said the same thing, him not deserving me.  Yet here we are.  I’m married to Justin, having his baby, but still in love with you, the father of my children.”

“I never should have…”

“Enough of that.  It’s done. We’re moving forward.  Now you know, and we’ll figure things out as we go.  You’ll come to dinner tomorrow night?  You and Justin can drink, maybe we can hash everything out after the twins go to sleep…”

“I’m not having a threesome with you and Justin…” JC laughed.

“You say that now,” she smiled.  “I know one thing I want right now though.”

“What’s that?”

“The door is closed, locked.  Kiss me.  Nothing too much, but god, I’ve missed kissing you.”

He pulled her body against his as they sat next to each other, his lips caressing hers, his hand gently cupping her cheek.

“You only get so long for your lunch, you’re back on your teacher schedule, you can’t just take a long lunch.”

“There you go, being Mr. Responsible…”

“I wasn’t very responsible the last 4 plus years…”

“No, but you’ll make up for it now, I’m sure.”

He gave her one more kiss before he opened the bag with their lunch.  “Hopefully your order hasn’t changed in the last 5 years.”

She opened the sandwich wrapper and opened the lid of the small container.  “I guess some things never change, including my order from Panera…  I really don’t go there much anymore, so this was a nice trip down memory lane.”

“Hopefully that’s not all it was,” JC sighed.

“No, definitely not.  I mean, you’re their dad, you know this now, so you’ll be around…”

“I meant with things between us, but yeah.”

“I know.  We’ll figure all of that out tomorrow night.”

“Well, tell me about my kids.  Things I should know before I meet them, ways to get them to like me…”

“Well, they know and love you already, so I don’t think that will be a problem once you meet them.”

“Really?  They love me even though I pretty much abandoned them?”

“They just know you and Justin were friends for a very long time.  I’ve shown them MMC, old *NSYNC videos…”

“Those are all old by now, Kay…” JC laughed.

“Not to them.  I mean, they look at Justin and recognize him even though he looks completely different.  We told them stories about you and the rest of the guys, so they know quite a bit about you.  It’s hard to explain as they get older why you aren’t around as much as the rest of their ‘uncles’, so this will actually help that a lot.  You’re their favorite besides Justin, cuz you were his best friend for a very long time.”

“Then tell me about them.  Favorite colors, things like that…”

Mikayla went off on a long string of topics of things the twins liked; Paw patrol, favorite colors, foods, toys; things important in the world of 4 year olds.  They talked about how they’re doing at the school, giving JC a lot of information but still not making up for his absence in their lives for the last 4 years.  

“I could literally talk about them for hours,” Mikayla chuckled.  “Unfortunately, my lunch break is almost over.  I’m glad you stopped by, Josh,” she said, taking his hand, looking into his eyes.

“I am too.  Wasn’t expecting to find out I’m a dad, but honestly it’s better now than tomorrow along with everything else.”

“Justin was wrong, you didn't need a lot of alcohol before that topic came up.”

“I might need some before figuring out what we’re doing as far as relationship type stuff…”

“I have time for one more kiss before you go, and I go back to classes…”

“I better make it a good one, then,” he smirked.

“Always did…”

He slowly closed the gap between them, his lips gentle against hers, Mikayla upping the intensity.  JC pressed his tongue against her lips, her mouth allowing him in.  It felt like their first kiss all over again, the beginning of something new.  

…

MIkayla walked into the house after the kids, putting her keys down on the table beside the door.  She walked into the family room, Justin sitting on the couch as Joshy and Barb began to battle over what to watch on TV.

“So, interesting day today…” Mikayla sighed, plopping down next to Justin on the couch, curling her body against his.

“Based on your text, I’m sure.”

“Even before that.  Maybe I’m being too dramatic, but I could have died today.  I was at a light, dropped my container of gum, and missed being slammed into by a truck running the red light.  Maybe the timing would’ve worked out, but I dunno, I feel like someone was watching out for me today…”

“Well, I’m glad that didn't happen.  I honestly don’t know what my life would be like without you.  I’d be beside myself.”  He wrapped his arm around her, nuzzling her neck.

“Do you HAVE to do that?” Joshy whined.

“YES,” Justin laughed loudly.  “Because I LOVE your Mommy, so much.  Someday you’ll understand, but hopefully not for a VERY long time…”

“Amen to that,” Mikayla laughed.  “Let me get started on dinner.  Oh, speaking of which, he confirmed he’s coming over tomorrow for dinner.”

“Who’s coming for dinner?” Barb asked excitedly.

“I want you on your best behavior, cuz you’ve never met him before.  JC is coming over to have dinner, meet you two.”

“Really?” Barb asked again.

“I’m named after him, right?” Joshy asked.

“Yes, buddy.  He’s one of my best friends, so we wanted to name you after him.”

“How can he be your best friend if we’ve never met him?  We’ve seen Uncle Trace and the rest of the *NSYNC uncles, but never JC…” Barb pointed out.

“You are wise beyond your years, little girl,” Mikayla hummed.  “It happens when you become an adult.  For a while he was living in Florida, though not since you two were born.  Sometimes you stay friends with people even when you don’t see them all the time.  It’s been a long time since we’ve seen him, talked to him, but things changed that now we can again, and he wants to get to know you. I saw him today and he asked all about you.”

“He did?” Joshy asked.

“He sure did. We had lunch at the school I was at today and we talked.”

“How did that go, being back in teacher mode?” Justin wondered.

“It was so fun, even just for a day. I miss teaching so much, but what I do now gives me so much more flexibility to do stuff with your schedule.  Being a teacher again, I’d have to ask for time off and it’d be harder to do things spur of the moment.  Right now, I can just pick up and literally work from anywhere. I need to play more, just because. I miss that a lot, it turns out.”

“Mommy, you play the piano?” Barb wondered.

“Mommy is VERY good at the piano, or so I hear.  JC used to talk about it when they first met,” Justin said.

“Play for us, Mommy!! We wanna hear you!” Joshy shouted. 

Mikayla sighed. “If I HAVE to,” she chuckled. They walked to the piano, Mikayla sitting down to it. “I don’t play stuff like Daddy. I play things more like this…” She began to play Moonlight Sonata; soft, slow, and gentle.  Joshy watched her in amazement as she closed her eyes to play by heart.

“I think you’re better than Daddy, Mommy,” Joshy was quick to say when she stopped playing.

“Mommy is better than Daddy at a lot of things.  Playing the piano like THAT is definitely one of them. I play to get songs down and things, but nothing I do comes close to that, you’re right,” Justin smiled.

“You should play more often, Mommy…” Barb sighed. 

“I miss it, so I think I will, yeah.  Alright, I’m going to start on dinner,  ok?”

The twins smiled as they headed back to the couch to watch TV.  Mikayla opened the fridge, getting things out.

She felt Justin’s hand on her hip, his lips hovering above the hollow of her neck.  “I love you,” he breathed into her ear.

“I know. Tomorrow will be easier, he knows everything.”

“About them, us?” Justin gasped. 

“He asked about them, and I slipped right into saying Joshy…”

“How’d he take it?”

“Surprisingly well. He wants to see them, be active in their lives. He was worried they wouldn’t like him…”

“You told him they already love him, from the stories we’ve told,” Justin sighed. 

“I told him I can’t leave you, the reason why.  He wasn’t sure if I’d want him with that being the case.”

“And here we are…”

She lowered her voice. “He said he’s not having a threesome with us…”

“At least we both agree on that,” Justin chuckled quietly. “I want you all to myself.”

“I know, but Josh and I have so much history. He’s the father of my children…”

“Not this one,” Justin smiled, placing his hand on her stomach.

“I feel like my baby belly is gonna pop out a lot sooner with Silas, especially after having twins. It’s funny…” she smiled. 

Justin hummed in curiosity. “What’s funny?”

“I was pregnant with his babies, and you wanted me. Now I’m pregnant with your baby, and he wants me.”

“He’s always wanted you, Kay.  You and I both know that.”

“He thought it was too late, once he heard we were engaged.”

“We were married by then, but it was never too late.  I would’ve walked away if he’d wanted you that badly.  You know the setup of our prenup…”

“It’s not really a prenup, it’s saying what to do in the event we split up, which we worded carefully to not even divulge too much to the lawyers.”

“That’s what a prenup is for, Kay.  To say who owns what, and what happens in the event the marriage is over. We can still use what’s written in there…”

She turned to face him. “I’m not leaving you, Justin. If the kids weren’t one glance away, I’d hop up onto the counter and let you claim me as yours over and over again.”  She pulled his hips to hers, feeling him start to twitch and harden at her words.

“They’re 4, they’re old enough for some major trauma to need therapy… I say you hop up and see what happens.”

“Plenty of time for that after their bedtime.  Dinner is almost ready.”

“Making good use of the air fryer…”

“It lets me cook healthier for them, you, all of us.”

“You still have your pre-baby body…”

“It’s cute you think so. Things are different, it took some work to get back to this, to keep it this way.”

“You know I’d still love you if you hadn’t.”

“I know. I think he would’ve felt the same way.”

“You’re the mother of his children, the mother of our child.  What’s not to love about that?”

“Get the kids washed up, dinner will be ready in 5 minutes.” 

Justin looked deeply into her eyes, smiling at her. He kissed her softly before turning off the TV and getting the twins to the kitchen sink to wash their hands.

They all sat down to the table, the twins having their plates ready with chicken strips, Mac n cheese, broccoli, and French fries.  Justin and Mikayla made their plates and they began to eat.

“Mommy, you said you want to teach again? What did you used to teach?  Like Ms. Maribel?”

“No, like your music teacher, the lady that plays piano while you guys sing and Ms. Maribel is helping lead you guys. Mommy did that a long time ago, when I first met JC and Daddy.”

“Would you be our teacher?” Joshy asked. “You’re pretty tough, Mommy.  You’d be a good teacher…”

Justin chuckled between bites.  “Sometimes we have to be. Mommies, daddies, teachers all have to sometimes.”

“How did you meet Daddy?” Barb asked. 

“Through JC.  Daddy had just made a CD and he had a party to celebrate. We met and became friends.”

“Was it love at first sight?” Barb asked dreamily. 

“For me it was,” Justin smiled, taking Mikayla’s hand under the table. 

“Daddy and I were both in love with other people when we met. Daddy met someone else, was in love with her for a while before we fell in love.”

“Who were YOU in love with, Mommy?”

Mikayla looked at Justin.  “I was in love with JC.  That’s part of why we didn’t talk for a while. JC and I still loved each other, but we were also mad at each other for a long time. While we were mad at each other, I fell in love with Daddy. He’d been in love with me but didn’t want to hurt JC.  Think of it like this.  Have you ever had a toy you were playing with, you put it down to play with something else, and Barb picks it up and plays with it?”

“Yeah,” Joshy said, glaring at his sister.

“Well, it’s KINDA like that. I didn’t love JC anymore, and Daddy told me he loved me.”

“How can you love more than one person?” Barb asked. 

“Sometimes people you love hurt you, and you have to stop loving them because it hurts too much,” Justin said. Mikayla looked at him, knowing Justin had had his share of that in his life.

“Being a grownup is hard sometimes. You’re getting so big, asking complicated questions.  I don’t want to lie to you about things, but sometimes it’s really hard. I was sad for a while, but Daddy helped me feel better. He was a very good friend when I needed one, and I fell in love with him because of it.”

“Then you had us?” Barb wondered. 

“Then I had you,” Mikayla smiled. “You two are the best thing I’ve ever done. I’m so glad to be your Mommy.”

“I’m glad you’re my Mommy,” Joshy said.

They finished dinner, the twins getting ready for their bath before bed.  They were soon in pajamas and ready for bed.  Justin sat in the chair between their beds.

“Can I sing a song from the movie for you? It’s a slow song, I think perfect for bedtime,” Justin wondered. 

“Sure, Daddy,” Barb smiled. 

“So my character sings this to one of the other trolls that’s really sad…”

He had thought about getting his guitar, but opted to just sing it by himself. 

You with the sad eyes, don’t be discouraged

Oh I realize it’s hard to take courage 

In a world full of people, you can lose sight of it all

The darkness inside you can make you feel so small

“Did you sing like this when Mommy was sad?” Barb asked. 

“Not really. I let her cry, hugged her close.  Like when you’re sad. It’s ok to be sad, let those feelings out, but let them out, don’t hold onto them.  Like being mad. It’s ok to be mad, but to hold onto it for so long isn’t good. It’s a big step that everything with JC is ok again, we aren’t mad at each other anymore.  Now with stalling bedtime. I’ll finish the song while you go to sleep.”

“After this, can you sing Mirrors?” Barb requested. 

“Why, baby girl?”

“You wrote it for Mommy, right?”

“I did.  Just for her, before we got married.”

“I love that song, Daddy. I can feel how much you love her when you sing it.”

“I’m glad you feel that, music should make you feel something. You’re a perfect mix of your Mommy and Daddy… you both are,” he said, looking at Joshy at the end.

Justin sang the two songs, both children asleep by the end. Mikayla listened from the hallway, hearing his footsteps approaching. 

He looked at her as he closed the bedroom door of the twins. 

“I know you have that thing at the school tomorrow, but I need to have you tonight, show you how much I love you.”

 

She nodded with a smile. “I’ve got all night and until my alarm goes off…”

Justin woke up the next morning, smiling as he held Mikayla in his arms.  He thought back to what she’d said the night before, about nearly missing being hit by a car.  The thought of losing her in any way, especially one so complete as death, terrified him.  He loved her so completely, his world as he knew it would be over.  He gripped her tighter, wanting to never let go.

“Careful, I’m carrying precious cargo,” Mikayla said softly.

“Let me change my grip then,” he smiled, one hand cupping her breast instead of her stomach.  “Better?”

“You starting something?” she wondered.  “I don’t really have the time this morning, I have a Mother’s Day thing at the school.  I get to actually go to one instead of observing as a teacher.”

“I can’t help it.  You’re having my baby, I remember how much sex we had while you were pregnant with the twins…”

“Exactly.  We didn’t have them yet, we had time and plenty of opportunity.  You weren’t touring, doing any movies, not the way you are right now with Trolls.  I know things are going to be crazy soon.  I’m due in October, the movie comes out in November…  Shit, I’m gonna look like hell on the red carpet…”

“You will be my radiant wife.  Have no doubts that as much as I spoiled you when you were pregnant with the twins, it’ll be doubly so now that this one is mine.  Whatever you need or want, I’ll get it for you.  You’ll get a massage the day of, I’ll get hair and makeup for you, an incredible dress, people will be in awe of the fact that you look incredible after having a baby.  Seriously, you might steal attention away from me.  I know I can’t stop looking at you…”

“You talk a big game, Mr. Timberlake.”

“You know I’m good for it, Mrs. Timberlake…” he replied, nuzzling her neck.

“I need to get dressed.  Can you pick up stuff for dinner tonight?  Honestly I think the kids will be fine with the leftovers from last night, so we just need something for us adults.  I can cook if you just make sure we have food.”

“Don’t we already have food?  Maybe make your chicken and spaghetti carbonara?  The kids like that, too.”

“You know I’m a sucker for pasta, fine…  Make sure we have a good wine to pair with it, not that I’ll have much…”

“Kay, it’s Friday.  That’s always pizza and movie night…”

“Shit.  Ok, I guess we go with that then.  Just get something more adult for us.”

“Why am I picturing a pepperoni pizza with one pepperoni in the middle as a nipple or a phallic shaped pizza?” Justiun laughed.  

“I’m sure there are places that would do it for the right price, but you know what I meant…” Mikayla smirked.

“Yeah, not sure JC or I’d wanna eat pizza that looked like wang…”

“Ooh, a pizza with a white cream sauce?” she teased.

“Fuck, had to go and sell me on that part, didn’t you.  You’re a dangerous woman, Mikayla…”

“Don’t I know it.  Part of my charm, really…”

Mikayla got dressed, opting for a flowy maxi dress and sandals.  Spring was in full swing, and she wanted to look and feel special for this big moment for her.  It probably seemed trivial, going to a little party at a preschool, but it was special because it was for Mother’s Day.  Being a mom was something she treasured, despite the rocky circumstances it all started under.  

Mikayla made sure the kids were ready for school, giving Justin hugs and kisses before they left.  They arrived at the school, Mikayla walking them into class as she always did.  

“Good morning, Ms. Maribel,” the twins said.

“Good morning Barb, Joshy.  Mom, if you’ll wait just a while out here while we get things ready…”

Mikayla stood outside, seeing the blinds for the classroom were drawn.  “I guess they really don’t want us seeing inside,” Mikayla laughed to another mom.

“I guess not.  Is this your first one of these?”

“Yup.  I can’t believe they start TK next year…”

“You’re doing TK instead of another year of PreK?”  

“Yeah, it makes sense based on their birthdays, they don’t really nap much anyway.  They’re so smart…”

“Every parent says that about their child.”

Mikayla wasn’t about to get into it with this woman, fighting back words.  “If they aren’t ready, we'll do what’s right for them.  Based on right now, we think they’ll be fine.”

“If you say so.”

“Maribel has given us every indication that they’re ready.”

“I believe you…”

Mikayla stopped talking, preferring to stay silent than get into it more with this woman. She took out her phone instead. 

Just about punched a bitch trying to say the twins can’t handle TK next year…

Struggling to not go full Mama Bear mode, aren’t you?

Yup. Don’t wanna cause a scene, but doubting we know what’s best for the twins… ugh. It’s not like we’re using my position in the school or your celebrity to get them into Kindergarten early. They’re doing PreK right now, they’ll need the rigor and challenge of TK next year.

We’re doing the right thing, baby.  I love you, see you when you get home. JC texted me, he’ll be here before you get here.

Get some early drinking in before the kids?

And clear the air between us, yeah. Stuff we need to say to each other face to face, not even with you around.

I’m not gonna walk in on a Joshtin moment, am I?

If you mean anything sexual, no. If you mean boring and being best friends and stupid shit, then probably…

Love you, see you later. 

She put her phone away, the door opening to reveal streamers hanging in the doorway for the moms to walk through. 

The room was full of paper flowers all over the walls, the back counter full of goodies and drinks. They’d put the tables together into a u shape to have the moms sit at, the chairs low to the ground compared to the chair the teacher had for herself.

Mikayla found her seat, seeing two laminated papers with “facts” about her the kids had filled out.  She smiled that they put that she was under 20 years old. She pulled out her phone, snapping a picture and sending a text to Justin and JC.

Is this a sign I have a problem? Barb had put that her favorite drink was wine, Joshy had put Mommy Juice.

Well, won’t be having that for a while, so I think we’re ok, Justin sent back. 

My kinda woman, JC replied. 

Shit, we have a group chat already? Justin typed. 

We had one years ago, I guess it picked up where we left off. Mikayla scrolled through the texts that had been sent years before, when life had been less complicated and messy. Things were good, but she wondered if they could ever get back to what they’d had.

JT- Pizzas have been ordered, pick them up on your way home?

M- Lazy, fine… love you

JT- Love you too. 

JC- Love you too.

JT- Oh shit, this is gonna get awkward fast, isn’t it? 

M- Doesn’t have to be. Maybe I won't say that in the group chat from now on, save that for personal threads.

She opened a separate text chain with JC.  I do love you, so I’m glad you responded that way instead of assuming it was meant just for him. 

JC- I’m curious how this is all gonna work, but it’ll be worth it to have you in my life again. 

The group text thread popped back up. 

JT- are we ignoring the fact we’re sleeping with a teenager?  I’m sure Kay is glad they didn’t say she’s like 100…

JC- had to go and make it more awkward…

JT- you know me :)

M- can I change my mind on this?!

Justin sent her a private text. Really? Gonna joke about leaving me over that comment?

M- tonight is gonna be fun, I can tell. We’re just texting and it’s already awkward… Gotta go. Love you

She stuffed her phone away, ready to see what the twins would do with the class. They grabbed little pictures from the teacher’s desk, standing in front of the classroom holding up the pictures. 

Each child said something about their mom, something they do together. Barb and Joshy spoke in unison. “Our mom loves to take us places.”

She thought of the places they’d gone, more so because of Justin, but the things they’d do when they couldn’t travel with him. Then she thought of how things would change with JC. He traveled far less, and how would that work? Would he want the twins to go to Florida to see his family? Would he want to have the twins while Justin toured if she wanted to go with him?  Things were becoming more complicated than she initially realized. 

The twins joined her at her seat, getting her to have some goodies on the counter. She grabbed a blueberry muffin, some fruit, and made herself some tea.  The twins got half a muffin and some fruit.

Joshy went over to the table next to Maribel’s desk, getting two bags. “I brought Barb’s, too.  These are for you, Mommy.”

The bags had colored coffee filter flowers on the outside, with handprint flowers with a poem on the inside. 

“They’ll go up on the fridge tonight. I love them, thank you my babies…” she said, fighting back tears as she took them both in her arms for a hug.

She enjoyed the rest of the time, leaving as the kids went outside for recess.  She drove to her office, wishing she could have spent more time with the twins.

She sat at her desk, dealing with any emails she had before looking at her phone. She scrolled through the messages in her group chat.

JT- I MAY have started the drinking a little early…

JC- Justin, it’s 9am!!

JT- you telling me you wouldn’t drink to call ur nerves if your girl’s ex was back in the picture?

JC- T, come on…

JT- just one drink, so far

JC- do I need to come over sooner to babysit you?

She smiled at the banter between them. 

M- I realized just how complicated this is all going to be.  Tours, vacations, things like that…

JC- we’ll talk through as much as we can tonight 

JT- I’m ok with whatever.  C, if you want open custody to see them whenever you want, that’s fine by me. They know a lot about you, so if they feel comfortable being with you, with or without Kay or me, and you’re good with it, let’s do it. I never wanted to keep them from you, we just needed you to know, and it never seemed like a good time. Didn’t wanna tell you during an argument, ya know?

JC- I get it, I do. Do I wish I’d had all that time with them? Yeah. But it’s my fault I wasn’t wanting to talk to either of you for a long time. I wouldn’t have been this receptive to the news until now.  It still feels very fast, but I guess that’s how you guys felt once I was out of the picture and you were pregnant and scared.

JT- terrified

JC- not you, Kay, idiot…

M- be nice, boys… we’ll talk after the kids go to sleep. 

JT- I knew who you meant. We were both terrified. Her of being alone, me of losing her to you, or her not wanting to be with me.

She switched to her private chat with Justin. 

M- Justin, we’ll talk tonight. That’s all in the past, for better or worse. I have no regrets on the choices I’ve made. I feel bad about sleeping with JC, but at least now he knows about the twins, we can move forward.

JT- you want to fuck both of us…

M- it’s not something I’d put quite like that… but yes. 

JT- I’m not enough for you

M- Justin, you know that’s not true. You’ve given me chances to leave, and I’m still not leaving. You’re more than enough, but… it’s complicated.

JT- I don’t want to share you, Kay.

M- I don’t blame you. I can’t pretend that JC doesn’t mean anything to me. He’s the father of my children…

JT- not all of them. 

M- I’m not leaving you. I know we have our angel baby and are almost halfway in with this one.  I love you, but I love him too.

JT- I never thought I’d be in this situation. I maybe pictured me in an open relationship, before us, but not sharing you with someone in an open relationship.  Not even JC.

M- this isn’t easy for any of us. JC feels bad that he’s gone this long without knowing his kids, that we could’ve been together. I can’t imagine hurting either of you, even though this is doing just that.  We’ll talk later tonight. I love you

JT- love you too. I’m calling dibs right now. Or should that go in the group chat?

M- dibs?

JT- I’m sleeping with you tonight. I don’t care how many years it’s been, I’m not letting him have you tonight.

M- whatever, you’ve clearly had more than one drink by now and I’m working, or trying to.  I’ll see you tonight.

She opened her private chat with JC. 

M- He’s not doing well, I think he’s had another drink already. This is hurting him and I hate it, but I can’t think of a situation where no one gets hurt. 

JC- how is this hurting him? He’s still your husband, you’re having his baby…

M- he doesn’t want to share me, not even with you. As often as he’s told me I could leave if this ever happened, I don’t think he expected to ever actually be in this position. I think he’d rather divorce me than go through this.

JC- that’s for you two to figure out. I just know I’d rather have this than not have you at all.  I lost you for too long as it is.  We should have been raising the twins together, and I’m sorry I put you through this.  

M- you didn’t know, and now that you do you’re stepping up. 

JC- I should’ve been less of an asshole and given you times to tell me, or not have deleted that voicemail in the first place…

M- but you did, and now you’re trying to make things right. That’s all I’ve ever wanted…

JC- is it all you ever needed?

M- I guess so, cuz I want you back.  Wow, can’t believe we just did that…

JC- just don’t tell anyone else, lol

M- I’ll see you later. Love you, Josh

JC- love you, Kay

She put her phone down, getting work done the majority of the day.  She was looking into workshops and things for the music staff to do over the summer, programs and things that might better serve the students.  

She left work to pick up the twins, stopping by the restaurant to pick up the pizzas.  The twins smiled as they were each handed a small paper bag with goodies inside.

“You always have something to give them,” Mikayla smiled.  “Thank you.”

“They’re good kids, it’s our pleasure.  I just hope we made the right choice.”

“What is it this time?” Mikayla wondered.

“Paw Patrol…”

“Definitely the right choice.  Thanks again.”

They got back into the car, the pizzas resting on the front passenger seat as she drove.  The smell was a mix of the pizzas, Mikayla trying to figure out what each was.  There were 4 pizzas, where normally they only had 2, one for the kids, and one for her and Justin.  She could guess what one of them was, maybe 2, but she was lost on the others.

She pulled the car into the garage, the twins unbuckling themselves and running into the house.  Mikayla closed everything up before walking into the house.

Justin looked at the twins as they ran into the family room.  “Barb, Joshy, this is JC.  Can you say hi?”

“Am I really named after him, Daddy?” Joshy asked.  Justin and JC gave each other a knowing look.

“Yeah, buddy, you are.  I’ve known him since I was 12…”

“You were on a TV show together?” Barb asked excitedly.

“Sure was,” JC laughed.  “Left nothing out, did you?”

“Blame Mikayla.  She got a collection of over 100 DVDs, which is really closer to 200 when you put everything together as far as the discs of MMC…”

“Did you ever meet Mickey?” Joshy asked.

“Yeah, we got to go to Disney World pretty much whenever we wanted when we weren’t filming…” JC replied.

“That’s SO COOL!” Barb shouted.

“I told you they like you,” Mikayla sighed as she put the pizzas down on a kitchen counter close to the family room.  “Kids, you know the rules.  You get milk or water with dinner.  Go pick what you’re gonna have.”

“What movie are we watching, Daddy?” Barb called out.

“I think we should let JC pick, seeing as he’s our guest,” Justin said.

JC walked over to their literal wall of DVDs, trying to find something he hadn’t seen in a while, and something he thought the kids would like.  “Toy Story?” JC offered, holding up the DVD case.

“YAY!” the twins shouted in approval.

“They’d have been just as excited about anything else, because it’s you.  With us, it’s like this is a chore, not something fun.  I swear they’re 4 going on 14, already bored of us…” Justin sighed.

“That’s what I told him,” Mikayla agreed.  “The 4 going on 14 part.”

Mikayla laid the pizzas out on the table, opening them up.  The twins got a cheese and olive pizza, there was a pepperoni and sausage pizza, then there were two she couldn’t quite place.

“Chicken bacon ranch and a pesto pizza with mushrooms and sun dried tomatoes.  I thought you’d like those, give us some variety,” Justin said, looking at the confusion on her face.

“You did joke about one with a white cream sauce,” she smiled.

“I don’t even wanna know, do I?” JC chuckled.

“After the kids go to bed,” Justin laughed quietly.

They ate pizza as they watched the movie, probably having more than they should have.  The twins fell asleep before the end of the movie, stomachs full.

“C, you wanna take one of them and help me put them to bed?” Justin asked.  JC nodded, picking up Barb as Justin got Joshy.  

JC couldn’t help but stare at the little girl in his arms.  His daughter, a carbon copy of her mother.  He glanced at Joshy, almost an exact carbon copy of him when he was younger.  They put the twins in their beds, covering them up with blankets.  Justin turned on the night light and closed the door to their bedroom before they rejoined Mikayla.

“Barb looks just like you, Kay.  It’s uncanny.  And Joshy, I mean, it’s a trip.”

“Tell me about it.  Having a son that looks like the father he doesn’t know…”

“That’s not fair, Kay.  I had no clue they even existed.  I thought they were yours and Justin’s…”

“I know, and you’re here now, but still.  It hurt for a long time, Josh.  Even once I knew you had no idea.  I wanted to tell you so many times over the years, but I knew it needed to be face to face so you couldn’t just ignore me anymore.  But every time we’d see each other, it was emotionally charged and it would’ve come out angry, not something to be happy about.  It would’ve been more ammo against you.  And someone would’ve heard, it would’ve ended up everywhere…”

“OK, it’s time we hash things out,” Justin said firmly.  “I”m going on the record that this is a bad idea.  People will find out, it’ll be a PR nightmare…”

“You know that’s not why you’re against this, T.  For the same reason as me.  You want her to yourself.  We’ve both had her, any we still want her.  She wants both of us.  She’s said she’s not leaving you, but are you willing to leave her because of this?”

“You're asking me to leave my wife, the woman YOU abandoned?”    

“No.  Not at all.  I’m genuinely curious if this is a dealbreaker for you.  That if she really wants this, that you’d step away even if she wants to stay married to you, have your child together.”

Justin sighed.  “No.  I love her too much to let someone else raise my son.”

“T, I didn't even know!  Maybe this is a bad idea, if I’m going to get guilt trips and we can’t move forward, even for the twins.  If I’d known all those years ago, I would’ve stepped up, you know that.  I know this is messy, emotionally charged, but we both love Kayla, she loves both of us.  If you’re willing to walk away because it’s too hard, then fine.  I’m willing to take this offer, whatever it may be, so I have her in my life, can make up for the years I fucked up.”

“I don’t want to lose her.  I can’t even begin to imagine feeling this way towards someone else.  I understand why you weren’t with anyone else, C.  I love her too much that I can’t let go.  I’m not gonna keep you from your kids either, I’m not that shitty.”

“You at least get the full package.  She’s your wife, you’re having a baby together. The twins will always see you as Dad, even once we tell them the truth, eventually.”

“I wanna tell them soon,” Mikayla sighed.

“What?!” both men gasped.

“I was at the Mother’s Day thing today, and I realized now that until they know, JC is gonna get the shit end of the stick.  You’re finally aware that you’re a dad, but you get nothing for Father’s Day from your twins.  That’s not fair.  I know they’re still little, but JC has missed out on the previous ones, I want him to be included moving forward.  That's part of why we named him Joshy, and told them stories and things about you, so they’d feel like they knew you in case we ever reconciled, at least as friends, let alone whatever this is going to be…”

Justin picked up the laminated questionnaires the twins had done for Mikayla.  He smiled.  “Did you see Barb’s answer to what you do when she’s at school?”

Mikayla took it from his hand, Justin sitting down next to her, Mikayla between the two men.  She stifled a laugh.  “I have fun with Daddy…  I still remember the zinger from last year for my birthday.  ‘Daddy loves giving you presents cuz I keep hearing you ask him ‘give it to me, Daddy…’”

JC just about spit out his beer, choking it down before laughing.  “Wow, she’s definitely observant…”

“Part of why she’s 4 going on 14. The attitude for sure, but she understands more than she probably should, they both do. That’s why I feel like keeping the truth about JC from them is only going to hurt them the longer we wait.”

“She has a point. I mean, we’ll work with lawyers to give you open custody, have everything very fluid between us on who they are with.”

“I was thinking today, how will we handle things like vacations. It would be weird to have me go on trips with JC, alone or with the kids, but weirder still for JC to take them alone.”

“We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it.  If it’s easier, I can have my family fly out here or something.  You can take the twins to Disney and after see me and my family.  I feel like we can keep this quieter than you think,” JC said.

“I have my own jet, this can all be very discreet as far as that all goes. Ok, are we ready to really hammer this out?”

 

“I think it’s time, yeah…” JC sighed. 

“Here’s what I’m not ok with, I feel that might clear up and set boundaries.  We don’t have sex with her if we’re at the other’s house.  Like tonight you wouldn’t sleep with her here, I wouldn’t sleep with her at your place. The caveat to that is if the other of us isn’t home, though not sure why we’d be at your place without you.  I know I tour and other stuff that takes me away, so if you two need that while I’m gone and it’s easier to be here, fine. Just wash the sheets before I get back so I don’t know.”

“So we keep it from each other that we’re sleeping with her?”

“Not exactly. We use our group chat, but even then have a code in case anything happens to our phones.  I can be pineapple pizza, JC pepperoni, something like that.  We’re open on who she’s with and when, but we don’t need details of what we do together.  We can plan on things in advance, that’s kinda preferable.  I mainly don’t want to be home and know you’re banging my wife instead of me.”

“Totally understandable. I have a lot I need to tell Eric, as far as being a dad, whatever is needed with custody stuff.  If we can keep it quiet, fine.  But we also need to be ready if shit hits the fan.”

“We tell the truth, or something like it. I found out I was pregnant after JC and I broke up, but after we got together. I thought they were Justin’s, had no reason to think otherwise, until a blood test revealed they were JC’s. Maybe something that makes me a little less slutty, but also not make JC look bad…”

“We’ll have our PR people get together and figure out something to agree to if we need to release a statement.  It’ll need to match so there’s no confusion. That’s not what I’m worried about right now, though,” Justin said.  “I know what I’ve said in the past, about letting you two be together, but I also wanna be really selfish and say no, that you had your chance.  But if this is what she wants, I don’t want to keep her from it and have her resent me from keeping you two apart.”

“Justin…” Mikayla sighed. 

“I need a stiff drink, beer’s not gonna cut it…”

Mikayla and JC looked at each other as Justin walked to pour himself a large whiskey.

“Justin, is this going to be like the last time?” Mikayla wondered.

“Ok, I need more context,” JC sighed. 

“I miscarried about a year and a half ago, and his depression made him drink in response to my depression and withdrawal. I wouldn’t leave the bedroom, I barely left the bed for over a month, Justin started drinking.”

“Is that what happened when you called and she’d taken off?” JC asked. 

“She drove for two days by herself to apologize to my mom for losing the baby, making me feel like I’d lost her.”

“You’re not losing me, Justin. I’m staying right here, we’re having our baby.  Nothing will change that.”

“I never thought we’d actually be here, like this. I don’t know what I thought would happen, I guess I figured it would never happen.”

“You really thought we’d be mad at each other the rest of our lives? That you’d keep my kids from me?” JC asked, his voice getting louder.

“That was never the intention.  It was never a good time…” Mikayla said.

“Not until you decided to fuck my wife like she was still your plaything…” Justin spat. 

“ENOUGH! I may be your wife, but I’m not just this sexual object. I know you know that but to talk about me like that…”

“He had no right, Kay. To just waltz in after all this time and take you back as if nothing happened.”

“You think it was easy for me? I was in my own personal hell for years.  Wanting the woman I loved, knowing she was with you, things were too late.  I took a shot and we slept together, we all know it was bound to happen sometime. Be glad it wasn’t at the wedding, or right now, throwing your threesome rule out the window.”

“You totally wanna fuck her right now, don’t you?” Justin snarled at JC.

“You saying you don’t? She’s beautiful, maybe it’s the pregnancy glow…”

“I called dibs earlier today, but now… I think I’m gonna be sick.  I don’t know that I can do this.”

“Then what are you going to do?” JC responded. 

“I… I don’t know.”

“I should go,” JC said.

“So you don’t want her anymore?” Justin asked quietly, hope in his voice. 

“I still want her, but clearly we both can’t be in the room with her.”

“So much for being part of my birthday weekend…” Mikayla sighed. “Justin, you seemed on board with this, saying JC would be the one needing a drink or two…”

“I don’t know what exactly changed my mind, Kay.  I just know the thought of anyone else having you like that…”

“Imagine how I feel, T.  Mikayla and I have all these moments together, I’m the first guy she ever has sex with, for you to come and take away me being the only man she’s ever been with.  Her first and her last, her only.”

“I’ll lose her in the end, I know that. She won’t leave me now, but it’s a matter of time… She loves you more than she ever loved me.”

“Justin, I married you, raised kids that aren’t even yours with you, having a baby of our own.  I love you very much. I wouldn’t have agreed to any of our lives together if I didn’t. I’m sure that’s tough for JC to hear, but I think I love you more, you sacrificed so much for me, for US.  This could have ruined everything for you, and you did it anyway.  That’s why I’m staying, we have too much love between us to let go of. But I will always love JC, at least in part. For better or worse he’s the father of the twins, stepping up to the task, like you did.”

“You’ll never leave me?” Justin asked, tears in his eyes.

“Have I ever given you any inkling that I would? And my driving to Tennessee doesn’t count.”

“I thought you abandoned us, I was worried you took your own life, Kayla… You were in such a dark place, me and the kids couldn’t pull you out… I felt so helpless.  I need you, Kay. I thought I lost you once, for good. I can’t handle the thought…”

“I’m never leaving you, Justin. Whatever JC and I have, I will always be your wife, supporting you, raising our children together.  As much as I love JC, I love you more for everything you’ve done over the years.  You’re never gonna lose me. Neither of you are. I know it isn’t perfect, but this is really the only way we can all be happy, or something like it.”

“What were you thinking for this weekend, that JC would be part of?”

“The BBQ tomorrow night.  Sunday can be just us and the kids, maybe something on Monday?”

“I’m ok with that.  Tomorrow will be a bunch of people, Lance and Michael are coming, so that’ll be nice to have them know we’ve made up. Not telling them about our little triangle though.”

“We’re telling everyone about the baby, I hope that’s ok…” Mikayla said, looking at JC.

“You’re having a baby, I’m happy for you, especially knowing the twins are mine.  I might have missed out on the beginning, but I’ll be here for the rest of the big moments.”

“Does that mean you’ll chip in for Barb’s wedding?” Justin laughed.

“Weddings, birthdays, whatever,” JC smiled in reply.

“I guess this will work out, especially while I’m away for things. You’ll get to take advantage of her pregnancy hormones…” Justin chuckled. 

“That bad, huh?” JC wondered. 

“No, she has this super high sex drive. At least now there won’t be pressure for me to match her now.  I’ll just text you and send her over…”

“Really?  That’s a quick about face there. First you don’t wanna share, now you’re saying you’re glad I’ll be able to sleep with her when you can’t or don’t want to.”

“Yeah, I blame the whiskey.  I blame a lot of things… If it’s this or lose Mikayla, I choose this.  Whatever this is…”

“I’m gonna go, you called dibs,” JC chuckled. “We’ll figure out a time soon.”

“I already have an idea forming. Again, blame the whiskey, but I think it’ll work. Let me write it out so I don’t forget…” he said, grabbing his phone, his fingers flying.  “Ok.  You want me to walk you to the door?”

“I think maybe I should do that,” Mikayla said softly. “Wait for me in our room.”

Justin smiled, knowing what was next.  He headed upstairs as Mikayla walked JC to the front door. 

“See you tomorrow, beautiful…” JC sighed. 

“See you tomorrow,” Mikayla breathed in reply. 

JC closed the distance between them, pulling her into his arms, his lips gently against hers.  Her tongue pressed against his lips as she felt his arousal twitch against her.

“Soon, my love. Sooner than the time before last. We won’t need to wait another 5 years.”

“We’ll send you the address in the morning.”

“It’s not here?”

“No. You’ll see…” Mikayla kissed him again gently. “See you tomorrow.”

“I love you, Kay…”

“I love you too, Josh.”

JC opened the door, Mikayla watching him walk away. She felt relief that this wasn’t the end of something, but rather a beginning.  She climbed the stairs, walking into their bedroom. Justin laid down on his side of the bed, lying on his back.

Mikayla pulled her clothes off, climbing over Justin. “Let me show you just how much you mean to me, I’d die before I left you for anyone else.”

“Even JC?”

“Even JC…”

…

Justin woke up the next morning, getting the twins packed for the weekend while Mikayla slept and the twins watched TV.  It was past 9am when Mikayla came downstairs. 

“Good morning, Mommy!” Barb chirped.

“I know it’s not super late, but why did no one wake me up?” Mikayla wondered. 

“Daddy told us to let you sleep.  He said last night was a lot and with it being Mother’s Day and your birthday soon, to let you sleep.”

Justin held out a cup of tea for Mikayla, she took it as she stepped closer to him. “Thank you,” she whispered.

“After last night, especially once we were alone, I figured you needed the rest.  You ok? We can push back the BBQ, all it takes is a text…”

“I’m good, though I do need to text JC with the address.”

“Already done. I’m feeling better about things, I’m sorry about last night. Seeing him after everything, it just all hit me.”  He gently kissed her shoulder. 

“I know it’s a lot to process. It’s been an unlikely possibility for so long, and now it’s actually happened. I can see how my excitement to have him back in my life could hurt you and feel like everything is falling apart. I won’t let it fall apart, Justin. Not after everything we’ve been through together. We mean too much to each other.  I love you with all that I am, Justin.”

“But you love him, too.”

“I do, and I’m sorry. It took me by surprise how much he still means to me.  I should be mad, hesitant to let him back into my life. But it was the easiest thing in the world. The second he touched my leg under the table at lunch, it started a snowball effect. I shouldn’t have liked it, but I did, I let him keep going. Then when he kissed me, there was no going back.”

“You wanna get ready to go?” Justin whispered into her neck.

“I know you. You packed the kids, and you have a surprise for me at the house.”

“Have I become THAT predictable?” he laughed quietly. 

“It shows how close we are, that I know you inside and out, that I can read your mind.”

“Are you reading my mind right now?” he growled. 

“Yes, and later. I’m sure there’ll be plenty of time for that later.  When were you thinking of heading over?”

“In an hour or so?  I wanna make sure everything is ready.”

“Justin, it’s a catered BBQ at the beach house.  It’s not like you’re the one doing the cooking…”

“No, I do that just for us.  I have something special planned for tomorrow, Mommy.”

“Better be that pasta I didn't get to make last night.”

“Stop stealing my ideas, woman.  I may just have to punish you tonight.”

“So what’s the incentive to stop if it means I get that later?” she giggled quietly.

“I guess there isn’t.  You’re sure we don’t have time…”

“No, Justin.  I just woke up, came downstairs.  Even if Jackie was here, someone would know something is up.”

“Something is DEFINITELY up…”

Mikayla playfully hit his chest.  “Later.  And you said I was the one with the high sex drive.”

“You are.  I’m wanting one long session, you’d prefer 3 to 4…”

“I’d say quality over quantity, but let’s be honest, they’re all quality.”

“I try,” Justin laughed.  “I’ll be back.”

“Taking matters into your own hands?” Mikayal teased.

“Cold shower.  Not that it’ll help, I’m gonna be like this all day, looking at you.  My beautiful wife…”

 

“You ready to see the house?” Justin asked the twins.  “I know we brought you here a couple times, but that was before we started the remodel, so it’s gonna look different now.”

The twins nodded emphatically, excited to see their rooms.  Justin and Mikayla knew they’d need their own rooms soon enough at home, trying to figure things out as they wanted to keep a room for Jackie.  The beach house had a guest room, but nothing specifically just for Jackie.  The house was more for the 4 of them, soon to be 5.

Justin unlocked the door, the twins rushing inside.  The interior was a soft white color, splashes of color throughout from the art inside, all ocean themed.  Whether paintings of the ocean waves or colorful sunsets, the ocean pulled everything together.  The couches were a sandy beige color with throw pillows of varying blues throughout the house.  The kids ran upstairs, excited yells coming from both of them.

Mikayla checked on Barb, excited at her mermaid themed room.  It was a light pink color, with a trim of mermaid scales in pinks and purples, mermaid wall stickers along with seahorses and starfish.  “I LOVE it, Mommy!” Barb squealed.

“If you decide mermaids aren’t cool anymore, we can change it.  You wanna see your brother’s Lego pirate room?”

“Wait, WHAT?” Barb continued, her eyes widening with excitement.

She ran into Joshy’s room, a soft buttery yellow with a Lego brick trim in red, yell, green, and blue.  There were wall stickers of Lego pirates, along with a medium sized treasure chest full of the Duplo blocks.  “As you get older, we’ll swap the bigger pieces for the smaller real Legos,” Justin said.

“This is so COOL!” Joshy cheered, opening the treasure chest and beginning to build.

Mikayla bent down to Barb.  “You have a little toy chest in your room, wanna go check it out?”  Barb nodded emphatically and ran back to her room, squealing at the toys she found.

Mikayla walked with Justin into their master suite.  “I’d say we did alright with their rooms,” Mikayla smiled.  “Justin, this looks incredible… I know I’ve seen it in the various stages, but fully finished, furnished…”

“It’s our perfect little getaway.  I know what I want to do in here tonight…”

“Absolutely.  If we time it right, maybe we can see the moonlight…”

“If not, we have candles we can light to help set the mood.”

“The mood is always set with you, baby,” she purred, pulling herself closer to him, resting her head on his chest.

“Eww, they’re being all mushy,” Joshy groaned, alerting the grownups to their presence.  

“Come sit down, we need to tell you something before we say it to everyone else today.” Mikayla said, motioning to sit on their California King bed, which had a quilt in colors of a soft sunset, muted colors but still beautiful.  Joshy and Barb sat on either side of Justin and Mikayla.

“Ok, this is pretty big news, but you’d find out eventually.  In October, you’re going to have a baby brother.  He’s in my tummy right now, just like you two were before you were born.”

“Do we HAVE to?” Joshy whined.

“At least you get a brother to play with.  Can we get a sister, too?  I’m tired of playing with boys all the time…”

“It doesn’t work like that, honey, I’m sorry.  Just one baby, and it’s a boy.  Maybe at some point later on, but not now,” Mikayla said, looking at Justin.  Justin smiled, thinking about her wanting to have another baby together, securing their marriage a little firmer.  “Then again, just the two of you can be a lot, soon it’ll be 3, I don’t know if we can handle 4…”

“Jackie could help, she’d GREAT!” Barb cheered.

“We like Jackie too, and it would let her stay with us, but that’s not the reason mommies and daddies have babies.”

“Why DO mommies and daddies have babies?”

Justin and Mikayla looked at each other.  “Because they love each other.  When mommies and daddies love each other a lot, they make a wish, and sometimes that wish turns into a baby.”

“Why couldn’t you wish for a puppy?” Joshy frowned.

“We already have one dog, isn’t that enough for now?” Justin laughed.

“You don’t wish for just anything, you wish and wish for a baby.  If you’re really lucky, the wish comes true.  Sometimes it takes a while, lots of wishing, so it’s not like you make a wish once and that’s it.”

“Can I wish for a baby girl?” Barb asked.

“No.  Only grown ups can.  You’re way too young.”

“So there’s really a baby in your tummy right now?” Joshy asked.

“Yeah.  Daddy, wanna show them the pictures?” Mikayla asked.

Justin pulled out his phone, going through the pictures and video he took at the last appointment.  “This is a picture of your brother.  He’s still really small, but soon Mommy’s tummy will start getting bigger to let him grow big and strong so he’s healthy when he’s ready to be born.  Here’s a video of them showing him to us.”  The video showed Silas wiggling around a little bit on the screen, starting to look more like a baby and less of a blob, seeing his head and nose, legs and arms moving, but nothing super defined compared to the anatomy scan they’d be doing in a month or so.  

“What’s that sound?” Joshy wondered. 

“That’s his heart beating. Yours sounded like that too when you were in my tummy. Now it sounds more like a regular heartbeat, but in my tummy, it sounds like that.”

“Wow,” Barb gasped. 

“Yeah.  I wasn’t sure we’d get our wish of another baby. It took a lot of wishing to get you two, and I’m so glad I did,” Mikayla smiled. 

Justin heard the knock at the front door. “That’s probably the caterers, I’ll let them in, show them where to set things up. You wanna show the kids the rest of the house?” Justin asked Mikayla. 

She nodded, first showing the twins the balcony off the master bedroom. They didn’t go out onto it, wanting to save the view of the backyard for downstairs in its full glory. The table was big enough for her and Justin, two chairs to sit in and have breakfast while watching the sunrise or a glass of wine to watch the sunset.  

There was a medium sized TV in the bedroom, wanting to have most of the TV watching downstairs with family and friends.

They went downstairs, seeing the couches and the large flatscreen TV mounted against the opposite wall, all with a wide open view of the ocean and the backyard. The kitchen and dining area flowed into the living area well, feeling airy, open, and inviting.  The kitchen has light stained cabinets and light marble counters, stainless steel appliances for a sleek but pulled together look.

The twins were shocked speechless as they looked outside. Through the reinforced sliding glass door, they saw a large grassy area with a pop up soccer goal, and a small treehouse swing set. There was room for up to 6 kids in the treehouse for if they had friends over.

“Can we go play?” Joshy asked. Mikayla nodded, the two practically stampeding out the door. There was also an area of stone patio with a large table and chairs that were weather durable for being out year round.  Justin had put in an outdoor kitchen with a large grill, a sink, counter space to prep and serve food; everything they would need to entertain friends and family or otherwise entertain guests.  It felt like home but also somewhere else entirely.

In the far corner of the patio, near the edge by where the sand started, was a hot tub to seat 6 comfortably, 8 if you really needed to.

Justin walked up to Mikayla, standing in the doorframe of the sliding glass door.  “It’s incredible, isn’t it?” he sighed, wrapping an arm around her as she nodded in agreement.  “The staff knows to order you apple cider instead of champagne, though I think a couple sips for birthday toasts to the woman of the hour will be ok. But that’s for tonight.”

“I hope it’s ok I came early,” a voice said behind them. “Great place, you rent this for the weekend?”

“We bought it, fixed it up a bit,” Justin said. “Mostly her wishes and wants, of course.”

“Josh, you shouldn’t have,” Mikayla sighed, seeing JC holding an Edible Arrangement fruit basket in one hand and a small colorful bag in the other.

“It’s rude to show up empty handed to a party, especially for a beautiful birthday girl…”

“JC!” the twins shouted from the treehouse.

“Hi guys.  Great house!  Keep playing, I wanna talk with the grownups a bit.”

“Should I be nervous about what's in the bag?” Justin wondered.

“Just a birthday present, you don’t have to open it right now. Could even wait until Monday…” JC shrugged. 

“Yeah, can we go upstairs and talk about that?” Justin asked. 

“Are the kids ok by themselves?” JC wondered. 

“Just got here, so they’re in good hands,” Jackie said. “Oh, hi… I wasn’t aware you were coming…” Jackie stammered, looking at JC.

“Are you a JC girl, Jackie?” Mikayla smiled. 

“She has to be. It’d be awkward if she was a fan of mine,” Justin said. 

“I can work for you and still be a fan, but yes.  Technically I could classify myself as a JC girl back in the day.”

“And now?” JC asked. 

“I work for Justin, I know that kind of thing isn’t allowed.”

“Mainly cuz Joey would be all over you if it was,” Justin laughed. 

“Didn’t stop him the first couple times we met,” Jackie admitted with a laugh. “I’ve got the twins, go do whatever you need to do.”

They headed upstairs, Justin closing the master suite door. “I was thinking, Monday night that I take the twins home, and you two get some alone time here.  Take another day off work, work here, whatever, but just for you two.”

“Justin, you're sure you don’t want…” JC started.

“I was also thinking JC could be here Sunday night, I don’t know. Maybe it’s too much…” Justin sighed, rubbing his hand along the back of his neck. 

“I know you, T.  What’s in that head of yours?” JC asked. 

“Have her sleep between the two of us. Nothing kinky, just sleep, but yeah…. Like I said, maybe too much…”

“I’m ok with that if Kay is,” JC sighed. 

“Being next to my favorite guys? What more could a woman ask for for her birthday?“

“I could think of something,” JC teased, raising an eyebrow.

“C, no…” Justin warned. 

“You say that now,” JC chuckled. 

“There’s not enough alcohol in the world, C…”

“Thank you for the generous offer of Monday night,” JC said. “But you should really take her out to dinner. I can watch the twins, with or without Jackie.”

“Stay here with the twins while I take her to dinner, we can do dessert here together with the kids before I take them home for the night. Send Jackie home so she doesn’t suspect anything…”

“Suspect what?” Jackie asked, the door open slightly. “I came to tell you the caterers are ready, and Lance and Michael are here…”

“Come on in, you might as well know…” Mikayla said, Justin and JC giving her a look. Jackie closed the door behind her, looking at the three across from her. “JC is the twins’ biological dad. We’d just split up when I found out I was pregnant, Justin and I got together not long after I found out. You know about the miscarriage, and I’m pregnant with Justin and my second… We’re telling everyone about the baby today.”

“You’re having a baby?” Lance asked, the door open. 

“Jesus, does no one KNOCK anymore?!” Justin asked, frustrated. 

“Wait… why is JC here?” Lance asked. 

“We saw each other a few days ago, stuff with the school. Everything is out in the open. He knows about the twins being his, we’re working to figure out custody stuff and all that,” Mikayla said.  “Let’s go downstairs before the whole party is up here looking for us.”

“But you’re having another baby?” Lance asked again excitedly.

She smiled, nodding quietly. “Due in October.  I wasn’t sure, after the miscarriage…”

“You too? Michael and I keep striking out with surrogates, had a couple miscarriages…”

“Lance, I’m so sorry…” Mikayla said, hugging Lance. “Seriously, reach out to us if you need anything.  It was rough for both of us…”

“You know we had struggles before the twins.  I’m glad it wasn’t all for nothing,” JC said, putting a hand on Mikayla’s back.  “Even if I didn’t find out at them until this week.”

“We tried to tell you…” Lance said to JC.

“Enough. You guys go downstairs, Mikayla needs to get ready for the party.”

Justin closed the door behind everyone, leaving just the two of them. Justin walked to the walk-in closet, grabbing a garment bag. “Outfit number 1…”

“I’m afraid to know how many I have this weekend,” Mikayla laughed. 

She opened the bag, seeing a spaghetti strapped knee length sundress with flowers in varying shades of blue, the dress accentuating her bust and waist.

“I guess it’s a good thing I’m not showing yet, this dress would barely fit otherwise.”

“Either way I’d enjoy it,” Justin smirked.

Mikayla put on the dress, matching it with a pair of sandals she kept at the house. She and Justin walked downstairs, mingling and saying hello to the family and friends that came. 

Miranda approached her sister, giving her a hug. “You DO know JC is here and he’s playing with the twins, right?”

“Is he?  I had no idea…” Mikayla replied sarcastically. “I saw him on a tour for work this week and we got to talking. He knows that he’s the father, stepping up like I always wanted him to.  Things are good now, Mir…”

“Only took 5 years…”

“Better late than never,” Justin said, giving Miriam a hug. “It’s how it should’ve been from the start.  Now we figure out schedules and custody stuff and legal paperwork to give him parental rights, guardianship, whatever…”

“If you’re happy, I’m happy, Kayla,” her sister said before running after one of her boys.

The afternoon portion of the BBQ was typical BBQ fare; hot dogs and burgers and different salads in iced buckets, lemonade and iced tea; the vibe was very casual.  They all had the option to enjoy the beach, some just lounging on blankets on the sand, others like Mikayla, Justin, and the twins getting into the water.

Movies were available to watch, it was very easygoing. Erin and her husband and kids came, along with others from work.  People were free to come and go as they were able to with their schedules. 

“Auntie Miranda, this house is so COOL!” one of her nephews shouted.

“Yeah, how’d you find this place?” someone asked. 

“So, we bought this place a while back,” Justin smiled. “Fixed it up to make it ours. We want it for reasons like this, to get together with people and enjoy the time spent with each other. We’ll do weekend trips here, longer during summer if I’m not touring.  So yeah, we look forward to lots more parties and memories made here with all of you.”

Soon the caterers started getting the dinner portion ready; steaks, chicken, tri tip, grilled veggies and sides like loaded mashed potatoes and fancier pasta salads. Those remaining for dinner sat down to eat together; champagne, wine, beer, and sodas available for the kids.

Justin grabbed his glass of champagne, standing up next to Mikayla, getting everyone’s attention. “I propose a toast to the woman of the hour. Mikayla, we all love you and are thankful for another year with you.  I look forward to what the next year has in store for us.”

They all raised their glasses, Mikayla taking a small sip of champagne before standing.  “Thank you, everyone, for coming. It’s been a hell of a year, good and bad, and I look forward to a great year ahead.  I know it will be, because Justin and I are having a baby.  Silas Randall, a little boy.  We’re so excited to add to our family.  We’re excited to watch him grow up, things we missed…” Her voice trailed off, Justin pulling her to sit next to him, Mikayla suddenly sobbing into his shoulder.  

“It’s ok, baby,” Justin said softly, rubbing her back.  “You don’t have to say anything else.”

“Tell them…” she says in a quiet voice.

Justin clears his throat, trying not to be swept up in the emotions his wife is feeling at that moment. “We… we uh… we miscarried early last year.  It was very hard on both of us.  But we made it through, and we’re here now; 16 weeks along and they say he is completely healthy and don’t see any complications.  We’re very blessed, and ready for the next chapter in our story.”

JC looked at Mikayla from across the table, knowing he was now part of the next chapter of her life, hoping to fill in the missing pieces from the last 5 years.

Some stayed later than others, Mikayla putting the twins to bed while the guys got the hot tub started. She came back down to the backyard, her eyes practically bulged out of her head at the sight of Justin and JC shirtless in the hot tub.

This is only something you’ve dreamed about… she smiled to herself.  The looks on their faces soon caught up with what she was thinking, scooting farther apart with bothered looks on their faces.

“Not happening,” Justin laughed.

“You keep saying that,” JC chuckled.

“I keep meaning it…”

“I feel we’re missing something,” Lance said to Michael.

“You don’t think…” Michael replied.

“No,” Justin was quick to say.  “We’re ok again, but let’s not take things too far…”

“What were you thinking?” JC asked Lance.

“Some twisted love triangle…” Lance answered.

Mikayla tried to hide feeling hurt, but knew that anyone that wasn’t the three of them wouldn’t understand.  

“I mean, it makes sense,” Michael countered.  “If it were to happen.  We all know JC’s a freak, Mr. Digital Getdown…”

“I wrote that almost 20 years ago,” JC sighed.  

“Still a song about cyber sex,” Michael laughed.  “Dare I get into your solo album stuff?”

“I’d rather we not,” JC blushed.  “Just because I write about it doesn’t mean I’ve done any of it…”

“THAT is bullshit, and we know it,” Justin laughed.  He looked at Mikayla.  ‘Care to weigh in on this?”

“At the risk of incriminating myself and/or JC, no…”

“Oh, it’s definitely happened.  I mean, odds are all of us have at some point…” Lance said.

“Are we talking about cyber sex or threesomes?  I’m somehow lost now,” Justin chuckled.

“The first, but I could see if you guys are wanting the latter,” Michael teased.

“Nope, definitely not,” Justin continued.  “Babe, you getting in?” he asked Mikayla.

“Do you really not remember from last time?  I can’t do hot tubs for a while.  I could probably put my feet in, but definitely not get all the way in.”

“Well now I just feel like an asshole…”

“You’re fine, babe,” Mikayla said, sitting on the edge of the hot tub, swinging her legs around to sit between Justin and JC.

“So you’re really not freaked out by finding out you’re a dad, to twins no less?” Lance asked JC.

“Maybe because it’s Kayla?  Anyone else, sure, it’d be ‘how could I be so irresponsible’?  But we’d been trying for so long, it makes sense.  Was it surprising at first?  Yeah, a little.  But again, once it all came out, it all made sense.  They’re great kids, thanks in part to Justin.”

“What did I do?” Justin wondered. 

 

“You loved my kids as your own when I couldn’t. You gave Mikayla everything I couldn’t. As much as I was hurting, I knew it was my fault and she was doing what she thought was best.”  JC looked up at Mikayla adoringly, knowing none of it had been to hurt him, but to give his children the home and family they deserved. He only wished he’d been smart enough to have done it himself all those years ago.

Mikayla woke up the next morning, Justin by her side. She heard the door to their bedroom open, the twins’ faces peeking through. Mikayla sat up, gently patting the bed next to her.

“Happy Mother’s Day, Mommy,” Barb said quietly, seeing Justin was still asleep.  Joshy gave her a big hug and kiss on the cheek.

“I see another guy got to kiss you first this morning,” Justin said sleepily, his eyes blinking open. 

“Jealous of your own son?” Mikayla teased, Justin giving her a look.

“What are we doing today, Daddy?” Joshy asked. 

“That is up to Mommy.  I imagine starting with breakfast and having some family time, some time on the beach.”

“We have leftovers from yesterday for lunch, and I never got my pasta carbonara…”

“Noted for dinner. I was thinking an omelet and pancakes for breakfast?”

“You spoil me…” Mikayla hummed. “Justin, do we have a coffee machine on a timer?”

“No, it’s a Keurig, you just make it when you want it…”

“So why do I smell coffee?”

Justin sniffed the air.  “Damn good coffee, too… Let me go see what’s going on.”

“We’ll all go, I’m sure there’s an explanation.  Ok, now I’m smelling vanilla…”

The family walked downstairs, hearing sounds from the kitchen. “Jackie… JC, what are you doing here?” Justin wondered. 

“Did you two…?” Mikayla started. 

“No. Different clothes,” JC replied. “We got to talking and thought we’d surprise you. Do something nice.”

“Jackie, you have the day off…”

“I already called my mother and sent her flowers.  Blame JC, he’s very persuasive,” Jackie smiled. 

Mikayla saw the table.  “You didn’t cook any of this, did you JC?”

“Have SOME faith in me.  I can make toast and follow directions to make pancakes.”

“Five years ago you couldn’t boil water.  Guessing Jackie did the eggs?” Mikayla wondered, seeing eggs benedict on the table for her.

“Guilty as charged. JC told me your favorite, I made scrambled eggs for everyone else, cheese on top optional.  Vanilla blueberry pancakes for the grownups, chocolate chip for the twins.”

Justin’s face sank a little.  “There’s plenty of extra, Justin,” Jackie assured him. 

“You’d think it was Father’s Day by the way you’re reacting,” Mikayla chuckled. “Thank you, both of you. This looks and smells delicious.”

“I figured I have a lot to make up for,” JC sighed with a soft smile. 

“This is definitely a good start. Let’s eat.”

They enjoyed a leisurely breakfast, sharing stories of the twins with JC, JC and Justin sharing stories and memories together with the twins.

“Why did you stop being friends?” Barb asked. 

“That’s a complicated answer, little girl,” Justin said.

“JC and I both had things happen on accident, and we got mad at each other. Daddy tried his hardest to get us back together, because we both loved each other very much. We were too angry to stay friends and then Daddy and I fell in love, and then I had you two.”

“Wow, that’s a very simplified version of the story,” JC said, shocked at its truth but how simply she explained it without pointing blame at one person over another.  It was said with an even tone, calmly and without anger or sadness.  The twins accepted the answer and moved on. 

“You’re friends again, now, right Mommy?” Joshy asked. 

“Yes, we are.”

“Do you still love each other?” Barb asked. 

“I’m gonna tell you a secret about grownups and being in love,” Mikayla started.  “You’ll always love them, even if you aren’t in love with them anymore.  As mad as we were at each other, we both still cared at each other, and were sad that we weren’t friends.  Daddy had a girl he was in love with before me, and a lot of people still try to bring it up with him.  You never stop loving someone, but you stop being in love with them.  You still want them to be happy, even if you can’t help them be happy anymore.”

“Wow…” JC said.  “The way you explained that…”

“It’s the teacher in me. You get thrown a lot of hard questions sometimes, especially when it’s kids asking the questions.  I’ve had a lot of practice over the years.  I’m just glad I can answer them honestly and that we were able to fix things.”

“Mommy’s really smart,” Joshy said.

“Yeah buddy, she really is,” Justin sighed. 

…

They played in the backyard and the sand before having lunch.  The kids played so hard that they crashed during the movie after lunch. 

“Not a bad idea, taking a nap.  Kids don’t know what they’re missing out on, I’d love time to take a nap on a regular basis,” JC yawned. 

“You’re telling me.  Soon it’ll be sleepless nights again…” Mikayla sighed.

“I can take the twins for a while once Silas is born, if that’s ok.  Either for like a week or just on certain days.  I feel like I need to make up for what I missed out on.”

“We’ll have Jackie, but that could be really helpful. Let’s cross that bridge when we get to it.  I’m sure grandparents will be in to help, too.  It might help them bond with you though, I definitely want them to know you’re Dad before then.”

“How are you gonna explain that to them?” JC wondered.

“I told them Mommies and Daddies wish really hard for a baby, and sometimes the wish gets answered. I’ll tell them our wish got answered right when we got mad at each other. That Justin and I were just friends when I found out, and that we got married before I had them so everyone would think they were his.  That we were so mad at each other it kept us from being Mommy and Daddy together.  You would’ve been their Daddy if we hadn’t been so mad at each other, and now that we’re not mad anymore, you want to be their Dad, as much as you can.  You’re not replacing Justin, but adding another person to love them and take care of them.”

“Damn, you’re good,” JC sighed. 

“She’s the best. It’s like she was meant to be their mom, knowing just how to answer the tough questions in a way that answers but is relatable.  She doesn’t exactly sugar coat things, but puts it in a way they can understand while still being open and honest,” Justin replied.

“I should get going, thank you for letting me crash today.”

“It was very thoughtful, Josh. See you tomorrow?”

“Yeah,” he smiled, knowing what was planned for the night.

“Unless…” Justin started.

“What?” Mikayla wondered, JC raising an eyebrow at him.

“Nothing,” Justin sighed. “Forget it.”

Mikayla shrugged, knowing not to press the issue, whatever it was. They walked JC to the door, hugging him goodbye. “Text me when you get home,” Mikayla insisted.  JC nodded before closing the door behind him.

“I say we join the twins for a nap on the couch, it’s been a crazy day even just being here. I’ll get started on dinner once we wake up.”

Mikayla was glad they’d bought a large sectional that allowed for all four of them to sleep. The TV was off, the sound of the ocean in the distance pulling Mikayla into a deep sleep, Justin not far behind. 

Justin woke up first, checking the time. The twins woke up next, Justin quietly getting them to pay in their rooms upstairs.  

Justin started on dinner, glancing at Mikayla as she slept while he cooked. He picked up his phone, snapping a picture and sending it to JC.  The two exchanged texts, a smile spreading across his face. 

 

He looked at Mikayla one more time before returning to cooking.  Sleep well, Kay. You’re gonna need energy and strength for tonight…

 

…

Mikayla was woken up by a gentle nudge and a gentler voice. “Mommy, dinner is ready…” Joshy said softly. Justin knew he was the better of the twins to wake her up while he finished getting everything ready.

She got up from the couch, smiling as she saw chicken breasts, the pasta, broccoli, and green beans.  The twins had pasta without the sauce just in case.  

“Justin, this looks incredible…”

“I think I did alright. I’ve made this for you a couple times before, followed your recipe, so to say, seeing as you just have it in your head.”

“It’s been a while, though.”

He walked up to her, wrapping his arm around her waist before settling his hands just above her ass.  “I guess I need to step up my game,” he growled low, kissing her deeply but only for an instant. 

They sat down to dinner, Mikayla pleased by the taste as well as the presentation he’d put into everything.  The food on the plate, the flowers in the center of the table, the view of the ocean in front of them. You couldn’t get more picturesque while also in the comfort of home. It had almost any restaurant beat. Her mind flitted to the grand dining room of the Ahwahnee in Yosemite. It had been a while since she’d been there, still not having taken the twins, just her and Justin.  They needed to plan a trip, but it was too short notice for anything that summer.

Jackie had left after lunch, leaving Justin and Mikayla to give the twins their baths and get ready for bed. Not that they minded, but they also knew the window on when they could still do that without invading privacy was running short. They bathed themselves, Justin or Mikayla there for supervision purposes. 

Bedtime pushed right against the ending of sunset, the orange in the sky fading as the blue sky faded into black of night. 

“Pick a movie baby, I’ll be right back,” Justin said, leaving her on the couch.  She cued up her choice, a smile across her face of how this would be received. It wasn’t a new movie, but it was one she hasn’t seen yet for almost obvious reasons. 

 

Her eyes widened in surprise as she saw Justin come back into view.  “Josh, what are you doing here?”

“Justin told me to come back for a movie…”

Oh, this is gonna be fun, she thought to herself, thinking of her movie choice.

They sat on either side of her, Mikayla pressing play when they were settled. “Come on, are we really?” Justin half whined.

“It’s my weekend, Mother’s Day and my birthday. I wanna watch Ryan Gosling shirtless…” she smiled smugly.

 

“He’s still 12 in my head,” JC said.

 

“I haven’t seen him in years, so yeah, same,” Justin agreed.

“You’re lucky I don’t still see you as 12, that with everything we’ve been through…” JC sighed. 

“You realize it’s the same reason people watch Friends With Benefits? We could have watched that, or Opening Night…”

“Nope, I’m good,” JC quipped. 

“I actually enjoyed it, C…”

“I can’t watch the Mambo number 5 number in there though,” Mikayla admitted. 

“Yeah, watching JC motorboat someone else… I got nothing more to say without trying in trouble from one of you. Just not sure which one yet,” Justin laughed. 

“Are we watching the movie or not?  I heard it’s really good, regardless of who’s in it…” Mikaytla sighed, exasperated at the two men beside her.  They nodded, Mikayla continuing to play the movie.

The guys made colorful comments throughout the movie, Mikayla honestly trying to enjoy it on its own merits.

“Seriously?  We need to see him shirtless?”

“I need to, yes,” she smiled triumphantly.

“You have both of us, and that’s still not enough?” Justin asked, half joking, half serious.

“We’re not calling him up…” JC quipped.

“He’s with Eva Mendes, I doubt I’d be what he wants,” Mikayla scoffed.

“You’re what WE want,” Justin said with a smirk.

“Yeah, well, I haven’t been in a relationship with Ryan Gosling for there to be feelings there.”

“Let’s keep it that way,” JC chuckled.

The movie finished, Mikayla was curious what would happen next.

“You ready to go to bed?” Justin asked, his voice giving nothing away.

“See you tomorrow, JC,’ Mikayla started.

“He’s not going anywhere,” Justin said firmly.

“What?!” Mikayla gasped.

“Bedroom, now.”  Justin’s voice made it sound more like an order, one she was willing to obey.  They both took her hands, quietly going upstairs, Justin closing and locking the door behind them.

“I’m making a one time exception to my rule.  I may regret this before the night is over, but I also am curious to see how this plays out.”

Justin put her on the bed, himself standing next to JC.  “You want shirtless men to gawk at?  I think we can do that…”  Completely unrehearsed and unplanned, the two men pulled their shirts off over their heads, eyes burning for her.  She stared at Justin, his muscles seeming to be extra defined somehow, even though he hadn’t been working out the last couple days.  Then there was JC.  He’d definitely been working out, likely in the hopes that they’d get to be together again.

Justin reached for his belt buckle, JC following his lead.  Soon their clothes were on the floor, save the boxer briefs each wore.  She was surprised to see how ready they were for her.  Justin held out his hand, Mikayla letting him pull her up to stand.  

“This is really happening, isn’t it?” MIkayla asked, her voice trembling.

“We’re gonna fuck you into midnight.  Happy birthday, baby…” Justin whispered, his lips close to hers, but not close enough.  He teased her with kisses along her cheek, down her neck, JC mirroring on the other side, moving behind her.

“Pull her shirt off, I’ll get her pants,” Justin ordered, JC nodding as he kissed her neck.  His fingers skimmed the hem of her shirt, the contact of his fingers on her skin made her body erupt with goosebumps, her body feeling on fire.  The shirt came off easily, Justin pulling her pants down in one smooth tug down her legs.  They continued kissing her, JC’s hands finding her breasts, teasing her through her bra, Justin’s hands grabbing her ass, squeezing it tight.

“Oh god, yes,” Mikayla groaned, sensations overtaking her.

“That’s right baby, be loud for us,” JC growled.

“You know I got the room soundproofed, the kids will never know…” Justin whispered.

“Oh god… fuck.”

“Soon enough, baby.  Soon enough,” Justin chided her.

He smoothly turned her around.  “Get those panties off her now, JC,” Justin growled as he unclasped her bra.  Soon she was naked before them, feeling like helpless prey ready to be devoured.  Now Justin was playing with her breasts, JC’s hand reaching down to caress her mound, finding her sensitive nub.

“Fuck, mama, you’re so wet for me…” JC hissed with pleasure, his rod twitching against her thigh.

“For both of us…” Justin groaned.

She felt her first orgasm rising within her, more powerful than usual, but also receiving the attention of two men that by themselves drove her crazy.  Her body shook as it hit her, both men satisfied with their work so far.  

Justin slowly moved her onto the bed, laying her on her back.  He kissed down her chest, stopping to suck on her hardened nipples.  JC took the hint, kissing up her thigh before settling his tongue between her legs.  

“Fuck, oh god, it’s too much…” Mikayla groaned.

“You wanted this, you can handle it…” Justin said, switching between breasts.

She gripped the sheets, sure another wave was coming any moment, her body feeling like it was vibrating with sexually energy, inside and out.  Her back arched, unsure what else to do as pleasure took over her body.  Justin kissed her instead of sucking on her flesh, his eyes flitting down to see JC’s head between her legs.

“How does she taste, C?” Justin asked slyly.

“Fucking delicious.  You should have some.”

“Mmm, I think I will…”  

Mikayla watched as the two moved closer to each other, faces mere inches from each other.  They gave knowing smiles to each other before JC moved to her breasts and Justin took his place between her legs.

“I thought…” Mikayla started.

“We know what you thought, did that on purpose.  We just want to enjoy you, have you enjoy us.  I’d say it’s working out so far.”  Justin only hummed in agreement, the sensation making her body jolt as another wave began.

Everything was too intense, a white light taking over her vision as her eyes slammed shut.  She felt like she was going to explode into a million tiny pieces, letting go with a scream.  She lay there, panting, gasping for air.

“How are we doing this, baby?  Who gets your mouth while the other gets this sweet pussy?”

Her eyes flitted back and forth between the two men.  “I… well…”

“”If you have the strength, we can do this all over again, roles switched, so you have both of us each way,” JC purred.

“Oh god…” Mikayla gasped.

“So, who’s it gonna be?” Justin asked.  

Mikayla sat up, looking at both men, one on either side of her.  She faced Justin, kissing him deeply, pushing her hips and ass towards JC.  She took hold of Justin’s throbbing heat through the cotton fabric, a groan pulling from his throat.

“I’ll suck you now, you’ll fuck me last,” she whispered in his ear.  She kissed down his body, feeling JC pressing against her entrance.  “JC, please…” she groaned, her voice breathy with need for him.

JC teased her, watching her as she pulled down Justin’s boxer briefs, taking him into her mouth.  Judging by the look on Justin’s face, JC entered her, starting everything at the same time.  It was almost too much for her, trying to focus on Justin while JC slowly thrust into her over and over.  The two men briefly exchanged glances, JC knowing what he needed to do.  He continued his slow thrusts inside her, giving Mikayla time to get Justin to the edge.  She sucked Justin at a pace that matched JC’s movements within her.

“Faster,” Justin groaned, Mikayla and JC increasing their paces.  Justin grabbed Mikayla’s hair, pulling it firmly in his hand.  He tried to hold on, waiting for a cue from someone else in the room.

“Fuck, you’re so tight, Kay.  You’re close, aren't you?” JC asked.  Mikayla hummed in agreement, JC moving his hand to tease her button as he continued his thrusts.

“Fuck…” both men groaned as they felt their release course through them, Mikayla letting out a muffled groan.  It wasn’t lost on any of them how that had worked out, to all ride that wave together.  

They all collapsed onto the bed, covering themselves with the blanket from the waist down.

“Wow.  No other words…” Mikayla panted.

“Worked out better than I thought,” Justin admitted.

“I’ll say,” JC added.

“No.  This is not becoming a regular thing.  I think I’d die from exhaustion,” Mikayla giggled.  Holy… fuck…”

“There was NOTHING holy about what we just did,” Justin laughed.

“And soon, we’ll start it all over again,” JC reminded them.

“I’m in trouble.  Fuck…” MIkayla groaned.

“Soon enough, baby, soon enough…”

…

JC’s alarm on his phone went off quietly, not waking either of the two sleeping in bed with him.  The movement of him getting up from bed woke up Mikayla, her eyes flitting open to look at him.

“Why are you up so early?” she asked, slowly waking up.

“I’m gonna go downstairs, make some coffee, and wait for the kids to wake up.  I’ll buy you and Justin some time if you want something, even if it’s just a shower.”

“Thank you.  Last night was…”

“I know.  I get to have you all to myself tonight, so I figured you should have some time with him this morning.  This is all worth it to be with the woman I love, in some form.”

“Just go downstairs, I need sleep,” Justin groaned into his pillow.

“Happy birthday, Kay,” JC said, placing a kiss on her forehead.  He got dressed and quietly left the bedroom.

“Sorry he woke you,” Mikayla sighed, running her fingers along Justin’s arm that was draped over her body.

“I’m not.  I just said I was tired so I could get you to myself.  I’m thinking a little pregame makeout before we hit the showers…”

 

“Happy birthday to me,” Mikayla smiled, Justin pulling her tighter to him.

Mikayla walked down the stairs, surprised to see streamers and a big sign in JC’s handwriting that said Happy Birthday.  The twins had drawn pictures on it and it was clear he put it up on the wall before they did so.

“Good morning my sweet angels,” Mikayla chirped, looking at the twins.

“Happy birthday, Mommy!” they cheered.  “JC helped us decorate!”

“I see that,” she chuckled. She looked at the mini poster, color streaks on the page but nothing on the walls.  “How…?”

“Crayola Color Magic or whatever it’s called. Where the stuff only works on the special paper…”

“You’re a fast learner,” Mikayla smiled.  “Thank you, this is very sweet.”

“Anything for the birthday girl.”

Mikayla turned, hearing the front door open, sighing in relief as Jackie stepped into view. She had a bouquet of lilies in one hand, a paper grocery bag in the other.

“Good morning, Mikayla. Happy birthday,” Jackie said softly. 

“You didn’t need to bring flowers,” Mikayla said. 

“Figured just in case neither of these fellas got you anything…” Jackie shrugged with a smile. 

“Thank you, they’re beautiful and I love them.”

“I got her something, just not flowers,” JC interrupted, admittedly a little perturbed at Jackie’s assumption.

“Oh, JC, I didn't mean…”

“Dare I ask what’s in the bag?” Mikayla asked, realizing she sounded more like the twins than an adult at that moment.

“Some things for breakfast.  Since you’re awake, I’ll ask… did you want something different than yesterday, as far as the eggs?”

“I would eat them every day if I could, so that’s not an issue.”

“Ok, I’ll make that for you, maybe your family’s breakfast hash for everyone else?”

“Ummm, let’s just have that for me instead of the other.  It’s been a while since I’ve had that, even though I know how to make it for myself.  Jackie, you don’t need to…”

“I know it’s not in my job description, but I want to,” Jackie replied.

Mikayla walked over to Jackie, seeing JC bonding with the kids.  “You want to be here to witness this, don’t you?”

“A little.  I was a fan back in the day, as young as I am.  At first it was to see JC, but now that I know your little secret, I wanna see how they respond to him.  He’s doing a great job so far, I gotta hand it to him…”

“Yeah.  I just hope they take the news ok.  I mean, it’s a big deal, finding out your dad isn’t actually your dad… I’ve got some numbers for therapists in my contacts just in case.”

“Might not be a bad idea, to help them transition into things.  I mean, I know you and Justin are staying together, having the baby and all, but introducing JC into the mix as far as custody and such… It could be hard for them to process.”

“I’ll seriously consider it. I meant it more as a joke, but you made a lot of sense, Jackie.”

“I’ll start on breakfast. As much as I know you love your family, I’ll make you a cup of tea and suggest you have a moment to yourself. You’re likely to be spoiled all day and will want a little alone time where no one is fussing over you…”

“That’s not a bad idea.”

“Just make sure Justin gives you space, too. I can handle JC and the twins if you decide to go upstairs. That balcony looks lovely…”

“I think I’ll walk on the beach, but thank you. I’ll grab a sweater and be back down for that cup of tea.”

Mikayla made her way back upstairs, Justin still in the shower getting properly clean.  Mikayla already had jeans on for the cooler morning, grabbing a somewhat oversized sweater, a favorite of hers from Justin as a gift a few years prior.  It was soft and reminded her of him on days where he wasn’t home.

She went downstairs again, Jackie having a cup of tea steeping for her, sugar added already.  She walked towards the sliding glass door.

“Be careful,” JC said softly, Mikayla smiling as she opened the door.  She nodded silently as she closed the door behind her.

She put the cup of tea down on the table on the patio, opting to walk along the beach as it cooled a bit.  She was already barefoot, the cool sand feeling good on her feet.  She knew the warmth of the day would make it warmer as the day wore on, so enjoying the cool while she could felt invigorating.  There was a good 150 feet between the edge of their backyard to the shoreline, walking slowly towards the water.  She knew it would be cold, but wanted to get closer to the sound of the waves and be alone with her thoughts.

Last night was… incredible.  I know Justin had sworn it would never happen, and honestly I don’t think any of us EVER expected something like that, but… wow.  I feel like maybe this can work after all.

She looked at the waves, closing her eyes to hear the crashing and retreating, breathing in with each crash, breathing out at each retreat back.  A scene flashed into her mind at that moment.  She thought back to being in her car, at a red light turning green, narrowly missing being hit by that truck. 

 

I could’ve died that morning. No Mother’s Day, no birthday, no Silas to look forward to. Life is too short, too precious.  I feel bad with this arrangement, I really should only have one of them… But there’s so much history. Josh and I have the twins, our flesh and blood. I’m Justin’s wife, carrying our own baby. I can’t make a clean break from either of them. I don’t want to. I really hope we can make this work somehow.

 

She tried to clear her mind, focusing on the rhythm of the waves, setting her breathing to that rhythm. She watched as the waves rolled in, feeling a sense of calm, renewal.  She realized she’d been out for over half an hour, her tea was probably cold by now. She walked back to the patio, finding her cup still warm. 

“I saw you start to walk back and heated it up for you,” JC said softly from the sliding glass door.

“Breakfast ready?” Mikayla wondered. JC nodded as she took a sip of her tea.  “This is perfect,” she sighed. 

“As it should be. The perfect birthday for the perfect woman,” JC said, wishing he could wrap his arms around her.

“A great ocean view, a perfect cup of tea, and surrounded by those I love most…”

She walked inside, locking eyes with Justin as she walked past JC.  He bit his lip, loving the comfy look she had on at the moment. She was relaxed and yet effortlessly put together.

They sat at the table, Justin sitting on one end, JC on the other, Mikayla between them and the twins opposite her. 

“Daddy, why is JC here?” Barb asked.  “No offense…”

“I missed quite a few of your Mommy’s birthdays and I want to spend time with her, and you guys. I hope that’s ok. I even got her a present…” JC leaned in towards Barb.

“Well, if you got her a present, then ok…”

“I forgot to give you your gift for Mother’s Day,” Justin groaned, covering his face with his hand.  “I can grab it now if you…”

“Let’s have breakfast first,” Mikayla said. She looked around. “Where’s Jackie?”

“She left. Saw I was here and knew this was a big enough group.”

Mikayla pulled out her phone. I’m sorry you came all this way just to make breakfast for us. I really could have done this myself, directed everyone on what to do…

Not a problem. 3 adults and two littles is enough. I don’t want to intrude…

Nonsense, you’re just as much a part of our family.

Enjoy your birthday, Mikayla. I’ll see you tomorrow.

 

Mikayla put her phone away, being in the moment with her family.  Along with the scramble, Jackie had made blueberry muffins, the house smelling delicious.  They spent the better part of the day outside, the twins playing in the backyard or everyone enjoying the beach.  

Mikayla lay on her towel, watching Justin and JC splashing in the water with the twins.  Nothing past the twins’ calves, each of the guys close enough to snag the twins should something try to pull them out to sea.  Jackie had brought their puppy, Harley, seeing him splash around with the guys and the kids.  

Justin looked up at Mikayla, their eyes locking.  He smiled softly, silently mouthing ‘I love you’ to her, Mikayla replying in kind.  Her heart felt full watching her family together, something so pure.  JC caught her eye, hope of what could be in the twins finally knowing the truth about JC.  She hoped they took the news well, knowing he hadn’t meant to ignore them.  The timing around all of it had been terrible.  If everything had been off by even a week before, she’d have realized she was pregnant, told JC while she still had a chance with him.  She imagined calling him from the hospital, or even having the hospital call him that day she found out, getting him there to find out the news.  She knew she’d never have ended up with Justin if that had happened, and as much as she wondered what would have been with JC, she was so glad for what HAD happened with Justin.

She watched the twins.  How they hadn’t figured out JC was their dad, at least Joshy’s, was almost beyond her. She knew not a lot of pictures of younger JC existed, but she’d be damned if Joshy didn’t look like the ones she’d seen at Roy and Karen’s when they were dating.  

Shit, she thought. They need to know they’re grandparents… It’s only been a few days, would he have told them already?  She figured probably not, based on not getting texts yesterday for Mother’s Day.  She laughed as she received a well timed text from Karen. 

Happy birthday, honey. 

You’ve never forgotten , the last 5 years…

You were family. I know Josh had his reasons to be upset, he never told us…

I never asked, I’m sure it hurt when I started seeing Justin, married him.

It did, for a while. We saw Chris one day not long after and he told us you did what you felt was right, that Josh had made his decision and you made yours.  

That sounds terrible, actually. Know that I loved him, still do.

It doesn’t do well to dwell on the past. Happy birthday, Mikayla. Happy Mother’s Day, too.

Happy belated Mother’s Day, Karen. 

You can still call me Mom…

I need to call you soon.

Enough, I’m taking up precious birthday time. Talk to you soon.

 

Another casualty in the wake of everything. She never meant to hurt JC, let alone his family hoping she was the one he’d settle down with.

They went inside for lunch, Justin ordering pizza at Mikayla’s request. He bounded upstairs, leaving her with JC and the twins. 

“Your mom texted to wish me a happy birthday…”

“Sounds like Mom,” JC smiled. 

“Never missed a year yet,” Mikayla sighed. 

“DEFINITELY Mom,” he chuckled. 

“I told her I need to call her soon, definitely not a shortage of things to tell her…”

“Tomorrow?” he offered quietly.   Mikayla nodded silently as they sat on the couch, waiting for Justin to come down. 

He came down with a large gift. It was at least half his height, but very thin depth wise, as wide as he was, a little wider. 

“This was more for yesterday, so keep that in mind.  I hope you like it…”

Justin pulled off the paper, displaying it for everyone to see.  It was a custom painting of Mikayla and the twins, a heart in her stomach, and angel wings and footprints in the corner. At the bottom it read “Barbara Renee and Joshua Miguel, February 2012. Baby Timberlake, February 2015.  Silas Randall, October 2016.”

“Justin, I love it.  Our family…” Mikayla sighed, fighting back tears.

“I have something else to give you before dinner, you’ll be able to use part of it tonight,” Justin said.

“JC, you said you had a gift for Mommy?” Barb remembered.

“I did.  I just want her to see it though.”

“He helped you guys make the sign for me, decorated the house a bit this morning.  I consider that a present.  More than enough given it’s only been a few days since we started talking to each other.

“Was there much talking?” Justin teased, the question going over the kids’ heads.

“Mommy and JC had something for work, he showed us around a school he found that we could use in the next couple years.  We went to lunch with Ms. Candace and talked about the school and things, and then got to talking in Mommy’s office later that day.  We apologized to each other for being upset at each other for so long,” Mikayla said, trying to explain and make Justin’s comment sting a little less.

“Kay, you wanna take a nap, or maybe a bath before we go to dinner?” Justin suggested.

“Might not be a bad idea, no,” she agreed.

“We’ll keep the kids occupied, make sure they don’t burn the house down.”

“Take some time for you, I’m sure it’s been a crazy last couple days,” JC said softly.  He was so glad he got to be back in her life, even if she was still married to one of his best friends.

She went upstairs, opening the sliding glass door leading onto their balcony, opening it just a crack to get some air and the sounds of the ocean.  She got onto her side of the bed, curling up and falling fast asleep.  

She woke up, feeling someone next to her, on both sides of her.  She opened her eyes, seeing Barb and Justin on one side, Joshy and JC on the other.  She must have been in a deep sleep to not notice that she was in the middle of the bed with the rest of them around her.  She smiled at hearing their quiet breathing, seeing their chests rise and fall with each breath; the twins looking like sweet angels in their sleep.  They were growing up too fast for her liking, looking more like actual people then little children.

She slowly and carefully extricated herself from the pile of bodies surrounding her, thankful that the twins were deep sleepers once they fell asleep.  She walked into the en suite bathroom, closing the door to get the bath started.

The sound of the water hid the sound of the door opening, Mikayla jumping when she felt hands on her waist.

“Just wanted to say thank you for everything.  I can’t imagine it’s been easy, giving me a second chance,” JC said lightly.

Mikayla noticed the door was mostly shut, pulling him into her arms for a kiss as the tub filled.  She lightly moaned at feeling his body against hers, finding herself needing him.

“Tonight, my love,” he whispered in her ear, placing a kiss on her cheek before he went back into the bedroom.

She got into the tub, filled with bubble bath and calming scents.  She took off her clothes, getting into the bath, letting the warm water and the scents envelope her, much like her time on the beach earlier in the morning. 

 

There was a window above the tub, the tub separate from the shower stall.  She smiled as she looked at the bench they’d had put in, remembering a steamy session with Justin that morning, curious if she’d have JC the same way that night. Is that why my skin is so fabulous? she wondered to herself. All the sex and washing involved?

 

She sank further into the tub, her hair up in a messy bun atop her head so it wouldn’t get wet. Her head was peeking out of the mass of bubbles filling the tub, turning at a soft knock on the door.

She saw Barb and Joshy peek in, their eyes still sleepy from their nap.  They were every bit of both their fathers, making Mikayla smile. 

“JC is gonna play with us in the backyard before we do a movie night while you and Daddy go to dinner,” Joshy said. 

“Will you be home in time for cake with us?” Barb asked. 

“I think Jackie is taking you home after the movie,” Justin said, stepping into the bathroom. “I’ll be home after dinner, I’m leaving Mommy here for an extra day by herself.  A little more time in her happy place.  Let’s let Mommy finish her bath and start getting ready.”  Justin ushered the twins out of the bathroom, pausing to look at her.

“I’ll be back in a bit with your outfit for tonight.”

“I wondered if you had something for me to wear,” she smiled. 

Mikayla finished her bath, wrapping herself in a towel and starting her post bath out shower routine. Justin came into the bedroom, starting to get dressed for dinner.  She heard him rustling with something before walking into the bathroom with a garment bag and a small brown bag, closing the bathroom door without a word.

Mikayla walked over, pulling down the zipper on the garment bag. A soft smile spread across her face. 

“Hello, old friend,” she said.  “Let’s see what else is supposed to go with this…”

 

She opened the brown bag, her eyes widening. “Well, hello new friend. I don’t know why he bought you for me and JC, but this will be fun…”

 

Mikayla walked out of the bathroom into the master bedroom.  Justin was finishing tying his tie when he saw her out of the corner of his eye.

“You look beautiful, Kay.  Not surprised of course, it’s you, that dress…”

“It’s been a while since I’ve worn this,” she said, glad it still fit. 

“I’m not an idiot, it looks great on you and has meaning for you and JC.”

“And the brown bag?” she asked. 

“I won’t get to enjoy it, but knowing you will is enough.”

“How long until our dinner reservation?”

“A private car will be here in 30.”

“Perfect, just enough time…”

Justin started to question her when she pressed his lips to hers, feeling her melt into his arms.

“Kay, no…”

“I’m the birthday girl, this is what I want. It’s bad luck to tell the birthday girl no…”

“I don’t think that’s a thing,” he chuckled. 

“Pants off, on the bed, now,” she ordered. 

He was done trying to argue, quickly pulling everything on his waist down around his ankles. He hadn’t been expecting this, his body starting to get to full attention. He groaned as she stroked him, feeling him get harder in her hand. 

“You gonna be ok?” Justin wondered. 

“You tell me…”

His hands pushed the green velvet of her dress up her body, up over her ass and hips.  He ran a finger along her, surprised by how ready she was.  “Fuck, Kay…”

“My thoughts exactly, baby.”  She kissed him deeply, straddling his lap, lowering herself onto him as he rolled his hips to meet her.

Her rhythm against him was needy, chaotic, desperate.

“You and JC…” Justin started.

“That’s later. I want you, now. Be a good boy and cum for me.”

“Fuck, yes Kay…”

He was surprised at how quickly it all ended, feeling like they’d just started.  He watched as Mikayla walked back into the bathroom to freshen up, following her lead.

“Not that I’m complaining, but…”

“You had to know that was coming,” she giggled. 

“Pun intended, I’m sure.  Seriously, we had our time this morning, why now?”

“Does it matter? You were trying to set up me and JC with this, so why not give yourself a piece of the action?”

“Cuz I know I’ll get you all to myself soon enough.  Finish up and I’ll give you your next present.”

“Justin, you didn’t…”

“You think I wouldn’t spoil my wife, the woman carrying my baby?  Do you even know me?”

“Yes, so I shouldn’t be surprised…”

She fixed her dress, smoothing everything out to perfection before sitting on their bed. Justin went by to the closet, pulling out a box. 

“One is for work, the other for play, as it were…”

She opened the lid, finding a large black Prada handbag that looked very official, and a smaller black leather  clutch.

“Justin, thank you.”

“Hopefully it fits what you need for tonight and other nights out.”

“It’s perfect.  Let me get it all set up and then we’ll head downstairs.”  She took it into the bathroom, putting a small bottle of Tylenol, her lipstick, and a couple other items inside the clutch, walking back out ready to go.

They walked down the stairs, standing in the family room to say goodbye to the twins.

“You look beautiful, Mommy,” Barb said with a gasp.

“You do, Kayla,” JC blushed, seeing the dress she was wearing.   “Your mommy looks very beautiful…” he sighed, squeezing Barb next to him. 

Mikayla gave the twins hugs and kisses goodnight, smiling with a twinkle in her eyes at JC.  She noticed as his eyes became more intense as he continued to look at her.

“The car will be here soon, and Jackie will pick them up around 8. They’ll get home after bedtime but that’ll be for me to worry about in the morning…” Justin explained.

“You’re ok with an early dinner?” JC asked. 

“The reservation is set and it gives her an early night,” Justin said, trying not think of his wife having sex with one of his best friends. He knew the arrangement they had, but he didn’t want to picture it in his head more than he had to.

The car arrived, Justin helping Mikayla in before getting in himself.  The ride was short, Mikayla recognizing the area.

“Same place as last year,” she smiled, grabbing his hand.

“I thought it would be nice, same table, same everything…  It’s close to the beach house compared to anywhere close to home, giving you a longer night with…”

“You’re being surprisingly ok with all this, Justin,” she sighed. “You’re so back and forth, I’m confused.  First you were for it, then you weren’t, then…” she lowered her voice to a whisper in the car, “then you bring JC in for a threesome and give us a night together that should be you and me at it all night long…”

Justin tried to ignore the twitch in his crotch at the mental picture her words made.  “I just want you to be happy.”

“I’ve been happy since the day you flew me to the Bahamas and all of this started.”

“Not the whole time, Kay. Not back then, not last year…”

She took his hand, looking into his eyes.  “We got through all of it together, Justin.  As painful as it was, I don’t regret any of it because I had you.”

Justin wrapped his arm around her, pulling her close. “Happy birthday, beautiful.  I love you.”

“I love you, too, Justin.”

They arrived at the restaurant, getting the same table and section of the restaurant closed off for their privacy.  He ordered the same food they’d had the year before, skipping the alcohol this time around.

“You could drink,” she said.

“Not if I’m driving home tonight to be with the kids.”

“You sure Jackie couldn’t just stay the night with them?” Mikayla tried to entice him. 

“You’re not getting a repeat of last night,” Justin chuckled. “We’ve had two already today and you still have tonight.”

She looked at him, a smile on her face.  “You’re incredible, you know that?”

Justin was admittedly a little flustered for a moment.  “Did you mean what you said though, about loving me more than JC?”

“I did. I know you’ve always had it in your head that we were never going to have what JC and I had, and you’re right. What we have is so much more than that. The things you risked and sacrificed to get where we are…”

“What did I sacrifice? My career is still going strong, I have lost nothing…”

“But you could have, Justin.  You sacrificed being single, partying it up and being with a string of famous, beautiful women.”

“That’s not what I want anymore.  I’m not 25 anymore, I’m 35 and wanted to settle down. I was 30 when all this happened, and I knew what I was getting into.”

“You traded sexy nights with women to being up all night changing diapers.”

“All worth it to be with you, Mikayla.”

She smiled wider at him. “I think so, too.”

And gave her a smirk. “And we’ve had lots of sexy nights over the years, especially once the twins started sleeping through the night or we had Jackie while on the road.”

“I still remember our wedding night. I can’t believe you wanted to wait until we were married…”

“Why do you think we were only engaged for 2 weeks?” Justin laughed. “It helped us give a timeline that for sure removed any doubt that the twins were mine to the public. I didn’t get to have any moment that night we got really drunk, that was all you…”

“And I couldn’t get him out of my head,” Mikayla sighed. 

“Still can’t, but at least you didn’t get us mixed up last night.”

She stuck out her tongue. “I’m confused though, why the sexy lingerie if you weren’t planning on benefiting from it before I mounted you earlier?”

“Make tonight memorable for you two.  I don’t wanna know what happens, but add to things for you.”

“I saw what else you put in there. Some of it we haven’t used in a while.”

“Just wanted you to be prepared for whatever you might need…”

“Left the swing at home, though,” she smiled. 

“Some things are sacred,” he laughed. “Just don’t tell me if you use it when he’s over and I’m on tour or filming a movie…”

Mikayla turned her head, watching the sun sink lower into the sky. Justin held her hand, enjoying a quiet moment with the woman he loved.

“You ready for your last present?” Justin asked a short time later.

“You didn’t need to get me more, you’ve done plenty today Justin…”

“One last gift.”  He handed her an envelope from inside his sport coat.  He handed it to her with a smile, eager for her to open it.

She opened the letter sized envelope, pulling out a folded piece of paper. Her eyes perused it before fully reading it. 

“Reservation for…” Her eyes widened, looking at the dates and the picture.  “Justin, we’re going again? To Yosemite, for Christmas?”

He smiled. “The same cabin as last time. Silas will be a couple months old by then so you can enjoy the hot tub this time.  There’s room for your family, my family, JC’s family if they want to come.”

“How do we explain this to his family?” Mikayla gasped. “I’m planning to call Karen this week, I was gonna tell her…”

“Explain the way you did to him. You wanted to tell him, but it was never a good time until now.”

“They’ll want to know what changed.  I can’t tell them their son fucked me in my office and suddenly we’re ok again…”

“Tell them the things leading up to that. The tour, having lunch, seeing each other again.  Then you got to talking and felt comfortable in telling him the truth sooner rather than later.”

“I like that plan. But you think they’ll want to spend Christmas with us?”

“They wouldn’t miss a chance to meet their grandkids.  You know they’ll be spoiled even more now…”

“Hey, we’ve kept them with fairly level heads. Yeah they have name brand stuff I’d never dreamed of as a kid, but they are kind, caring, compassionate kids.  They don’t have a ton of stuff; we spend money on experiences together, making memories with them.”

“Silas will be no different,” Justin smiled.  “I have no doubts, with you for his mom…”

“With you for his dad.  God help us if he looks like you when he’s a teen. We’re gonna be beating back half the school between the three of them…”

“I wasn’t all that popular in high school, when I went…”

“You turned out to be freaking hot, you’d have become popular based on your looks, basketball skills… Maybe it’s because I’m from around here, but being a hot guy that can play sports and star in the school musicals meant you were the king of the popular crowd. You’d have been out of my league, that’s for sure.  Still are.”

“No way.  I fell for you having no clue who you were. I think that would have tracked regardless…”

“I’m glad you did.  I can’t imagine my life without you Justin, I don’t want to.”

“If I plan it right, you’ll never have to.”

They enjoyed dinner, taking their time but also not wasting time for the staff at the restaurant. The driver picked them up when they were finished, bringing her back to the beach house.

The twins had left, Justin walking Mikayla into the house. JC was still downstairs, watching TV as he waited.  He stood up, looking at Mikayla and noticing Justin behind her. 

“I’m not leaving without a hug and a kiss, though not necessarily from the same person,” Justin laughed. 

Mikayla looked at Justin, pulling his arms around her. “Thank you for everything today.  Especially dinner.”  She kissed his lips gently, giving him a squeeze.

Justin looked at JC.  “Got my kiss, now where’s my hug?”

JC smirked at his brother.  “Get outta here, man,” he said with a chuckle. He gave Justin a tight hug.

“Don’t fuck this up, C.  I’m giving you tonight and most of tomorrow. If she’s not walking with a limp tomorrow, we’re gonna have words…”

“Not sure it’ll be exactly like that.”

“You have 5 years to make up for. I don’t need details, but do your best to make it worth it.”

“You’re so weird, T.  I’ll do my best, don’t you worry.”

They clapped each other on the back before letting go of each other.

“Oh good, I was starting to wonder if I was the one going home and you two were spending the night together…” Mikayla teased. 

“Not without you between us,” Justin assured her.  “I’ll see you tomorrow, Kay.”  He pulled her into a gentle embrace.  “I love you,” he whispered. 

“Love you too.”

Justin walked to the front door, turning to get one last look at her. He didn’t want to leave, but he had thought up this idea, he had to let things play out.  His eyes said everything, Mikayla wanting to cry.  He opened the door, walking out without another word.  

“So…” JC sighed awkwardly.

“So…” Mikayla replied. 

“Bedroom?”

 

“Yeah,” she sighed with a smile.

JC closed the door, getting a better look around the large room. He was familiar with the bed, but hadn’t really noticed what else there was. He saw the balcony, walking towards the sliding glass door.  

“Wanna sit outside for a bit?” JC offered. She nodded quietly, unsure of what exactly was going to happen. I mean, she KNEW, but not really at the same time. 

She walked towards him, JC opening the door silently ahead of her. She sat at the table, seeing his unopened gift sitting on the table. 

“You planned this part…” Mikayla smiled. 

“I really didn’t,” JC sighed honestly. “That husband of yours…”

“We don’t deserve him, neither of us. Me as his wife, you as his best friend.”

“I don’t think I’m his…”

“You think he’d agree to all this if you weren’t?!  You mean a lot to both of us.”

JC sat down next to her. “Ready to open your gift?”

“It would be rude not to, wouldn’t it?” Mikayla laughed lightly. 

“I’ve missed that laugh,” he smiled. “The house hasn’t felt the same without you.  Wish you could move in again.”

“I know, me too. Your house has a great view, but Justin’s has a pool, a yard…”

“I can buy a new house, if you want.”

“The thing I love most is my children, OUR children. They really are his just as much as they are yours.  I know you’ll make up for lost time, though.”

JC nudged the bag in front of her. She pulled it to her. She grabbed a red leather box, bigger than her hand, slowly opening it. 

“Josh, it’s beautiful.  Holy fuck… It’s too much. You bought me something from Cartier…”

“Two somethings, but yes.  I’ve missed quite a few birthdays, anniversaries, Christmases… I figure the price tag is roughly equivalent.”

“I’m afraid to know…”

“Then don’t. You have always been, will always be, worth every penny.  Put it on, I hope it fits ok.”

It was a bracelet, several loops of one stream of metal, looking like multiple bands but being one piece, with 47 brilliant white diamonds along one band. 

“A carat and a half, total.  Not that that matters to you.  Open the next one.”

This box was smaller, but the same red leather. Inside was a ring that matched the bracelet. It looked like two bands crossing over each other, 17 diamonds around one band. 

“I figure since Justin gave you the diamond ring you always wanted, maybe this could be a close second. Wear it on your right ring finger. The left hand for him, the right hand for me. It won’t attract suspicion since it doesn’t look like a typical wedding type ring, and paired with the bracelet looks like a gift from him.”

“JC, I can only imagine how much this cost you…”

“I’d sell everything I own if it gave you what you want, not just your needs.  5 figures though, being honest. You’ve borrowed things worth more, I’m sure of it.  If the jewelry you wore for your wedding is where they say it’s from, you’ve worn more expensive jewelry before.”

“It still baffles me though. I’d be freaking out if it was Justin buying it, too. So far jewelry from him hasn’t been over the top. I didn’t even think about the jewelry I wore for the big wedding. I don’t even know how much my dress was, I just know everything was paid for.”

“Justin does have more money, which is great, don’t get me wrong. He’s given you things I could never dream of…”

“You gave me the twins, and they are priceless,” she smiled. “You know that money doesn’t mean anything to me. I’d be just as happy with either of you even if you guys weren’t famous.  Thank you for these, they’re beautiful.”

JC looked at her. “This is a great spot you have here. I meant what I said earlier, I can get a new house, move, to give the twins a better place to live.”

“JC, you know I’m staying married to Justin…”

“I know. But I want them to have a great place to go to when they’re with me…”

“Are you trying to stall, Josh?”

“What?”

“This isn’t what I thought we’d be doing right now…”

“What did you have in mind?” he wondered with a smirk on his face.

“Being a lot less clothed right now.”

“He told me not to fuck this up. Feeling some pressure, I’ll admit it.”

“We’ve slept together twice this last week, Josh. Not like this is our first time, either.”

“I wasn’t planning on sleeping with you on Wednesday.  But once you let me rub my foot up your leg, my brain went into overdrive. Then last night… Well, that wasn’t my idea. I was along for the ride as much as you were.”

“If you don’t want to…”

“Mikayla, look at you. The mother of my children, wearing a dress that has a pretty good track record of ending up crumpled in a heap on the floor…”

“One hundred percent, works every time,” she smiled.

“I can’t break that kind of streak now, can I?”  He pulled her into his arms, his hand cupping her cheek.  “You’re beautiful, Kay.  I’m so sorry for taking this long to make things right, with you, Justin, our kids.  But I’m in this, for good.  I wanna be the dad they should have gotten years ago.  I know they have Justin, but I want to be there for the big things and the small things.  Let me show you things can be the way they were again, between us…”

“Didn’t the last week show that?”

“No.  That was pent up sexual frustration and a desire to not be outdone by Justin Timberlake with the woman I love.”

“Well damn, I’m a lucky woman then,” she smiled.

He led her inside, leaving the sliding glass door open a bit, hearing the waves crashing, but closing their curtain, blocking anyone from seeing in.  Private beach or not, there could be people on that beach that could see them if they so desired.

He held her close, his fingers combing through her hair.  “Your hair is so soft, it smells so good… Oh Kay…”

“Easy, Lenny,” she chuckled.  She stopped when his lips found hers, his mouth swallowing her groan of need for him, his hands pulling her closer.

“You’re sure you want this, with me?  You can change your mind before it’s too late…” Josh said tentatively. 

“Honey, it’s been 10 years too late…  I’m yours and you’re mine, nothing has changed that.”

“Not even Justin?”

“I’m trying to set a mood here, Josh.  I love you, in spite of everything.  If I wasn’t ok with this, I’d have made it obvious by now.  I want you in my life as more than just a co parent, an ex.  I still love you, for better or worse, body and soul.  Make love to me Josh.”

“That’s the plan, over and over again.”

He kissed her again, with renewed purpose.  This wasn’t Justin forcing them together, there was a mutual want for this night, setting things closer to the way they should have been.  Doing what they would have done if they were together.  Maybe not in a private beachfront home, getting the nanny or Carolina to watch the twins for a night or two so they could truly be alone.  

His hand unzipped her dress, admittedly a little disappointed until he pulled back to look at her.  “You normally go braless with this dress, though damn if this isn't close enough…”

“Yeah, I thought it’d be nice to have something new thrown in,” she lied.  She wasn’t going to tell him Justin had bought it for her to wear.  “Be all sexy and seductive…”

“You don’t need sexy lingerie to do that, you should know that by now.  I’m not complaining, cuz, well… fuck you’re hot.”

“Same goes for you, Josh.  Your soulful eyes, the energy that radiates from you.  I don’t know what I expected when we first met, that we wouldn’t end up here somehow.”

“You were a Justin girl…”

“Until you changed that.  I was still a fan, but I totally became a JC girl for life once you walked into that auditorium…”

He kissed her deeply, his hands teasing her breasts barely hidden under the lace bra keeping them fully from him.  She groaned in his mouth as he rolled her hardened nubs between his fingers.  He gently laid her on the bed, kissing her cheek, sucking and biting gently on her earlobe before kissing down her neck, running his tongue along the hollow of her neck, sucking gently on it.  

Her hands tangled in his hair.  “Josh, make me feel good.”

“I’m up for the task,” he smiled.  He kissed her collarbone, kissing over the lace cup of her strapless bra, nibbling teasingly at her nipples. His hands rested on her outer thigh, one working its way in. His eyes widened in surprise as he felt the lace she was wearing down below.

“Is this what I think it is?” JC wondered aloud.

“Crotchless panties? Yeah. Add to the sexiness…”

“I’ve got my work cut out for me, mama’s bringing her A game.”

“I have no doubts you’ll do the same.”

He unhooked her bra, pulling it off of her before tossing it behind him. He nipped and sucked her breasts as his fingers felt her excitement greet him. “Fuck, Kay.  You feel so good.”

“You make me feel even better,” she groaned, rolling her hips to match his fingers, moving between stroking inside and out of her.  His movements were slow, full of passion. Almost reminiscent of their first time, HER first time.

“Josh, are you…?”

“As best I can. It’s one of several memories I recall when I need something.  I might be fuzzy on the exact details at this point, being without you to relive it until now.”

“Don’t stop, Josh.  Keep going, oh GOD, keep going…”

“I’m taking my time right now, the times this week were faster than I’d like, or with more people than I’d like…”

“Still hot as fuck,” she groaned. 

He kissed down her stomach, her legs allowing him access.  She groaned at the contact, he hummed in enjoying her like that again, alone.

She felt that warm swirl getting more intense, her hand cupping the back of his head before grabbing more firmly. “Fuck, Josh… YES…”

His hands gripped her hips, his fingertips pressing into her ass as he continued, needing to drive her crazy.  He knew it was coming, like no time had passed between them.

She released with a loud groan and her body shook, Mikayla all but spent.  He kissed up her body, finally placing a kiss on her lips.  “I love you,” he whispered as he playfully kissed the tip of her nose. 

“I love you, too.  Do you want me to…?”

“No, I’m ready if you are.”

“Lie down. I feel this needs to be a little different.  It may not feel like it, but time has passed. I’ve gone through pregnancy and childbirth, my body isn’t the same.”

“Your body is incredible,” JC gushed. 

He lay on his back, Mikayla straddling his hips. She slowly took him in, inch by inch, the sensation almost too much.  She leaned over him, not directly skin to skin except from the waist down, her legs hooking under his. 

He looked at her at this angle, trying to see what she could possibly have referred to. He was surprised at how far along she was, she showed no signs of a baby bump. He smiled as he watched her breasts bouncing with each roll of their hips.  They had changed, slightly bigger, fuller.  Maybe less perky, but he wasn’t about to complain. This woman, her body, had carried his children.  He would find that more beautiful than anything else.

“What’s the look for?” Mikayla wondered, keeping the pace slow and even.

“You’re beautiful, Mikayla. So damn beautiful I can’t put it into words. I can’t find a single flaw, you are just as perfect now as you were then, more so after having our twins.  I love you so much, I’m sorry for being this insensitive asshole…”

“I’m sorry for not telling you, even out of spite. You’d at least have known, been able to know them sooner.”

“Let’s not do this now. Kay, you feel so good. I’ve missed this, I’ve missed you…”

“Should I keep going?”

“Don’t stop. I want you touching as much of me as possible, feeling your whole body almost merge with mine.”

She laid over him, his body picking up pace, hers shifting right along with him. It was like they shared one mind, one heart, body. 

It wasn’t passion filled, not in the ‘I need to have you now’ way, but more like ‘I’ve waited my whole life for you’, ‘epitome of romantic’ kind of passion. It was slow, intimate, a real reunifying their souls experience.  

Mikayla flashed between her first time with JC, and her first time with Justin on their wedding night. This moment blew any other out of the water.  It was tender, delicate, filled with promise and hope for the future.  

“Kay…”

“Let go for me, Josh.”

He kissed her deeply, feeling his body jerk in release.  She felt whole.  She felt guilty that the two times she’d had with Justin hadn’t felt like that, but at the same time she knew this was different. 

“You’re thinking, I can hear the gears turning,” JC smiled. 

“Feeling guilty. Justin and I had sex twice today and I didn’t feel any of what I felt just now…”

“I’m afraid to ask…”

“I don’t even know if I can put it into words. It’s been a long time since I’ve felt this close to someone, so cared for. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve never had complaints sexually with Justin, but just now, it felt so right. Like there’s no one else I'm supposed to be with.”

“I know I’m glad you feel that way, with us.  Maybe tell him?  How did you feel then?”

“I mean, it was hot as fuck. He picked out the lingerie, even bought some toys just in case…”

“For us?” JC asked. “Seems weird…”

“I guess in case we were into certain things.”

“Anything you don’t use with him?”

“I mean, you know my go to items…” 

“Were those in there?”

“Yeah. I wasn’t sure we wanted them, though.”

A smile spread across his face. “We just did nice, I’ll be ready for something more naughty in a bit.  We’re gonna go as long as we can, mama.”

 

“A challenge I look forward to,” she smiled in reply.

Mikayla woke up the next morning, feeling JC wrapped around her.  Her body felt like Jello, sore in the best way.  She knew this was only because they were alone in the house, she and Justin hadn’t had anything like that in a while.  She loved the twins, but they didn't exactly allow for privacy a lot of the time, even with Jackie right next to their room.

“You feeling ok?” JC asked.

“I’m afraid to move…  Just leave me here for the next few days…”

“Getting old, are you?” he laughed.

“Says the man turning 40 in just under 3 months…”

“I’m definitely feeling a little stiff,” he groaned.

“Did you really just make a morning wood joke?”

“Yes and no.  I mean, you can feel it, but the rest of my body is screaming ‘It’s a trap!  Don’t do it, please…’ Mostly my back.  Stay right here, I have an idea.”

“I’m not going anywhere unless absolutely necessary.”

JC slowly rolled to sit up in bed, carefully getting up off the bed.  Mikayla smiled at his naked ass, how good his body looked for almost 40.  Not that she had a frame of reference for naked men nearing 40, but damn he looked good.  He disappeared into the bathroom, coming out with a glass of water and a bottle of Tylenol.

“Take a couple.  I’m gonna go get some Gatorade I put in the fridge last night while you were at dinner.”

“At least put on your briefs or a towel, there’s a pretty direct view inside if you're close enough,” she giggled. 

“That’s a risk I'm willing to take. My back will scream at me if I bend over to put anything on.  I’ll be right back, my love.”

Mikayla had her own idea, chugging down the water and Tylenol before she got herself out of bed. She walked into the bathroom, turning on the water for the tub, getting some of her oils and bath salts out.

JC came into the room quietly, hearing the water in the bathroom. She was sitting on the edge of the tub, JC giving her a loving smile.  “For me?”

“For both of us.  Not too hot since you know, pregnant and all, but I thought it might help…”

“It’ll help in multiple ways, I’m sure,” he chuckled.  “My thoughtful woman.  Fuck, I don’t even know what to call you.  At least HE gets to call you his wife…”

“That could be your pet name for me, if you really want.  I dunno, clearly I didn't think about all of the intricacies and minute details of this relationship.”

“As long as you’re mine again, that’s really all that matters to me.”

“And now I have Wicked stuck in my head…”

JC gave her a confused look.  “For a guy that considered shifting to acting from music, you don’t know musical theater?  There’s a song in Wicked called As Long As You’re Mine.  And a very fitting line in it goes ‘I’ll wake up my body, and make up for lost time’...” she sang.

“Clearly I’m in the wrong business.  Maybe I could be the next Andrew Lloyd Weber,” he chuckled.  “I tend to have more music type music, not songs from musicals stuck in my head.  There's so many shows that come up every year, it’d be hard to keep it all straight in my head…”

“That brilliant brain of yours,” she smiled. “The one that gave us Digital Getdown and One Night Stand and 100 Ways…  Let’s not forget the wisdom of Space Cowboy.”

“Fuck you, those were… well, they were songs,” JC laughed.

“You know I love them because you wrote them.  You also gave us great songs like Dear Goodbye, Lose Myself, and Build my World.”

“Really, not gonna mention Selfish?” he asked, almost offended.

“Unperfect?  Clearly no one goes over correct grammar with song writers…”

JC rolled his eyes.  “Whatever, that was a fucking brilliant song for what it was.”

“It was,” she smiled.  It fits us, that’s for sure.  Let’s get in the tub while the water is still warm.”

She stepped in, waiting for JC to get in before she sat and laid down against his chest.

They were quiet for a while, letting the water do its part in their healing and recovery process from the night before.

“So you really haven’t been with anyone else since we broke up?” she asked, breaking the silence.

“I’ve had less than a handful of one night things, when I got really desperate that my hand wouldn’t do it.”

“Lance and Michael’s wedding?” she wondered.

“I may have taken a model to a hotel, somewhere impersonal.”

“VMAs?”

“My hotel room, yeah. I’m seeing a trend…”

“What’s that?”

“The major events I saw you at or we interacted, I needed someone.  I mean, I missed you all the time, but having you so close, seeing or talking to you, I needed someone, pretend they were you.”

“Josh…”

“You’re the only woman I want, Kay.  I made a big mistake, two of them in a short time.  Actually, three.”

“Three?”

“Maybe more.  First was letting what happened in my studio with her ever happen at all.  Then it was believing anything more had happened between you and Justin, not wanting you back.  Third was deleting that voicemail, missing out on being the father and husband I should have been.  Even more if you count things I said and did to try and make you angry because I was feeling like shit.”

“I was sure you were sleeping with her once we were over.  The chemistry you had in performances…”

“I was pretending she was you, Kay.  Every woman I was with like that, I closed my eyes and pretended she was you.  I’m sure that’s terrible for the women I literally just randomly picked.  Wasn’t even attracted to them, just needed a body to pretend was yours.”

“Sounds like you need a therapist or something…”

“Maybe I did, but things are good between us now.  Needing to do that isn’t an option anymore.  Why pretend when I have the real thing?”

“You really can’t see yourself with anyone else?  I’d say there are plenty of women at Eric’s events…”

“Yes and no.  Not plenty, but it’s not all dudes.”

“More like girlfriends of people there, not anyone he has as a client.”

“I guess, yeah.  Not that it matters.  I only want you, Kay.”

“If I’m on the road with Justin, and you wake up next to a beautiful woman you had great conversation with before amazing sex, you wouldn’t consider more?”

“She’s not you, so no…”

“Josh.  I love what we have going right now, but to sustain that long term?  You don’t want a marriage, more kids?”

“I’m turning 40, Kay.  I think those ships sailed.  Thankfully the one of having kids is alive and well thanks to the twins.  I’d been afraid of the possibility, but now that I know they’re here, they exist… I’m ecstatic.  I should be freaking out that I have kids out there, but it’s you, not some one night stand demanding money.  And they had Justin raising them, they got the best of everything.”

“He thought having YOU raise them would have been better.  He loves them to death, but he still feels like he was a placeholder sometimes.  At least now we have one of our own, he’ll feel like a real dad too, he’ll be the actual father…”

“How did that go when you had them?”

“We were married, though secretly, people knew we were together, so no one even thought twice about him being the father that they let him sign the papers.  If I hadn’t been tied to someone so famous, I still feel they’d have let whoever was male and in the room with me sign off as the father, even if it was a gay best friend.”

“That’s a little disturbing.”

“I’ve been looking into it, and in certain circumstances our situation would be paternity fraud.  At the same time, one could argue that you deleting that voicemail, dropping contact, could be abandonment and therefore Justin stepped in as the legal guardian.  We had papers drawn up to cover him in such an event.  Not that you would sue him or anything, but just in case.  The hospital didn't even bat an eye in question of him being the father, so I don’t know how legal all of this was or not, but it happened.  They didn't ask, and we didn’t tell.”

“Justin is looking into lawyers and stuff with all this, right?  I’ll have my people work with his.”

“You said Eric is taking this well?”

“Only because I am.  I might have been panicked in the moment of calling him, but even then he started going off and I was like ‘it’s Mikayla, I want to be part of this.  Not to hide it necessarily, but yeah.  Only really hide it because of the situation.  They’ll know, my family will know, right?”

“Shit, I told your mom I’d call her today…”

“We could call her together.”

“Not right now, that’s for sure.  I wanna FaceTime, and being naked in a tub with you isn't the best way to reintroduce myself to your family…”

“Kay, we were sleeping together by the time we went to Florida, staying at my house there.”

“I was sad when I heard you sold it…”

“I’m not there as much as I used to be, I stay with my parents when I’m there, so it was the right choice.  I just wish I’d made the right choice about us back then.  It didn't matter how much I loved you, I felt hurt and betrayed and I wasn't going to let myself get hurt again.  After everything with Eva, her leaving me for someone else…”

“You’re here now, so that’s more important.  You know about the twins, and are choosing to be part of things now.  We can’t erase the past, but we can face the future together.”

“Can we talk about what you said last night?  After the first time, feeling something different…”

“It’s been a while since Justin and I had anything like that. It’s great, but we get so little time together that it’s usually more hot and heavy cuz it’s just been building up.”

“Maybe you need a weekend away together or something.  Once the kids know everything, if they're ok with it, I could watch them for the weekend.”

“By yourself?  At your place?”

“Or yours.  Maybe we could have a movie night at my place, have the kids come and check it out, see what all I need to do to make it more kid friendly.  I’m already trying to design their bedroom, turn my guest room into their room.  I meant it when I said I’d sell my place to get something more suitable for them.  I’m already kinda looking, found a place not far from you.  Like, less than 5 minutes, on the other side of Mulholland.”

“You have a 4 bedroom place, Josh.”

“Not with the studio in there.”

“Let’s put off selling your place until we know they are ok with the situation.”

“Back to before.  It’s really been all fire, no romance?”

“We’re both working, we have the twins, it’s exhausting, Josh.  When they were babies, it took months before we could really find the time to.  We went to dinner and a beautiful hotel suite about 2-3 months after the twins were born, once I was cleared by my doctor.”

“They had to give your permission?”

She laughed.  “There’s a lot to heal after having a baby.  Even with that, they don’t suggest getting pregnant again until 18 months after delivery, because internally there’s still healing.”

“Isn’t it all internal?”

“Mostly, yes.  Sometimes women tear.  Thankfully I didn’t, but probably because it was two so they were smaller.  If I’d had to have a c section, they would have cut me open and pulled out my organs…”

“Stop now unless you want vomit in this tub…” JC warned.

“Childbirth is a big deal.  Guys are finished with their part after sex, but if a woman gets pregnant from it, it takes over 2 years from start to finish and having another without putting more stress on the body.  I had wanted to breastfeed, but once I found out it was twins, I knew I’d be way too tired, even with help.”

“Are you considering it with Silas?”

“I’m not sure.  KInda, just to see what I missed out on with the twins, but I’ve heard horror stories, so I don’t know.”

“I’m afraid to ask,” he laughed. 

“Maybe I shouldn’t, given that you’re part of this now.  Justin was great about things with the twins during recovery, as far as my healing and all of that. But now, with both of you…”

“What?”

“Not that it happened all the time, but finding time with a newborn to satisfy his urges was difficult enough. Now I have two of you to deal with…”

“Between the option of the twins staying with me for a while, and Jackie helping with Silas, I’m sure you’ll be fine. I mean, not that… fuck.  We’ll figure things out, but put yourself first as far as Mom mode.  If you want to breastfeed Silas, we’ll deal with whatever comes with that.  Don’t worry about us, we’ll love and support you with whatever you want to do.  I went the better part of 5 years without someone else, I’ll make due.”

“Would you want another baby, so you get the experience you missed out on?” Mikayla wondered. 

“I know he’s not mine, but Silas will be a good sense of that, though I won’t be living with you guys. There’s an idea…”

“Josh, what… no.  No. We’re not all living together, you need your own space. It’ll be weird enough for the kids knowing you’re their dad, I don’t need them walking in on us in an intimate moment…”

“That’s why doors have locks, Kay.”

“Still no. I’d be surprised if Justin thought it would be a good idea.”

“I have a good idea for right now though,” JC said, kissing the hollow of her neck.

“Yeah?” she purred. 

“A little foreplay in the tub, finish in the shower?”

She hummed as his fingers spread her thighs apart, his fingers stroking her firmly. 

“Oh god… earlier I’d have said no way.  But now, fuck yes…”

 

“You really are an amazing woman. Right now, you’re all mine.”

Mikayla finished washing herself in the shower while JC threw on a tee and boxer briefs. He pulled out his phone, taking a few minutes on there while he waited for her to be finished.

She dried off, walking naked through the bedroom to her closet, picking out something to wear. 

“I liked that loose sweater thing you had,” JC called out.  “It looked really comfy.”

She threw on a tank top and shorts, pulling the off the shoulder sweater over her.

“Let’s go downstairs and call my mom,” JC sighed. 

They went downstairs, opting to sit on the couch. JC pulled out his phone. 

“I told her I’d call,” Mikayla said. 

“Not like she wouldn’t answer if I called,” JC laughed. He pressed his mom’s contact on his phone, waiting for her to pick up. 

“Hi Josh,” Karen smiled.

“Hi Mom. I have something I wanted to tell you.”

“I know it’s a touchy subject, but I texted Mikayla yesterday for her birthday…”

“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about. I’ve had some time to process this last week or so. I saw her at a thing with her school, I found a site they really want to use. We got to talking…”

“How are things then? Are you two okay?”

JC panned his phone to fit Mikayla in the shot. “Hi, Mrs. Chasez…”

“Josh, it’s early in California, she’s married to Justin…”

“Having coffee, Mom,” JC lied. “There’s something you need to know. Kayla, I think you should tell her…”

“Oh no…” Karen sighed. 

“The twins are mine and Josh’s. From right before we broke up. You’re a grandma.”

“You’re sure they’re his, not Justin’s…”

“Very. He was the only option. I know things went fast with Justin, but because I was pregnant. I tried telling Josh, but he wouldn’t talk to me, deleted the voicemail I left telling him everything.”

“So the last 4 years…”

“Justin has been raising Josh’s babies, yes.  Our son is Joshua Miguel…”

“How do you feel about all of this, Josh?” Karen asked carefully. 

“I’m ecstatic. I get a piece of what we wanted for so long. I regretted so much that whole time, but at least now I get some of that back. We’ve been talking with Justin, we’re gonna quietly figure out custody stuff and guardianship, everything. It’ll all be very open…”

“Justin rented a cabin near Yosemite for Christmas, there’s plenty of room if you want to fly out and meet your grandchildren…” Mikayla smiled.

“You’re really ok with this, Josh?”

“I’m great, Mom.  We’re on good terms, I have kids with the woman I wanted them with… I know it’s not an ideal situation, but we’re going to make it work.  I really think the only reason I’m on board is because it’s Kayla.”

“I’ll talk to your dad and tell him we’re flying out to California for Christmas!” Karen smiled. “I’m glad you’re working things out, I just wish we’d known sooner.”

“I didn’t want it said during an argument, and any time we were around each other it was heated or just not the right moment.  I wanted the situation we got, seeing each other with no tension, no anger, and talked things out. I wanted to tell him right away so he could decide what he wanted. There was no hesitation, and it’s good. I’m gonna tell the twins, so he can be part of Father’s Day and not feel left out. I hope it goes well, I’ve been telling them stories about him, watching old *NSYNC performances and things, even that one that you were on with all the moms… They’ve taken to him well so far, so I’m hoping that helps.”

“I need to go, but send me pictures and things for sure, maybe we’ll come out sooner to meet them before Christmas. I’m a grandma!” Karen was over the moon at the news.

“You’re already a grandma, Mom. Eliana…”

“You’re an uncle, that’s great,” Mikayla smiled. 

“Last year, yeah.  She’s pretty cute, but I gotta say I’m biased that Barb is the cutest.”

“We named her after my grandma.  Barbara Renee.  Quite the spitfire. Let me get my phone and I can show you a picture from yesterday…”

Mikayla quickly pulled out her phone, pulling up a picture of all of them playing in the sand. 

“She’s beautiful, spitting image of her Mama.  And little Joshy is just like his daddy.  Oh, I can’t believe it!! I’ll talk to you soon, both of you.”

“Bye, Mom,” JC said before ending the call. Mikayla was scrolling and tapping on her phone. “Finding pictures to send her?”

“Yup.  I should send you baby pictures, like the day they were born. Justin got some great ones of me holding them.”

“Is it bad I wanna pretend Silas is mine when I hold him for the first time?  I missed holding them that little…”

“Maybe it’ll be like when Justin held them. He knew they weren’t his, but he knew he was going to love them as if they were, and I’d say he’s done a damn good job so far.”

“He has, and I’m really glad for that. You didn’t do it alone and raised them to know me and like me, in spite of everything…”

“I figured at some point they’d know the truth, and I didn’t want them hating you before they met you. The farther we got from when it all happened, the less upset I was with you. Did I wish you’d listened to the voicemail, wondered what our life would be like? Yeah.  But I stopped hating you for it a while ago. Now I’m back in love with you, as complicated as it is…”

There was a knock at the front door. Mikayla looked confused at JC.

“Go get the door, seeing as you’re dressed…” he sighed. 

Mikayla got up, hesitant to answer and see who it was. She opened the door, seeing someone drive away and a bag on the doorstep. She carried it in carefully.

“What’s this?” she asked, holding up the bag.

“I ordered breakfast through DoorDash…”

“What’s that?”

“Seriously? It’s delivery even if the place doesn’t offer delivery. They partner with the app, you order, and a driver picks it up and drops it off for you.  I don’t normally do it cuz of where I live, but it’s been helpful at times.”

She sat back down on the couch, pulling the items out of the bag. “Did you seriously get me eggs benedict delivered?” she laughed. 

“Along with blueberry pancakes and their incredible breakfast potatoes. Bell pepper, onion, and this amazing spice blend.  I still use a little ketchup cuz it’s my thing, but you could try it with the hollandaise sauce.”

“You sound like you’ve tried that combo before.”

“Maybe, especially thinking of how you’d like it.”

“You think of me a lot, like that?”

“I never really stopped, Kay.  Even when I was mad at you and Justin, something would remind me of you.  I was too proud to admit it most of the time. I never stopped loving you, Kay.  I’m sorry it took me this long to get my shit together…”

“I’m a mom to twin preschoolers. I barely have THEIR shit together, let alone mine,” she laughed. 

He grabbed his Gatorade, handing Mikayla one. “To getting our shit together, together…”

She tapped her bottle to his in a toast, unscrewing the cap to guzzle a few swallows before starting on her food. 

“You want some juice or tea? I can grab it. Spoil the pregnant woman, like I should have then…”

“I was plenty spoiled, don’t worry.”

“Tell me everything, I want to know what I missed out on between them and now.”

“You’re sure?”

JC nodded. Mikayla told him about going to the Bahamas, the weddings, doctor visits, everything. 

“The scariest part of the pregnancy was when they were doing the anatomy ultrasounds. We didn’t know it was one of each until then, and they found a small hole in Joshy’s heart.”

“Is he ok? I didn’t see any scars or anything.”

“Thankfully it didn’t grow as he did, so it was something they decided didn’t need anything once he was born. By his first birthday it was fixed all on its own. We got really lucky. Justin was ready to get the finest pediatric cardiologists and surgeons if necessary.”

“He’s been a really good dad to them, I’m glad he gets to have one of his own.  Just wish it was with someone else, and I was with you.”

“We’re together now, that’s what matters,” she said, squeezing his hand.

They finished breakfast as she talked, going back up to the bedroom so JC could get dressed. Mikayla put the sheets in the laundry before sitting back down on the couch downstairs.

“I should let you get home, don’t want to take up TOO much of your time and create jealousy…”

“I live with him, I think he’ll be ok with a few more hours.  Are YOU going to be jealous, knowing he gets me every night?”

“Not EVERY night, and I’m sure you’re not back at it every day again, with the exception of this last week…”

“No, we’re not.  It’s weird though.  I wish it was.  I think the want is there, for both of us, but the exhaustion of being a parent, it just… doesn’t always allow for that.  Not that we NEED to, we know what we mean to each other…”

“That’s why it’s more on the hot side instead of romantic, there’s that buildup, frustration,” JC sighed.  “Maybe that’s what you need right now.  Hot with him, slow and sensual with me.  As much as I like the hot, I can definitely channel it into the other for you.”

“I want both sides, with both of you.  I don’t know how this is going to work though, getting to spend that time together.”

“Maybe we can create a schedule.  Certain days we know are with me.    I like the idea of a weekly movie night with the kids.  Maybe we alternate whose house it’s at and that’s where you stay for the night, Justin taking the twins home or me going home.  Then we alternate nights.  Like I’d get you Friday night, Justin Saturday, then me Sunday, then the next week we’d switch…”

“That sounds extremely complicated, and wouldn’t people notice we’re spending a lot of time together?”

“Maybe we need to tell the world about this.”

“Josh, no.  This kinda thing could ruin both of your careers.  You’ve worked so hard…”

“Trust me, I think Justin has enough in the bank that if he never works another day in his life, he’d be fine.  Put enough in the right investments and he’d be set for sure.  I’ve got plenty saved up, staying on the board for the school would cover me…”

“That pays THAT much?”

“You know how much I made when we first met.  Are you making at least that?”

“A bit more, actually, but it’s been a few years.”

“Well, triple that.”

“Jesus…”

“I still find it funny that you dated me for almost 5 years, you’ve been married to Justin for 5 years, and money matters still shock you on how much we bring in.  That I spent 6 figures on jewelry for you, when your wedding in Italy was probably 8 figures, if not more.  It might bother you, spending that much, but we have no problem spending it on you, the twins, because you’re worth it.  You know we both would spend our last dimes to make sure you were taken care of.  I don’t think it’ll be that big of a deal as far as ruining our careers.  There’s still royalties, which don’t make us rich, but it’s still steady…  I don’t want you worrying about this.  It can’t be good for the baby.”

“Now you sound like Justin did,” Mikayla smiled.  “Stay, just a little longer.  Please.  I need to wait for the laundry anyway.”

JC smiled.  “Make out on the couch?”

 

Mikayla hummed.  “Better do a lot more than make out…”

“I’m glad you made it,” Mikayla said quietly.  They sat in the last row, trying not to garner attention.  She knew, of course, that wouldn’t last long.  It was a small auditorium and she was sitting next to Justin, JC, and Lance.  They weren’t about to miss the twins’ first on stage performance.

JC wrapped his arm around Mikayla, Justin’s hand resting on her thigh.  They smiled as the kids took their places on the stage.  It was mostly songs, a little dialogue that was very short.  Mikayla got excited as she heard the intro to one of the songs.

“This is it, if you’re gonna record, do it now!” she encouraged.

JC watched in awe as he saw Barb doing the choreography, adding her own bit of flare.  Then it happened.  Joshy had his solo, and the power they heard from such a tiny human, they knew this was something.  This must have been how their parents felt discovering their talents, the pride they felt, and wanting to encourage it without also forcing it upon them.  JC had felt enough pressure over the years to know he didn't want his son to feel the same way.  If Joshy wanted to do something with music, it would be encouraged, not forced upon him.  It was clear dance was in Barb’s blood, Mikayla thought of all the times she’d catch her just dancing to the music in TV shows or commercials.

Mikayla knew this moment would be important, but didn’t realize just how big.  Joshy wasn’t always singing around the house like Justin was, singing songs or just humming something in his head.  He was reserved, like JC, keeping the music inside.  She smiled, knowing eventually it would need to just burst out of him, like it had just now.  She thought of what she knew of JC and Justin growing up, wondering if either twin would take a similar path as their dads.

The performance ended, their group waiting for some of the audience to thin out before standing up. 

Barb had other plans, running up to the tire they were in. “Daddy!” she yelled, jumping onto his lap and into his arms.

“You did great out there, baby girl,” Justin beamed. “Crushed that choreography…”

Joshy followed shortly behind his sister, a smile on his face. 

“You were great, buddy,” JC smiled.  He wanted desperately to hug his son in that moment, having to accept him wanting to hug Mikayla instead.

Lance just looked at them, surprised at how things had turned out.  “You’re a lot like your dad, that’s for sure,” Lance said, the other adults giving him a look.

Lance left soon after, as the rest of them went to the classroom for a little party.  Parents were looking at them as they had JC with them, some approaching them to make small talk.

“Do you normally talk to these parents?” JC asked Mikayla.

“Nope. Not even when Justin comes with me,” she whispered in reply. 

“So they’re here because of…”

“You… yeah.  I’m glad tonight is movie night at your house, cuz I need to do something about this attention you’re getting.”

“The only attention I want is yours,” he said softly.

…

They sat in JC’s living room, eating pizza before starting the movie. 

“You guys did so great today,” Mikayla smiled. 

“Daddy, were you nervous the first time you sang for people?” Joshy asked. 

 

“No, I knew I was good at it, it was fun. JC, tell them the story about MMC…”

 

“I’ll go one better. My friends dared me to join a dance thing because there was a girl I liked and there was a cash prize. I’d never danced before, not really, but I won. After that, I was at auditions for MMC, not really expecting to make the cut. Matt, the guy running auditions sees me and asks me to sing. As soon as he heard me sing, they told me I was in.  I hadn’t really thought about it, but it turned out I was really good at it, and it was a lot of fun. A few years later I met that one, and the rest is history,” JC said.

“I was nervous at first, when Ms. Maribel told me she wanted me to sing by myself, but when everyone was watching, it just felt right.”

“You get them from your daddy,” Justin sighed. 

“But you said you knew before then, it was fun…”

Mikayla bit her lower lip. “We have something we need to tell you. You like JC, right?”

The twins nodded. “He’s fun, I’m glad we’ve been hanging out,” Barb answered. 

“Well, he’s gonna be around a lot, you’ll be around him…”

“Tell them, Kay.  You’ve never beat around the bush with them on things…” Justin encouraged. “You’ve rehearsed this, kinda…”

“What, Mommy?” Joshy wondered. 

“Well, you know how I told you mommies and daddies make a wish for a baby?” The twins nodded their heads.  “Well, Daddy wasn’t the one I wished that with.  JC was.  JC’s your real daddy.  We got mad at each other right before I found out you were in my tummy, and Daddy said he’d help me take care of you. Then he told me he loved me, I realized I loved him, and we got married.”

“But Daddy held us when we were born, we just met JC.  How could he be our daddy?” Barb asked. 

“I told you we were in love for a long time, and we wished for over a year for a baby. I thought it was never going to happen.”

“Is that why you got mad at each other?”

“No,” JC chimed in. “I made a mistake, Mommy got really mad at me, but I still loved her very much. Then she realized she loved me, but I was mad at her by then.  She tried to tell me about you guys, but I was too mad to listen. So Justin and Mommy fell in love.  Joshy, you look a lot like I did when I was little, like Barb looks a lot like Mommy.  If I had known, listened to Mommy that I was gonna be a Daddy, I’d have been there. But sometimes being an adult is hard, you don’t always make the right choices. Mommy and Daddy, the one you grew up with, love you very much. Once your Mommy told me I was a daddy, and I met you both, I fell in love with you, too. I’m sorry I missed you being born, but I want to be here for things from now on.”

The twins looked at each other, then at the three adults in the room.  Barb’s bottom lip started to quiver.  She looked at Justin. “Does this mean you and Mommy don’t love each other anymore, you’re not gonna be our Daddy anymore?”  The tears started to streak down her cheeks. 

Justin pulled her into his arms.  “Baby girl, no. Mommy and I still love each other very much, you’re getting a baby brother, remember?  I’ll always be Daddy, even though I’m not really your daddy. I love both of you so much, never forget that. But JC is your real dad.  He wants to be your dad, always did.”

“You guys don’t have to call me Daddy, I know it’s gonna be tough to get used to,” JC said.  “The more time we spend together, the more I want to be around you.”

“Are you gonna live with us?” Joshy asked JC.

“No, buddy,” JC chuckled. “I’m gonna live here, but I’ll be over at your house a lot, or you could even come here if you want.  It’s totally up to you two, I don’t want you to do anything you aren’t ok with.  Sorry my house doesn’t have a pool or anything, but I could get some cool toys for you to play with when you’re here.”

“I guess that’s ok,” Barb said quietly. “I’m really confused…”

“It’s ok, baby.  Life can be confusing. I was confused about all this for a while, too. As scared as I was of being a Mommy by myself, I was confused why Daddy, Justin, wanted to fill in as Daddy instead of JC.  Then he told me he loved me, and I fell in love with him too.  Life isn’t always a fairytale, it’s usually pretty messy and confusing. Just know we all love you both and want what’s best for you.”

“Can we watch the movie now?” Joshy asked. 

“Yeah, bud,” Justin laughed. “We can do that.”

…

The movie ended, the twins asleep on JC’s couch, Mikayla curled up next to JC.  JC was still awake, looking at Justin.

“Sorry,” he offered quietly.

“It’s your first full weekend with her.  I honestly like that better than the every other day thing.”

“I’m surprised you let me have the first weekend, I still feel I was intruding last weekend with her birthday and everything.”

“We needed it, to figure all of this out.  I had her Tuesday night once she came home through now, I’ll get her all next week. You’re sure you’re ok with every other weekend? I knew we’d have this with the kids, I didn’t think we’d really have to schedule time with Mikayla…” Justin chuckled quietly.

“I can take the twins next weekend if you want, if they’re ok with it.  Give you two time to have some romance…”

“We have plenty of time…” Justin interrupted.

 

“For sex, sure.  But to really BE with each other.  She said some things this week. No details, but that you guys haven’t really been… romantic lately. Apparently hot as hell, but nothing slow and romantic.  She felt guilty that she liked feeling that with me and not with you. I know your schedule doesn’t always allow…”

 

“For me to romance my wife?” Justin asked. He stopped to think about the last time they were like that.  “I guess it has been a while.  I’ll buy her flowers, or make dinner, but with the twins things normally need to move faster, so it gets a little more heated.  I don’t have the time I used to to draw things out.”

“Make time. Maybe I can take the twins on my off weekends with her so you two can do whatever, romantic or hot. I know we had a bit of both, probably will…”

“I don’t need to know, man.  Thanks for the tip, though.”

“Give her more than just the tip, bro,” JC laughed quietly. 

“Same to you,” Justin replied.

“Is it weird yet?” JC laughed.

“Yes,” Mikayla said, shocking both men.  “You’re not good whisperers, just so you know.  Josh, I’m glad you’re worried about my husband and my sex life, but yeah, this is weird…”

“Does that mean I’ll have help getting the kids in the car?” Justin asked.

“Yeah, I’ll help,” JC said, moving on the couch.

“I think he meant me…” Mikayla said.

“No, I meant C.  You’re pregnant, I’m not having you carry their dead weight and risk hurting you or the baby.”

“Fine, I’ll catch some more sleep…” she sighed.

“Kiss me before I leave you for the weekend,” Justin requested, leaning in.

Mikayla kissed him gently, not wanting to be too over the top in front of JC.

“Don’t hold back on my account,” JC chuckled. 

Justin laughed. “I never pegged you as a voyeur…”

“Only with Mikayla. I’d watch the faces she makes knowing she’ll make them with me…”

“And now it’s weird again…”

“Totally kidding, dude. That night last week was the closest I get to that kinda shit.  Let’s get the kids in the car.”

“I’ll text Jackie to have her help once I get home.”

“Doesn’t she get a night off?” JC wondered.

“Yeah, but she lives with us.  Odds are she’s home anyway.”

“Does she go out on dates?”

“Wanting to steal my nanny too, C?” Justin laughed. 

“No, just curious.”

“She doesn’t tell us that kinda thing. She normally just stays in her room on her nights off, not going out anywhere,” Mikayla added. 

“Is it bad I’m worried about that? Basically being on call 24/7.”

“I’ll talk to her, see if I can glean some info. Some girl talk.”

The guys pulled the twins into their arms, Mikayla getting the doors for them.  Thankfully the kids slept like rocks, so they didn't wake up being buckled into their seats.  Justin kissed Mikayla one last time, a little deeper than before since he knew he wouldn’t see her until later Sunday.

Mikayla waved as she watched him drive off, feeling like part of her was missing, yet knowing she wasn’t going to be alone.  JC could sense her apprehension, wrapping an arm around her.

“I understand if you don’t want…” he started before she kissed him gently.

“I definitely want, it’s just going to take some getting used to this whole situation.”

 

“Josh, you’re sure you’re ok with this?”

“Yes, I insist.  Go have brunch with Jackie, get some girl time in, I’ll be here when you get back.”

“I can’t drive stick, Josh, I’m not taking any of your cars…”

“I’ve got it covered.  You were wearing this for me, right?” he smiled, looking at her outfit.

“Yeah, even though we’re just gonna be around the house, I wanted to look cute.”

“That you do.  Now it’s perfect for a weekend brunch.  A car will be here to pick you up in about 10 minutes.”

“Make out a little before I go?” she smirked.

“I think I can handle that,” JC smiled, pulling her into his arms.

She was wearing a black off the shoulder dress, hugging her curves in all the right spots.  She hummed as his lips made contact, needing more but knowing she’d have to wait.

“Get me all revved up and nowhere to go, you’re a sadist…” she smirked.

“Keep thinking that and I’ll show you just how sadistic I can be,” he growled low.  “Take you to the edge and back off, then back to the edge without going over, it getting more intense each time…”

“OK, stop talking before I cancel brunch…”

“I’ll be here,” he smiled.

He walked her out to the car he’d arranged for her, Mikayla scrolling through her phone, checking social media.  Suddenly, she got a text from JC.

Don’t open this if you’re with Jackie…

She was curious, and since she was still in the car, she tapped on the message.  Her eyes bulged as she saw the picture he’d sent with the text.

Did JC Chasez really just send me a dick pic?  Damn, I’m moving up in the world…

I mean, my hand’s covering most of it that would get me in trouble if it ever leaked, so…

I shouldn’t be surprised, really…

You really shouldn’t.

You know you sent this in the group chat?

Haha. Made me panic for a second. I mean, not that he hasn’t seen it before.

Probably not like that.  I’m almost to the restaurant, so I’ll keep this for on the ride home.

I’ll make sure it's just like the picture when you get back.  Though maybe not in my hand…

 

Mikayla put her phone away, a smile on her face and a tingling between her legs.  The car came to a stop at a fancy brunch spot, Mikayla glad to be dressed up.  She got out of the car and saw a woman waving at her.

“Jackie?  You look so different…”

“Hair is down, dressed up a little, put on makeup. Gotta look nice for brunch with the boss…”

“Please, you’re not just some nanny. You’ve become part of our family, more like a friend or sister.”

They walked into the restaurant, Mikayla giving her name. 

“Sorry, nothing under that name…” 

“There’s no room for Mrs. Justin Timberlake? I heard him call and make the reservation…” Jackie said.

“Oh, Mrs. Timberlake, yes, right this way…”

“Not afraid to throw that name around, are you?” Mikayla laughed. 

“Not when it gets us special treatment and they think for some reason we’re below them.  I probably make more than he makes…”

They sat down at a small table by a window, enjoying the sunshine. They browsed the menu and were soon ready to order. 

“I’ll have the veggie egg white omelet and buckwheat pancakes,” Mikayla ordered.

“Cancel that. She’ll have the eggs benedict and blueberry pancakes, I’ll take the Denver omelet with hash browns, and a ton of ketchup,” Jackie smiled. 

“Drinks?” the server asked. 

“I’ll have a Shirley Temple,” Mikayla said.  “Or can I get a pineapple juice with a splash of Sprite?”

“I’ll take the Mimosa, thank you,” Jackie replied.

They server left, Mikayla feeling nervous. “I almost said I shouldn’t drink…”

“Lots of reasons for that though, Kayla.  So what’s up? We’ve never done this…”

“Yeah, I realized that. JC made us realize that even on your nights off, you’re at the house. You don’t get out a lot and we felt bad about that.”

“I mean, the kids are my job, so,” Jackie shrugged.

“But you never go anywhere, we’ve never heard about a boyfriend, nothing…”

“I don’t really know a lot of people out here. I started nannying after I moved out here, and the guy I was with at the time, we made long distance work until I started working for you and Justin.”

“I’m sorry we played a part in that, I didn’t even know…”

“I was working for you, but it was all him. He cheated on me cuz I never had time to fly out and I wasn’t gonna bring a guy back to casa Timberlake…”

“Have you been on any dates since then?” Mikayla wondered. 

“No, and that’s fine. I love the twins, even on my nights off they still want to see me, so I’m good.  It would still be weird if I brought a guy home, pretty intimidating that I live with my boss who happens to be Justin Timberlake…”

“Yeah, I guess I got over that real quick when Josh was my boss.”

Jackie laughed.  “How did that all happen?  I have only known you since you’ve been with Justin, and even then I don’t know that story.”

“With everything that happened with the album pushing back his second album, he pretty much up and quit.  Eric and he both found a job with music that wasn’t IN the industry, being a department chair for a private school.  His first day, he comes to the school to meet the music teachers, he sees me playing the piano, and the rest is history.  I think what really did it, along with me playing classical music by memory with my eyes closed, was being all but locked in my tiny office for at least 30-45 minutes while the kids were getting picked up and parents were around.  He took us out for drinks, then I started to get to know him, we’d flirt a little…”

“When did you get together? Like how long did it take?”

“Not long, like a couple weeks.  I was with him when his album had leaked online, and he came back to my apartment so he wasn’t alone, we talked.  He told me since I was technically more reporting to the principals instead of directly to him, that it wasn’t a conflict of interest, and they had a couple that dated and married on staff.  We kept it hush hush for a while, even at work, just cuz it was really no one’s business.  Once things came out, people were ok with it, it had been a while at that point.  Well, we were professional at work, but at Friday night happy hour with the staff, we didn't hold back.  I mean, nothing gross, but we held hands, he’d have his arm around me, we’d share food, public friendly PDA…”

“And how did you meet Justin?”

“Josh and my first ‘big’ outing was to the party for Justin’s second album.  Josh was taking pictures for the press, and I waited inside for him.  Justin saw me, thinking I was alone, and started hitting on me.”

“He didn't…”

“He kissed me, and it was great, but also very wrong.  Josh never saw, but Justin soon realized I was the girl Josh could not stop talking about.  They were mixed on whether it was a good idea to mix business with pleasure, though once they knew he was happy and I wasn’t some gold digging bitch, they calmed down.”

“What about going from dating Josh to dating Justin?  I mean, it all seemed to happen so fast.”

“It definitely did, but that’s not something I want to discuss here.  Mistakes were made, tough choices had to be dealt with, but everything is ok now.  That’s what matters.  You know some of the truth now, after last weekend.  So, you’ve just been single this whole time, basically?  You don’t miss being with someone?”

“I do, but it’s hard given the situation I’m in.  I can’t bring myself to be away from the twins, I’m just so used to them needing me.  I know they’re 4, needing me less as they become more independent…”

“They’ll always need you.  Justin’s movie premieres this fall.  We’ll need someone to help with them in case they want pictures of me and him together, though why I don’t know.”

“Because you’re married and a beautiful couple…”

“I’m not a celebrity,” Mikayla sighed.

“You’re still Mrs. Timberlake…”

“I don’t even wear expensive stuff all the time.  I mean, unless it’s something Justin bought me, so I have no idea how much it cost.”

“I maintain my last statement…”

“Would you be against finding someone to date?  I have brothers in law…”

“I’m not dating one of Justin’s brothers…”

Mikayla almost choked on her drink.  “No, I meant my sister’s husband has 2 brothers.  The younger brother might be around your age, really good looking, too.  However, his name is Justin, so…”

“Have I met him before?”

“No.  My brother in law barely comes to things, his family doesn’t come to things except for the kids’ birthdays and such which you didn’t need to be there for in the past.  The next time we’re invited over and I know he’ll be there, I could introduce you…”

“Why does this suddenly matter to you?  If I’m seeing someone or not?”

“Because we don’t want your job to keep you from being who you are outside of work.  We want you to have a life outside of us.”

“It has kinda become my whole identity, yeah, being the nanny to the Timberlake twins.  Which, how will that…”

“Not here,” MIkayla said firmly.  “I doubt that will change, at least not right now.  They know, and seem totally ok with it.  We’ll see how it plays out.  Back on topic, we want you to be able to hang out, make friends, date…”

“I’m a military brat, so I’m used to kinda being on my own, but thank you for the sentiment.  I will try when I have time off.”

“I think given everything we can arrange more time off now, I’ll see what Justin and I can do for you as well to encourage that.”

“I don’t need you to set up friends for me.”

“I was thinking of you getting your own place.  Still having your room with us, but somewhere for on your days off and such.”

“Well, with what you’re paying me, I can afford my own place, that’s for sure. Thank you, it’s really generous in comparison…”

“I feel like I’m the reason why. When I met Josh I was barely making ends meet in a studio apartment. I know when you started I researched typical wages and was like ‘that’s definitely not enough’.  So I’ve tried to keep on track with that. Justin knows our budget inside and out, but I think it doesn’t mean the same for him as it does for me, knowing it’s a livable wage.  Honestly, you’re so great with the twins that I could see him outright paying your rent each month.”

“That won’t be necessary, but thank you.  I’ll start looking for a place somewhat nearby.”

They talked about the twins, life in general, becoming more like friends than a nanny and her boss. 

They went their separate ways, Mikayla going back to JC’s in the private sedan.  She pulled out her phone. 

I’m on my way back. Brunch went great, but I’m excited to see you.

I’m plenty excited too, babe. Let yourself in, I’ll be in the bedroom waiting for you.

You better be exactly like in your pic you sent me…

One difference, I won’t be touching myself.  I’m waiting for you to get the party started…

Party, huh? 

Party for 2, the best kind.

Can’t wait. Love you.

 

Love you too.

 

The car arrived at JC’s house, Mikayla getting her key out of her purse. She smiled at the clutch Justin had bought her, knowing it was crazy that she was having both men in her life.

She unlocked the front door, gently kicking off her shoes before heading to the bedroom. The door was slightly open, Mikayla curious exactly what she’d find on the other side. 

She smiled, seeing JC on the bed, laying where he was a combination of on his back but also on his side; sexy, naked, and definitely ready to go.

“I didn’t miss any fun, did I?” she asked, eyeing his engorged length. 

“No, just thinking about you, what I wanted to do did the trick.”

“Fuck, just what are you planning that got you looking like THIS?!”

“Come here and find out,” he smirked.

She stood at the foot of the bed, her arms crossing to pull her dress over her head. “I’m way overdressed, I need the appropriate attire.”  She reached behind her, unhooking her bra, handling her own breasts to play with him a little. 

“Those are mine to play with, eek pleasure from…” he frowned.

“When did you get so possessive?” she chuckled. 

“Since I have to share you with another man.  You know I’m like this sometimes.”

“It’s just really intense…”

“I went from being the only man you slept with to just being your first. I’m sure my therapist will have a lot to say about this…”

“Your therapist knows about me?”

“Not by name, no. But saying my ex has my babies and now I’m sharing her in a love triangle is sure to set off alarms.  Now get over here.”

“I’m not done yet,” Mikayla smiled, her hands teasing the waistband of her panties.

“You better just take those off, nothing else…”

Mikayla shook her head, her lips curling into a smile.  “I’m gonna touch myself, and you’re gonna watch and stroke that meat of yours.  Let’s see who has to have the other in their mouth first…”

“You play a mean game, Kay. I’m already starving for a taste of you…”

“Then my job is easy.”

“I’ll see how well I can handle myself,” JC laughed. 

“Literally and figuratively,” Mikayla smiled. She pulled her underwear off, her hands massaging her breasts before one hand slowly trailed down her stomach. 

“Fuck, this is hot,” JC groaned, his hand stroking his length slowly as he watched her.

Her fingers slid between her legs, thankful she was turned on enough to make this work. She was out of practice by herself, but wasn’t about to lose.  Her finger pressed firmly, a soft gasp escaping her lips. 

“Shit, I’m not gonna last long if you keep doing that. Kay, I need you, I need to taste you…” His strokes came faster as she continued, his face contorting in pleasure. 

She bit her bottom lip, not sure how much longer she wanted to continue. His words had made her more turned on, wanting to mount him and hold on for dear life. 

JC scooted down the bed, eyes set on Mikayla, and before long was sitting on the edge of the bed. His eyes had a fire in them, and soon he leapt off the bed to grab Mikayla.

“You lost, Chasez,” she smiled, secretly relieved.

“I very much think I won. I get to have you in my bed all night, all day tomorrow.”

“Not all day…”

“Close enough.  Now lie down so I can make you cum…”

Mikayla was eager to follow his directions, lying down on his bed. His lips found hers, his teeth pulling on her lower lip, his tongue entering her mouth. She groaned, wishing he’d make good on his promise to make her cum. This certainly wasn’t going to do it.

“I need your tongue somewhere else,” she moaned into his mouth.

“You know I love that, but I LOVE to make you beg, mama… You’ll be begging me to suck you, to fuck you; and I’ll willingly oblige.”

“I’m begging you now, Josh. Suck me, fuck me…”

“The twins aren’t here, I’m not Justin. I’m gonna take my time, baby.”

“Or you speed things up and we get more than a couple times in…”

He looked at her.  “It’s cute you think we’d only get a couple times in. I know I’m pushing 40, but with you I still feel like I’m barely 30.  With a rotation of scenarios and Gatorade, we can go all night and through till noon tomorrow, unless you get tired first.”

“Prove it,” she challenged.  

His lips curled into a smirk. “You’re gonna regret saying that. Or at least Justin will when you’re too tired for him tomorrow night once you get home.”

“Were you always this chatty during foreplay?” she giggled. 

“You like it,” he quipped back.  “Now excuse me, apparently I need to get back to work and stop talking…”

He kissed down her neck, nipping and sucking at her breasts.  She arched her back, a moan humming through her body, JC feeling the waves on his lips.  He keeps attention with his lips up top, while his hand travels down her body, another groan pulling from her throat.

“Yes, Josh… I need you…”

 

He circles her, barely touching where she needs him to, torturing her with what she’s feeling versus what she needs.  He knows what he’s doing, and it’s working… she thought.

 

“Josh, suck me, touch, me…”

“I am,” he snapped quickly.

“Not how I need.”

He looked up at her.  “What does my sexy mama need?”  He was enjoying this.

She couldn’t look at him, not with what she needed to say.  As much as they had between them, dirty talk was something fun to pretend to do, tease him when they weren’t in the middle of something.  But to be that vulnerable with him, knowing he’d give her exactly what she wanted, to admit it, it was too much somehow.

“I need you to go down on me.  To feel you lick and suck at me, to make me cum like no one else can.”

“No one?” he asked.

“You know what I mean.  No one else is here to do it now, are they?”

“Thank god.  I know he’d jump at the chance to do it if I failed to.”

“You’re both skilled, so I wouldn’t complain…”

“Are we really doing this now?” JC laughed lightly.

“No.  Please, Josh, I’m begging you.  You win…”

“Baby, it’s your turn to win now.”

 

He slid down her body, eager to fulfill her request.  They both groaned at the impact, the sensations.  JC in giving her that pleasure, knowing how much she wanted him despite her being married to Justin.  Mikayla in what she was feeling, that JC still had that hold over her.  As much as she loved Justin, still having great sex, that she needed JC just as much.

He sent her into overdrive, her mind racing back to the night she fooled around with Justin, screaming JC’s name.  He’d been the first to do that to her, to make her feel like that.  Justin had been amazing, for sure, but JC was still in her head. After all that time, nothing had changed. He still drove her crazy, as if no time had passed. She was beginning to feel like this is what she had missed out on, continuing her life with JC as she was meant to.

The wave of pleasure that hit her knocked her back to reality as she screamed in release.  She was with JC, but married to Justin, pregnant with his baby. It was like time had flipped, except Justin was still very much in the picture.  

“You ok? I mean, I loved your reaction, but you seem out of it…”

“A lot in my head,” she admitted. 

“You wanna talk about it?” JC asked, honestly willing to stop everything.

“Later. I can focus, I promise.”

“Lose yourself in the moment, it’s ok. As long as you’re thinking of me.”

“Of course.  I can’t help but think of you lately.”

“How do you want this? I had imagined it being more rough, but just now kinda threw me off.”

“I’m good with rough,” she smirked. 

“Buckle up, buttercup.”

His lips smashed into hers, his hands pulling hers above her head, his right hand holding her arms in place. His left hand grabbed her leg, pulling it over his shoulder, Mikayla moving the other leg to match.  He groaned as he entered her, feeling every inch of her around him. His pace was furious, his eyes intense.  

“I love you Kay, I’m so fucking sorry about everything…”

“Not now, Josh.  Oh god, you’re so big, I don’t know why I seem surprised… Fuck, this feels so good.”

His lips took to her breast, his teeth pulling a little harder than normal, Mikayla groaning in pain and pleasure.  “You’re a goddess, Kay.”

“Faster, Josh.  Don’t stop… yes… YES!”

“Fall apart for me, I’m right there…”

He looked into her eyes, his body sputtering as he released, her legs gripping him tight as her body pulsed in response.

“That look on your face, I feel so bad for whatever made you make that face… Like regret, uncertainty…”

“If anything, it’s aimed at Justin.  You were my only point of reference with a lot of things, Josh. I know I’ve told you that I screamed out your name that night Justin and I fooled around. I was willing to sleep with him, but once things got started, you were so far in my head I couldn’t get you out, not even with Justin Timberlake.  I love him, the sex in incredible, but you will always be my first.”

She sighed, getting under the blanket.  “I thought back to him sleeping with me while I was pregnant with another man’s baby, and now I’m doing it again.  It feels so right, because it’s you, but then I remember Justin, and that feels right, too.  As much as I love you, I can’t leave him. Not now.”

“I’m not asking you to.  I’m glad we have this system in place. I know it’s still new, but it feels like I’m getting a second chance with you.”

“I know. That’s how I feel, we’re picking up where we left off, pregnancy and all.  I’m just glad I’m not having morning sickness this time. It was pretty awful for a while with the twins.”

“Is it bad I wish I could go to the appointments with you? I missed out the first time.  I know it would complicate things…”

“We can record anything, ultrasounds, his heartbeat. I actually have some of that on my phone already. I doubt you want to see that now.”

“Might as well.  I’m gonna need a little bit to recover, cuz damn you took a lot out of me, literally and figuratively.”

“The day is still young, plenty of time for more later if you want,” she smiled. 

“Trust me, I’ll want it.”

“I missed this, Josh. Our flirting. You always made me feel sexy, cared for, loved. Not that Justin doesn’t, but it’s different. I was afraid to open up to him that way.  With you, it’s so easy. I mean, it is with Justin, too.  We’ve been married for 5 years…”

“Grab your phone.  Show me things I missed out on,” he said softly.

She turned, reaching for her phone on the nightstand.  She opened an album she’d created from the twins.  Big moments, like the first ultrasound showing two of them, hearing their heartbeats.  She had pictures of her holding the twins after they were born, laying on her chest, skin to skin. Their first Christmas, birthday, cute moments in between them and now.

“They’re amazing kids. I had nothing to do with any of it beyond my DNA.  They seemed to take it well when you told them the news.”

“Yeah, a little too well…”

“Are you worried?”

“I’m a mom, that’s what I do.  I’m sure they’ll Be fine. I’ve got some therapists I could call and set something up if we need it.”

“Might not be a bad idea,” JC shrugged.

“That’s what Jackie said.  I’ll give it some time, see what happens.  We just told them tonight, so it needs some time to sink in.  Especially since they’re spending it with Justin.”

“I’m worried it’s gonna be weird for the kids before it’s weird for us,” JC admitted.

“It’s already weird for us, you getting involved in Justin and my sex life,” Mikayla laughed.

“Going from a two to a triangle does that…”

“You know what I meant.  On the one hand, I’m glad you’re concerned, but at the same time, you’re telling my husband what to do when we’re in bed.  If the roles were switched, would you want Justin to tell us what kind of sex to have?”

“He already has, just not in front of you,” JC replied.  “Nothing specific, but yeah.  I didn't give specifics either, just gave a general suggestion of being more romantic.”

“But then it looks like I’m complaining to you about my sex life with Justin, when I wasn’t.  I don’t feel like I was, anyway.  Things are great, we’re still red hot for each other, like how things are with us.”

“But you also need that other, sometimes.  You do, he does.  You can’t always do that and that’s where the tension comes in and then you go from wanting something nice to needing to get something at all.  Do you get time during the week, or is it mainly weekends?”

“During the week, too, especially after we hooked up.  I went home and had apology sex, had a little something the next morning before work, one time I pretended to be out looking at pianos when I actually went to the beach house for a hookup.  But it’s all with short time limits because we’ve become used to it, I guess.”

“Well, next weekend you’ll have lots of time.”

“I hope the twins are ok with being at your place.  I’ll have my folks on standby just in case.  It’ll be nice to have weekends free, but this all is giving me tremendous guilt that you or Justin are watching them while I’m, frankly, fucking the other. I’m not sure how long we can really sustain this…”

“I get it. I know we were still at it every night up until you had rehearsals and performances, but we found time in there as well. Right now it’s intense again because it’s new. Eventually things will cool down, you’ll have the baby, and then it’s new craziness.  I can’t expect you, or even myself, to have energy like this in the long run. At least with Justin you can go out and do romantic dates on the weekends. With me, we’re kinda stuck here or doing not couple type stuff.”

“Are you back to blaming my schedule for why weren’t having sex that often?” Mikayla asked, slightly perturbed.

“It was a change in schedule. If it had been me working on something, it would’ve been the same.”

Mikayla scoffed. “Funny, I remember you being with Eric or working on a project til after I went to bed and someone waking me up with a couple drinks in him wanting me to be ready to throw down.”

“You could’ve said no.”

“To JC Chasez? Yeah, funny.”

“Hey,” he said, taking her hands in his. “I thought our sex life, our relationship as a whole, was on consent and communication. If you aren’t in the mood, just tell me.  You could’ve then, and please tell me now and moving forward.  Were you faking it on those nights?”

“No, cuz you’re damn good at what you do, but I’d be exhausted at work the next day. Erin would smile, knowing why without me saying a word.  I guess I should consider myself lucky that I’ve never had to fake it, but…”

“Never? I mean, not with Lawrence before me, and I guess not to doubt Justin’s abilities, but the man likes to drink…”

“If things happen, they happen. If not, then not. But I’ve never had to fake it to pretend and get through it.”

“Let’s keep it that way.  If you’re not feeling it, just say so.”

“I’m definitely feeling something right now,” she said with a smile before pulling him in for a kiss.

 

“Breakfast in bed?” Mikayla asked.  She smiled. “You used DoorDash again, didn’t you?”

“Only cuz I still can’t cook for shit and didn’t want you cooking,” he shrugged. 

“No eggs benedict this time?” she laughed. 

“Gotta make sure you’re eating healthy.”

“What is it with men not letting me eat what I want because I’m pregnant? First Justin with the twins, now you with Silas…”

“Sorry we care about you so much,” JC chuckled. 

“Berry pancakes, a veggie omelet, I guess I shouldn’t complain too much… Not like it’s gross healthy stuff.”

“You really think I’d do that? I may not be the smartest man, but I’m not an idiot.  Well, not anymore.  I saw the error of my ways, in more ways than one.  You’re gonna get double spoiled between the two of us.  Not just sex, which seriously I’m surprised by your appetite for that.”

“Are you really?”

“More because you’re pregnant.  I dunno, I missed this the first time around.  I heard about something called a baby moon, a trip you take before having the baby.  I would have liked to take you somewhere.”

“Where would you have taken me?” she wondered.

“Well, we’ve never been to Hawaii together, I know you’ve never been, so maybe there? Somewhere tropical, where I could spoil you in the style you deserve.”

“What if I couldn’t fly? At the third trimester you can’t fly anymore…”

“Something closer to home. I’d been looking into something on Catalina.  Not somewhere people would expect me to go but still pretty close.  It’s not super fancy but I’d find the best hotel I could.  Just a thought.”

“You were looking into another trip for us?” Mikayla asked.

“Yeah.  I know the trip to the Hamptons wasn’t what either of us expected, so I thought it would be nice to get away without any interference from Eric.  Let’s be honest, that wasn’t the best trip.”

“We got the twins out of it, so I wouldn’t write it off as a complete wash.  But yeah, thinking you have a whole house to yourself and you end up in the guest house while there’s parties and things going on in the main house that we were expected to attend cut into our alone time.”

“The food was better than if we’d had the house to ourselves.  I doubt Eric would’ve had a private chef for us.  You didn't have to cook as much, we chose to when we wanted though.  I do remember some great sex that weekend…”

“I also remember us fighting and feeling like that led up to what happened with Jo,” Mikayla said.

“About that…”

“We don’t need to go into it.  I don’t want to argue about it anymore.”

“Why would we argue?  She threw herself at me.”

“You let her get naked and mount you, Josh, your pants were around your ankles...  Anything else I’m forgetting?”

“I know how it looked, but…”

“You didn't tell her no.  At any point did you try and stop her?”

“Yes.”

“After she got naked?”

“Yes.”

“Apparently not convincing enough, cuz you were hard as fuck when I walked in, not like she was still getting you there…”

“Because of you.  I was hard cuz I wrote the song thinking of you.  Some of the nights we had where you looked so unassuming on the outside, but get you home and we turned into animals.  I was thinking of you, hoping for something once you got home.  She was excited to work with me, and next thing I know she’s standing naked in front of me, kissing me, blowing me, and then you walked in.”

“Oh there’s new info.  You let her suck your dick?”

“This is any different than you and Justin?” JC countered.

“We were broken up at that point, so it is different.  If I said no to Justin, it wouldn’t have led to anything between us that night.”

“Really?  Cuz I know Justin tried to get you to call me.”

“And what if I had, Josh?  I thought you were in Florida…”

“I would have told you I was home, here, and come over to get you, bring you home.”

“What would’ve happened next?”

“I was a wreck, knowing she had passed, and knowing how much this hurt you.  I would’ve held you, we could have cried together.”

“We’d have gotten back together, Josh.  I was drunk, but that right there would have pushed me back to team Josh.  So did fooling around with Justin, but you seem to ignore that fact.”

“He saw you naked, did things with you only I had done before.”

“You know he wasn’t naked, right?  Even with everything that happened, I didn't see him naked for a while, so I knew in my head there was no doubt the twins were yours.   I never touched him, Josh.  If you’d let me come back to you, you’d still have been the only man I ever slept with.  You’d have been the father you should have been to the twins.”

“I’d have married you, Kay.  You know that.  Not out of guilt or expectation, but because I loved you.  So fucking much.  Mistakes were made on both sides, and we may never agree about that, but can we focus on the here and now?”

“That’s what I wanted to do, but you insisted on getting into things…”

“Ok, I’m still an idiot sometimes,” he chuckled, the mood lightening again. 

“I know what you just did…”

“What?”

“Started a fight so we can have make up sex…”

“I did not.”

“Well, that’s what we’re doing after we finish eating,” she said matter of factly.

“This can all be reheated, why not go for it now?” he growled. 

“So you did plan this…”

“No, but the fact that you’re wanting sex right now is a huge turn on…”

“Is it bad I wanna do it while that song plays in the background, knowing you wrote it about me?” Mikayla wondered. 

“That can be arranged. Breakfast can wait, I’m gonna fuck my girlfriend while listening to a song I wrote about her…”

…

“Justin will be here soon, I should probably get dressed,” she sighed. 

“I mean, you’re not completely naked,” JC laughed. “I could change that…”

“You’re gonna dress me?”

“I was thinking the opposite, but…”

“I know you were.  It sucks that we can’t go anywhere, you can’t even drive me home cuz then people will wonder why we were alone…”

“You at least get to have dinner with the twins. I won’t get to see them until Friday.”

“But then you have them for the whole weekend.  There’s that.”

“I’ll have you on speed dial just in case.”

Mikayla starts to get dressed as she goes over things the twins like to do, things they can watch to bond and have fun the following weekend.

The buzzer went off, signaling Justin’s arrival with the twins.  JC went to let them in while Mikayla finished getting dressed. She’d packed a small bag, bringing clothes to keep at the house for her weekends with JC.

She walked into the living room, the twins running to hug her. “Mommy!” they shouted, almost knocking her over.

“Hey, if it’s ok with you, I wanna have you guys over next weekend, just you and me.  Get to know each other. Your mom has given me a pretty good idea of what I need to get, we’ll just camp out here and watch movies, play games, sleep on the couches… What do you think?”

“Ok!” Joshy answered excitedly. Barb nodded, a little less sure.

“I can’t wait to hang out with you, Dad,” Joshy smiled. 

JC looked up at Justin before looking at Joshy.  “You don’t have to call me that…”

“I want to. I’m named after you, you were Mommy and Daddy’s best friend, I like you.”

A smile of relief spread across JC’s face.  “Barb, what do you think?”

“Can we have ice cream?” she asked, testing the water.

“What’s your favorite flavor?” JC asked. 

“Cookies and cream, with real Oreos…”

“That’s the only way to have it. That’s mine, too,” he faked. “We’ll have burgers and ice cream on Saturday, how about that?”

“Chicken nuggets and fries?” Barb haggled.

“Deal.  Joshy, you ok with that?”

“He’ll eat anything,” Barb sighed.

“Ok. This is gonna be fun central.”

Justin’s phone vibrated, his eyes widening as he saw something on the screen. “Hey C, is their room semi kid ok right now?”

“Let’s go see. I’m still working on it, that’s why we’ll be out here next weekend.”

They walked to the guest room JC was turning into the twins’ room. “The beds come next week, but I’m waiting on the decorations and stuff, thinking of having Michael paint something on the walls or something to hang up.”  There were some toys in there to play with, the twins already engaged with them.

“You guys play in here for a bit, I need to talk to Mommy and your dad,” Justin said.

Justin laid them to JC’s room, closing the door.  “What’s going on, Justin? I remember the last time the three of us were in a bedroom together…” Mikayla wondered. 

“I wish,” Justin puffed, running his hands through his hair.  “We need to talk to Jackie. I think she sold a story to the press.”

“What?!” Mikayla gasped. 

Justin opened his phone, showing Mikayla and JC the headline. Justin Timberlake stole wife from ex JC Chasez, had secret affair for years.

 

“What?!”

“A source close to the couple revealed that Justin kissed Mikayla while she waited for JC as he took pictures on the red carpet at the release party for Timberlake’s FutureSex/LoveSounds album, while Timberlake was also still with then girlfriend Cameron Diaz.  Timberlake admitted his feelings to Miss Sanchez, and the two began a secret love affair that eventually ended her relationship with Chasez, his with longtime girlfriend Jessica Biel,” Justin read from his phone.

“That is NOT what I told her at brunch yesterday…” Mikayla said.

“What DID you say?” JC asked. 

“I said we met that night, that he kissed me, but nothing else happened once he knew I was with you. That nothing happened until after we broke up.”

“Tabloids love to twist the truth, but they must have gotten this from somewhere…” Justin said, pacing the floor.

“We’ll ask her when we get home, I’m sure there must be an explanation…” Mikayla said.

“I hope you’re right, otherwise we need a new nanny NOW,” Justin sighed. 

They went downstairs to get the kids, neither of them wanting to leave their new room.  They got the twins buckled into the car, Justin driving home in silence. 

Mikayla knew the kids sensed his tension, the ride being unusually quiet.  “So, what did you two do with Daddy while I was gone?”

“We practiced soccer, Daddy did my hair so I could play princess dress up, we had a dance party…” Barb eagerly shared.

“Sounds like quite the weekend. Joshy, anything you did that Barb left out?”

“Daddy and I played Legos while she played dress up,” Joshy smiled. 

Mikayla looked at Justin, smiling that he’d been such a great and attentive father. She’d had no doubts, honestly more worried at how JC would do.  She saw the tension on his face, the worry that Jackie was starting to tell stories about them, breaking their confidence.

They arrived home and Jackie had made dinner, Justin knowing to wait until the twins were in bed for the night to say anything to Jackie.

“Mommy, can you play something for us on the piano after dinner?” Joshy requested. 

“Sure.  Your dad can play stuff on the piano for you, too. Maybe not as good as Mommy, but… Ask him the next time we’re over there.”

“Oh, you meant JC,” Barb sighed. “I thought you meant Daddy.”

“Both of them can if you want. You just need to ask.”

“Your dad and I used to goof around on the piano back in the day.  Jesus, did I really just say that? Man, I'm feeling old…”

“You’re 35, that’s still pretty young,” Mikayla smiled. “It’s true though, as far as the goofing around. On camera and once I met them.  They wrote songs together for, well… an album of your dad’s that never got released.”

“We’re really calling JC our dad now?” Barb asked, seemingly irritated.

“Well, honey, he is,” Justin said. “Your last name is Timberlake, but you're a Chasez through and through.”

“If he’s our dad, why are you and Mommy married? Why were you holding us when we were babies?”

“Daddy will always be Daddy, but JC is your real dad, the one Mommy wished with for you and Joshy.  I told you things are hard sometimes when you’re a grown up. Your dad and I were upset with each other for a long time, still disagree about what we were mad about. But we love you so much that it doesn’t matter anymore.  Your dad loved you the moment he met you, hopes you’ll get to know him and love him too.  But it’s not gonna happen right away, it takes time.”

“Joshy likes him already,” Barb huffed. 

“You do, too,” Joshy said. “You played with the toys at his house, you sat next to him at movie night…”

“Do you LOVE him already, Joshy? You called him Dad…”

“Because he is,” Joshy shrugged.  Barb crossed her arms, pouting in defeat.

Mikayla gave Justin a concerned look.

Dinner was over, the twins tucked into bed, and Mikayla grabbed Jackie to talk.

“Is everything ok?” Jackie asked.

“You tell me,” Justin spat, handing her his phone.  “You know anything about this?”

Jackie looked at the screen, reading the story that had been published. “You think I had something to do with this?”

“It did come out a day after we had brunch and I told you most of these details…” Mikayla sighed.

“I also know JC is the twins’ real dad. Wouldn’t that have been the bigger story to go with? I didn’t betray you. Odds are someone from the restaurant or another customer there heard us somehow and told the story. Based on what I read, it’s a mix of what you said and fabricated pieces of information. I promise, it wasn’t me.  I have nothing to gain from it.”

“I suppose she’s right,” Justin said. “I’m sorry I suspected you. It popped up on my phone and I just went on the defense.  We’ve been dealing with this for years privately, I don’t need more of it to become public without it coming from any of us.  Again, I’m sorry.”

“What do we do about this article?” Mikayla wondered.

‘We ignore it.  If paparazzi pop up asking about it, ignore it.  Yes there’s some truth to it, but it doesn’t change anything.  We know that although I was in love with you that whole time, I never did anything about it until after you two broke up.  Even then I never expected it to end up like this.  I imagined something much less messy and complicated, but we still have everything I ever wanted with you,” Justin smiled at Mikayla.

“I’m going to take that as my cue to leave,” Jackie said, heading towards her bedroom.  “Oh, I was looking for places this weekend, found a couple worth looking into.  I won’t be fully moving out, but you know what I mean,” Jackie said to Mikayla.

“I’m completely lost,” Justin chuckled.

“I told her she should get her own place so she has some privacy.”

“Oh.  We can pay for that, if she needs it…”

“She’s good.  We discussed that at brunch, why didn't they say ‘Justin Timberlake pays nanny 3 times the going rate for celebrity nannies’?”

“Anything to drag my name and get clicks.  The other would be seen as a fluff piece, no one wants to read those.”

“Real fans who know the great guy you are would…”

“But that’s not as many as read this article, so they go with what they know will attract more attention.  Even JC didn't get much attention after he saved a baby on a beach… I know the story got out there, but it wasn’t like it got national attention and put him back in the spotlight…”

“Wait, what?”

“He was at the beach one day, just hanging out, when a beach umbrella came loose after a helicopter flew too low and blew the umbrella.  He saw it head towards a little kid and rushed in to save the kid from being hit by the umbrella.  You were still pregnant with the twins at this point.  So for him not knowing he was gonna be a dad, he had great instincts.”

“Well, I’m sure you’ve had hero moments like that.  I know you rescued me from myself with the twins.”

“I couldn’t rescue you from yourself with the miscarriage…” he sighed.

“You tried, honestly.  You could’ve walked away, but you stuck with me, you and Jackie and the kids trying to pull me out the best you could.  It took me seeing what had happened to our family to break me from that darkness, getting therapy to help keep me out.  You did so much even when it felt like nothing was good enough.  You’ve never given up on me, on us, Justin.  Thank you.”

She pulled him into her arms, embracing him tightly, feeling a flood of warmth and love wash over her, how much he’d done to show he loved her over the years.  The things they’d been through together, knowing that nothing and no one could split them apart.  JC wasn’t trying to break them up, simply wanting to be part of her life, be the dad he’d wished he could be to the twins.  

“Ready to go upstairs?” Justin asked.  She nodded into his chest.  “Good.  I have it under good sources that we need a little something…”

…

“That was a fine welcome home,” Mikayla smiled, catching her breath.

“I missed you.  The kids missed you, but you won’t get that from them…”

“No, the hugs and cuddles were enough.  Ours was perfect.”

“Not perfect enough that I should cancel my plans for next weekend, was it?”

“What do you have planned?” she wondered.

“Not telling, but it’ll be romantic, something we apparently need…”

“He meant well.  We just don’t have a lot of time to do nice and slow anymore.  I wasn’t complaining about our sex life, just that it’s not what it used to be. It’s not constant anymore, but damn if it’s hot when we get the chance.”

“Good to know I’m not the only one enjoying it,” Justin smiled. 

“You KNOW I’m enjoying it.  I don’t hold back, neither do you.”

“Only way I know how,” he said smugly.

“You’re lucky I’m your wife…”

“And having my baby.  I say it a lot, that you’re having our baby, but at some point I worry I’m gonna freak out.  I don’t know why, I’ve been dad to the twins for years.”

“Because this time it’s yours.  I’m sure there’s some level of ‘is this real?’ after the miscarriage.  We’ve been monitoring everything, the doctor says Silas is healthy, everything is on track.”

“Is it bad I’m worried about Barb after that outburst?” Justin wondered. 

“It’s new. We’ll give her some time to adjust. If we see her acting out or things like that that aren’t normal Barb, we’ll look into counseling. I mean, this is a big bombshell we dropped on them.  Joshy is taking it well, at least.”

“JC’s got his work cut out for him, trying to fill the dad role,” Justin said. 

“He’s not trying to replace you, it’s… complicated. You replaced him in their lives for so long, but now he just wants to be a part of things.  I think that’s Barb’s worry, that he’s supposed to replace you because he’s their actual dad.  Even Paul didn’t replace your actual dad, so it’ll take some adjustment.”

“I hope so. If this turns into a Parent Trap type thing where we have to split the kids… Well, at least JC would get Joshy.  That fits.”

“We’re not splitting up the twins. I’m more nervous about when Silas comes.  Another huge adjustment, having a baby take more attention away from them.  At least we’ll have grandparents, Jackie, JC helping…”

“JC is gonna help with my son?” Justin asked, surprised.

“OUR son, and he has offered. He missed out on it with the twins.”

“I’m calling him at 3am for diaper changes and feedings,” Justin laughed. 

“He can’t complain, we had it times two,” Mikayla added. “I’m weighing options on nursing Silas or not. Josh said…”

“Wait,” Justin interrupted, “you talked with HIM about this before talking about it with ME?  Starting to feel like the third wheel in our marriage, Kay…”

 

“Justin, I didn’t mean anything by it.  He wasn’t around for any of that with the twins. You know I’d thought about it before we learned it was twins.”

 

“I just don’t want him getting too attached to Silas.”

“The way you got attached to the twins? I’m allowed to fuck him but he’s not good enough to help raise our son?”

“What did you disagree about? You told the kids that you and JC still disagree on things…”

“I still say he could’ve stopped Jo from getting naked, could’ve not had her suck his dick and be ready to fuck him when I walked in…”

“I agree with that.”

“He thinks I shouldn’t have fooled around with you, been naked with you and done stuff I’d only done with JC, with you.”

“I won’t lie, I’m glad it happened, but I see his point. You guys were broken up at the time, and me taking advantage of that along with your emotional state…”

“We got drunk and fooled around, Justin. Hardly as scandalous…”

“If he’d walked in on us and you were still together, he’d have done what he did, we’d be dead to him.  It’s not unacceptable to behave that way, broken up or not.  Would you have been happy if you knew your ex fooled around with your best friend, and she had feelings for him?”

“Erin was a JC girl, so yeah that would have sucked. Damnit, I did something wrong?” Mikayla whined. 

“We all did. Only difference is that ours led to us getting married and having Silas. JC’s left him alone and bitter for a long time.”

“Well, that’s over now.  I’m glad we can move forward.”

“I’m glad that in spite of my heavy insistence over the years, that when push came to shove, you didn’t take me up on leaving once he got his head out of his ass.”

“I’ll admit it’s a good thing I’m pregnant, I honestly don’t know what I would’ve done.  I know it’s probably not what you’d want to hear…”

 

“It’s a what if, this is our situation and I’m ok with how things played out cuz you’re still my wife and having our baby.  Let’s go to bed, actually sleep, cuz you have work, the kids have school, and I need to finish planning our weekend away.”

“Do we HAVE to stay at JC’s?” Barb whined.

“He’s your dad, he wants to get to know you better,” Mikayla said.

“He promised us chicken nuggets, fries, and ice cream tomorrow night!  Don’t ruin this, Barb!” Joshy shouted.

“Well, how can you argue with all that?” Justin laughed.  “It’s just for a couple nights, you’ll be fine.  You’ve been without us longer than that before with Jackie.”

“But it’s Jackie, I know her…” Barb sighed.

“You know a lot about JC, too,” Mikayla said.  “Ask him to play piano, or guitar, or sing for you.”

“No one sings better than Daddy,” Barb said.

“JC is a better singer than I am, I will quickly and gladly admit that.  The way he sang on our songs back in the day, there were things I just couldn’t do that he did so easily.  Your dad is a great guy, he wants to be a good dad, just give him a chance.  He’s not wanting to take my place, he knows what we have is special, but he wants a piece of it, too.  You’re his kids as much as you are mine.  I raised you, but you are part of him.  Let him show you that.”

“I guess,” Barb shrugged.

They got in the car and drove to JC’s, Joshy excited to see his dad.  The transition had been pretty smooth for Joshy, liking the idea of another dad to hang out with, especially sharing his name, at least in part.

MIkayla was admittedly nervous, knowing how Barb was feeling, and also how unprepared JC was.  She’d wished the twins’ room was more finished, but that was the point of the couch sleepover.  She knew they’d fall asleep there anyway during the movie, so she let sleeping dogs lie.

JC had cleared room in one of his garage bays by parking the Jeep outside, giving them a clicker so they could go in without really being seen.  Justin opened the garage door, Mikayla hesitantly opening the door into the house.  

JC was waiting for them near the door, a smile on his face.  They could smell the pizza, the kids' faces brightening with excitement.  

“Hi, glad to see you guys again.  You excited to be here for a couple days?”

“Yeah!” Joshy shouted, Barb looking less enthusiastic.

“She’s in a mood,” Mikayla sighed. 

JC crouched down, eye level with Barb. “Can I show you something?”  He stuck out his hand towards her, Barb taking it reluctantly.  

He walked her to her bedroom, opening the door slowly. Barb’s eyes widened and she let out a high pitched squeal of delight. 

“Is this mine?” she asked quietly.

“Sure is, baby girl,” JC replied.

“I LOVE IT!”

“It’s a work in progress, but it’s a good start,” JC sighed. 

Her bed had a rainbow chevron striped comforter, with light pink pillows.  It was a poster bed, with dim twinkle lights running across the top of each post.  Above her pillows was a spray of paper butterflies in different colors.

“I’m thinking of something rainbow or unicorn or something for above the length of the bed.  Let me know what you think, sweetheart,” JC said.

“Thank you,” Barb replied. 

She turned and saw she had a chest of drawers that the base was white, the drawers were each color of the rainbow.

Joshy walked into the room, his jaw dropping. His bed had a Paw Patrol comforter and pillows, with the badges for each of the pups above his pillows.  

He had a chest of drawers with a white base and red, yellow, green, and blue drawers.  He saw another set of drawers under his bed, walking towards it.

“You both have something under your beds, no monsters can get under there for sure…”

They both knelt alongside their beds, pulling out the drawers. Joshy’s top drawer was a large Lego mat, the second drawer with small buckets of color coded Legos.  Barb’s top drawer had dress up clothes, the bottom drawer had a doll with matching outfits.

Mikayla stood in the doorway, watching the scene unfold.  “I’d say your bedroom is a hit,” she smiled. “Dad did a great job.”

“I had a little help from Pinterest and Google, then Amazon for the shopping.  It still needs a few final touches…”

“It’s perfect,” Mikayla whispered in his ear, his body relaxing, an arm wrapping around her waist.

Justin stood in the hallway, seeing his wife and best friend look comfortable together.  He knew it shouldn’t surprise him, given their history, but it hurt a little to see her like that with someone else.  If he didn’t know better, he’d swear he was losing her to the man she should really be with.

Mikayla turned and looked at Justin. She saw the pain on his face, walking over to him. “It’s a proud dad moment for him, Justin,” she said quietly. “Come and see.  Maybe then you’ll understand.”

Justin walked into the doorway, taking in the room. It had come a long way in only a few days, proud of JC for pulling it together.

“We could’ve helped you set this up,” Justin offered. 

“I had Lance and Michael, I wanted this to be a surprise for you two as much as the twins.  It let me talk and think things through with people outside of the situation.”

The adults stepped into the hall, taking a few steps from the door. “Think about what?” Justin asked, almost eagerly.

“About being their dad.  I mean, we all agree that’s the best for everyone, but it also confirmed… other things.”

“What other things?” Mikayla wondered. 

“That our… situation… is a good idea.”

“So they know? I mean, I guess I should’ve figured…”

“They don’t know. Michael suggested it. Lance at first was very much against it, that it crossed a line.  The more Michael explained how it made sense, that it could work if we all wanted it to, the more Lance agreed. They know we slept together in your office, and I told them about the things I’ve felt since we started seeing each other again. Lance said he could feel something between us at your birthday party.  It would be complicated to explain, but I think they’d support us if they knew. They don’t need to know, but if we need to tell people, I think they’d be on board.”

JC walked back to the doorway of the twins’ bedroom.  “Put stuff away, let’s go eat before the pizza gets cold.”

The twins eagerly cleaned up, Justin and Mikayla in awe of how quickly they complied with his request.  “Teach us, master,” Justin joked.  “I’d say you’re off to a great start.  We seriously have to ask them at least a couple times to clean up their rooms.  This is still new, so maybe that’s the difference.”

“Either way, I’m not complaining,” JC smiled.

They went out into the living room, the pizza boxes open on the coffee table, plates in the center of the table.  They each grabbed slices, JC hitting play on the BluRay player.  Disney’s Inside Out began to play, the kids excited to watch it.  It wasn’t lost on the adults why JC chose this movie, knowing that this weekend would likely bring out a lot of feelings, but hopefully make new memories that could become core ones for the twins and JC.  He hadn’t really felt like a dad yet, just an outsider watching his own children.  He hoped being on his own with them for a couple days would get things onto the right foot.

They watched the movie, the twins fighting to stay awake.  “Do you want to sleep in your beds tonight, or stay out here and watch movies until we fall asleep?” JC asked them while they were still awake.

“Out here,” Joshy yawned, Barb too tired to even respond, curling up in her spot on the couch.  Soon they were both out, and the credits began to roll.

“Looks like you’ve got things all set, hopefully if they wake up in the middle of the night they’ll just snuggle right up to you.  They usually don’t come in to sleep with us, but seeing as it’s somewhere new, they might.  You did a great job with their room, I think this is gonna be smoother for them than we think,” Mikayla sighed.

JC looked at her, loving the look of pride on her face as she looked at him. He wished it was his weekend with her, wanting to celebrate this victory, this moment in feeling more like a dad.  He cleared his throat.  “I should let you guys get going.  Big weekend and all…”

“I’ll go get the car warmed up while you say goodbye,” Justin sighed, knowing they’d want a moment alone, knowing that was all they’d get before he took her for the weekend.

They walked down the hall towards the garage, waiting until Justin was out of sight.  JC pulled her into his arms, Mikayla looking up at him.

“I’m proud of you, Josh.  You’re doing really well with all of this.  It’s a lot to take on so quickly, only really knowing about them for 2 weeks now.”

“But what a 2 weeks.  I had no idea when I saw you that morning for the tour that it would lead to all of this.  But I’m so glad that it did.”

He kissed her, the kiss deep from the start.  His hands wanting to roam over her back, his mind envisioning her clothes in a pile on the floor.  His body began to react to his imagination.  Mikayla slowly pulled away.

“I need to go.  I’m sorry we can’t continue this moment.”

“Next weekend,” JC smiled.

“I wish it was sooner,” Mikayla sighed.

“Me too, believe me.  But I’ll take what I can get.  We’ll have fun, it’ll be good.”  He pulled her in for a long hug, kissing the top of her head.  “I love you, Mommy.”

“I love you too, Daddy.  Damn, I gotta remember that for next week.  Mmmm, feels good calling you Daddy.”

“It’ll be here before you know it.  You should go, I don’t want to keep you.  I DO, but… you know what I mean.”

 

Mikayla nodded, grabbing her things before heading to the car.  JC stood in the doorway of the garage, half smiling as they pulled out of the garage and began to drive away.  He wished he could have Mikayla to himself, but he also knew he had part of both of them for the weekend, and was excited about the promise that had.