Bella by Lily
Summary: Who would ever think that one mistake could change your life forever?
Categories: In Progress Het Stories Characters: Justin Timberlake
Awards: None
Genres: Drama
Challenges: None
Series: None
Chapters: 22 Completed: Yes Word count: 32627 Read: 59437 Published: Apr 10, 2007 Updated: Jul 06, 2007

1. Chapter 1 by Lily

2. Chapter 2 by Lily

3. Chapter 3 by Lily

4. Chapter 4 by Lily

5. Chapter 5 by Lily

6. Chapter 6 by Lily

7. Chapter 7 by Lily

8. Chapter 8 by Lily

9. Chapter 9 by Lily

10. Chapter 10 by Lily

11. Chapter 11 by Lily

12. Chapter 12 by Lily

13. Chapter 13 by Lily

14. Chapter 14 by Lily

15. Chapter 15 by Lily

16. Chapter 16 by Lily

17. Chapter 17 by Lily

18. Chapter 18 by Lily

19. Chapter 19 by Lily

20. Chapter 20 by Lily

21. Chapter 21 by Lily

22. Chapter 22 by Lily

Chapter 1 by Lily
Isabella Accardi sat alone in her apartment, watching the snowfall over the Boston Commons below her. She twirled her jet-black hair with her left hand and held her cell phone in her right. After taking a deep breath, she threw her phone to the couch, walked into her bedroom, and fell onto her bed facing the opposite direction, resting her head on the windowsill. She watched the few people still in the streets quickly make their way inside to get away from the freezing temperatures. If only her problems could melt away like the snow flakes once they hit the pavement. She stood up, finally realizing she’s already wasted enough time and went back to the couch where she sat down cross-legged and pulled a chenille blanket over her shoulders. She threw her head in her hands and closed her eyes; making a silent wish that when she opened them everything would have just been a dream. As she opened her eyes, realizing that her wish was not granted, she took a deep breath and dialed the number that by now was all too familiar to her.
After a few rings she felt herself begin to shake, “Hello?” Finally he answered the phone, and when she heard his voice she couldn’t say anything. She hadn’t heard his voice in months, and the sound of it made her so nervous, “Hello?” he repeated, ready to hang up before she spoke up
“Hey” she said softly, “it’s Bella”
“Bella?” he repeated as a question, like he didn’t know who she was
“Yeah Bella” she said, this time the annoyance in her voice apparent. How could he not remember her? “From Boston…”
“Oh” he said with a slight laugh, “Isabella Is a Bella”
“Yeah”
“What’s up?”
“Uh” she began unable to get what she had to say out. She had planned what to say, she’d spent hours rehearsing it, but as soon as she heard his voice she forgot even the reason for her calling
“Yeah, Bella I’m kinda busy, I mean I have to be somewhere…” he lied, just trying to keep his little secrets quiet. One-night stands remain that… ONE night stands… never to even be contacted again, except of course for a booty call, but since he wasn’t anywhere near Boston, that wasn’t an option
“Right well this is really important” she said softly before clearing her throat, ok here it goes, “I’m…” she paused, “Pregnant. Three months… pregnant”
He was silent on the other end of the line, which Isabella had decided before would be the worst response. “Ok?” he finally spoke up
“Ok?” how he could just say ok to something like that was beyond her
“What exactly does this have to do with me?” She fell on her back, staring at the ceiling, wondering how one man could be so stupid. Does he really think she’d just call him after not seeing him for months, just to tell him she’s pregnant?
“It’s yours”
“What?” he asked right away then was silent for a second, “Are you sure it’s mine?”
She bit her bottom lip, an attempt to stop the tears from falling down her face, but it didn’t work, “Yes”
He was quiet for a little before speaking up, “Well… I’ll pay for the abortion if that’s…”
“I’m not getting an abortion” she broke in, for the first time the whole conversation she actually showed some strength in her voice. She had made up her mind; there will be no abortion.
“What?” he almost yelled, “What are you talking about? Yes you are. You have to”
“Who the hell are you to tell me I’m getting an abortion?”
“Apparently the father”
“I’m not getting an abortion,” she said sternly
“So then what are you calling me for?” he asked as he began pacing around the room, “What? You want money? You want child support? I’m not giving you shit Bella, I’m not giving you a penny unless it’s to get rid of it”
The tears were now flowing steadily down her face, how could one person be so heartless? “I would never expect anything more of you,” she said softly
“So then why did you call me?”
That’s a good question. She’d been asking herself that question since he answered the phone and didn’t know who she was, “I just want to know now if you wanted to be part of this baby’s life”
“No” he answered right away, without missing a beat. She shook her head and wiped her eyes, good. She wouldn’t want her baby to have a father so cold-blooded. Before she could even say anything else she heard the phone click. Now it’s official, she’s on her own.
Chapter 2 by Lily
Author's Notes:
Please let me know what you think :)
Justin Timberlake paced around his New York City hotel suite. He didn’t know what to do, or what to say. how could this be true? Could it be true? How could he be so stupid? He took a deep breath and grabbed a glass of hard liquor from the mini fridge before sitting down at the desk. He threw his head in his hand and suddenly felt the urge for a cigarette, but he doesn’t smoke. He hasn’t smoked since he was 12, when his best friend stole a pack from his father… but he needed a cigarette. He called down to the front desk, and minutes later a pack of Marlboros and a lighter were delivered to his door. He quickly put the hallow tip to his lips and deeply inhaled. Justin was never one for smoking, at least not cigarettes, he’d been against it pretty much his whole life, but this was not a normal occasion.
He heard his cell phone ring, but was afraid to answer it, especially because of the last phone call he received. Another one night stand calling to claim she was pregnant with his child? It wouldn’t surprise him; these bad things always tend to happen in threes. He flipped the phone open to see ‘Christine’ sprawled across the caller ID. It was even worse… his girlfriend… of three years.
He shook his head, threw the phone across the room, and poured himself another glass of alcohol, swallowing it hard. Christine… how could he ever explain this to Christine? They’d been together for so long, and he loved her with all his heart. This had to be a mistake. How could this girl say he was going to be the father of this kid? How could he tell if it was his? How could it be true? He was always careful with his one night stands. All he could think about was Christine… how much he loved her, and how much he couldn’t survive without her. Once she found out he’d been cheating on her she’d be gone… he was sure of it. But it wouldn’t even classify as cheating, Justin would never call it cheating. One night stands were all they were, never anything else. There were no emotions involved; it was just a 25-year-old man, away from his girlfriend for months at a time that needed to get laid.
After taking another sip of his drink, he moved to the bed where he lay down on his back, watching the ceiling fan quickly revolving. Isabella. Isabella from Boston. He hardly even remembered her. He couldn’t even remember what she looked like. Isabella. He thought back to the last time he was in Boston and quickly remembered her eyes. It was the first thing he noticed about her, and the first thing he remembered. He was walking down Newberry Street when he noticed her. They were walking towards each other, and he noticed her amazing eyes. It was one of those moments from a movie; from the second he saw her he knew he had to have her. He turned around and jogged to catch up to her, following her down the stairs to the T station. She quickly placed her token in the slot and walked through the bar, as Justin struggled to get his money out to buy a token. As soon as she made it through she quickly got on the T, as soon as Justin got through the bars the train took off, and she was gone.
He took a deep breath and lit another cigarette, this time never bringing it to his lips. Isabella. After the train took off he remembered feeling defeated. Now how would he ever see her again? He knew it would be almost impossible to see her again, especially since the only thing he knew about her was the color of her eyes, but he also knew he had to see her again. He needed to find her. After spending the remainder of the day searching for her, he gave up and went back to his hotel. Just as he made his way through the revolving door, he looked over to see who else but the same girl going through the same door. He continued through the door, this time making sure not to let her get away. As soon as he was close enough he grabbed onto her arm and she almost punched him in the face when he did, “Whoa” he said with a laugh as he moved away from her fist heading right towards himself
“Excuse me?” she asked, moving her arm away from his grip, “Can I help you?” Justin looked into her eyes and was unable to say anything; she rolled her eyes and continued walking.
“Wait, wait” he said as he jogged to catch up with her
“I’m in a rush”
“I’ll walk with you”
“You don’t even know where I’m going”
“So”
She laughed slightly and shook her head, “Pathetic”
“Justin” he said, holding his hand out for her to shake
She looked at him for a second and shook his hand quickly, “Isabella. Look Justin, it’s great to meet you but I’m running late” she said as she began walking faster, as did Justin.
“For?”
“What?”
“For what? What are you late for?”
“Work”
“Where do you work?”
“Here”’ she said as she stopped in front of a building, “Bye”
Chapter 3 by Lily
Author's Notes:
Thanks for reading
Isabella stepped out of the shower and looked at herself in the mirror. She looked down at her stomach, still unable to fathom the idea that there was a baby growing inside there. She covered herself with her robe and made her way to her bedroom, where she sat by the window looking at the view below her. She pulled the towel from her now curly hair and pulled it into a messy ponytail.
She reached for her phone and dialed her brother’s number. Both their parents had died a few years before, and it was only the two of them. Vin and Bella were like best friends. They were pretty much all the other had as far as family. She nervously paced around the apartment waiting for her brother to pick up the phone.
“Hey” he answered the phone and Bella cleared her throat and sat down trying to calm herself. She couldn’t understand why she was so nervous. It’s her brother, her best friend. They talk every day, why is this any different?
“Hey, what’s going on?”
“Nothing”
“Are you busy?” she thought there’d be no reason to drag it out any longer, she had to get it off her chest, she had to tell someone.
“What’s up?”
“So um yeah…” she paused, afraid of what her brother would say. She knew he’d be behind her one hundred and fifty percent, but she was still a little afraid of the reaction. “I’m just gonna um… cause you know when like” she rambled, “I’m pregnant”
“What?”
“I’m pregnant; you’re going to be an uncle, congratulations”
He laughed a little, “Wait; slow down” he paused for a second and Bella took a deep breath, the hardest part was now over, or so she hoped, “You’re pregnant?”
“Yes”
“With?”
“A baby”
“No shit Bella a monkey. Who’s the father?”
She was quiet for a few seconds as she pulled her hair out of a ponytail and started to nervously twirl it with her fingers. She didn’t know how to tell her brother that she’s pregnant with the child of a one night stand, a guy she didn’t talk to for more than a couple hours, who she didn’t even know his last name, “Just some guy” she said softly, “It was just a one time thing” he didn’t say anything, “Don’t hate me Vinny it was a mistake”
“I don’t hate you” he said quietly, “What’s going to happen with the guy?”
“Nothing. He was just a sperm donor, that’s it”
“That’s fucked up. So you have to do everything and he does shit?”
“I’d rather have it that way” He was quiet for a few seconds, “Say something”
“What do you want me to say?”
“I don’t know” she fell on her bed, “Ok well the thing is I’m pregnant” she began to talk quickly, “And I’m having the baby”
“Obviously”
“Obviously” she repeated, happy that someone else shared her same thoughts on getting an abortion, “And we’re going to be fine. I have a great job, I have a beautiful apartment, I’m 24 it’s not like I’m 16 or something, there are people younger than me working at McDonalds with like a half a dozen kids. And me and the baby are going to be fine, and we’re going to be really happy” she said trying to convince herself more than anyone else
“I know”
“And I mean, this baby doesn’t really need a father, I mean ours died when we were little and we turned out ok” she was talking so fast now, just because she knew if she stopped talking for a second she would break down
“Bella” Vinnie broke in, although it didn’t work
“I mean forget this guy, he doesn’t want to be part of this baby’s life well then too bad, it’s his own loss, we’re going to be way better off without him”
“Isabella… stop”
She did as she was told and began crying as if she had been holding it in for years, “Who am I kidding? I can’t have a baby, I can’t be a mother Vin, I can’t do this. I can’t take care of myself, let alone a baby. I mean, yeah I have a beautiful apartment for me, but I can’t raise a child here, that’s so horrible and dangerous. And my job… how can I keep my job with those crazy hours?”
“Bella, sweetie, calm down”
“I can’t Vin; I’m going to like ruin this kids life. What if it’s a boy, he’ll need a father. Oh god, what if it’s a girl, she’ll need a mother. She’ll need someone to teach her girly things, Vin I’m not a girl, I don’t know girly stuff”
“Stop, you’re going to do fine”
“It’s easy to say that Vin but you don’t know, no one knows”
“I know” he assured her, “Damnit Bella you pretty much raised me yourself and look how great I turned out” he said with a smug tone, he was right though. Their father had died when he was only 5, and their mother had to take on two jobs to be able to keep the family in the same house, “I’m done in a couple weeks, then I’ll come back to Bahston” he said over emphasizing the Boston accent he never really had
“No Vin, stay there” although Bella wanted him to come back home more than anything she couldn’t be the reason.
“I’m obviously coming home Bella”
“Really though Vin, you’re almost done with school and everything”
“There’s school’s in Boston Bella” she took a deep breath, “I’ll finish out the semester and then I’ll be home in a couple weeks, I’ll go somewhere closer for next semester”
“But you love New York”
“So I’ll move back in a couple years if I really want to. It’s not that big of a deal Bella, so just forget it I’ll be home in a couple weeks” Isabella nodded her head as if he could see her, she thought about how lucky she was to have such a great brother, “Do you want me to come back earlier?”
“No. finish the semester. Thanks a lot” she paused, “So how’s everything with you?”
“Good” he answered quickly and then continued, “Who’s the guy?”
“What?”
“You didn’t think I would let it go that easy” he said with a slight chuckle, “Do I know him?”
Bella swallowed hard, “No” she answered quietly, the truth was she didn’t even really know him
“Is he from there?”
“No”
“’Where’s he from?”
“I don’t know” she said honestly
“Does he know?” he asked and got no response, “Bella does he know?”
“Yes Vin, of course he knows”
“And his name is?”
“Justin” she said before pacing around her apartment, “Alright Vin I gotta go, call me tomorrow”
Chapter 4 by Lily
The phone ringing woke Justin from his thoughts; “Hello?” he picked it up not even looking at the caller ID, which he regretted the second the voice on the other end spoke
“Hi is this Justin?”
“Yeah”
“As in Timberlake?”
“Who is this?”
“Oh my god it is him!” he heard the girl on the other side scream
“Where did you get this number?”
“Are you really Justin Timberlake?”
“No man” he said as he hung up the phone, great just want he needs. As he threw his phone down the hotel door opened, as Jim, his security guard walked inside, “Don’t you nock dude?”
“No” Jim said as he grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge, he picked up the pack of cigarettes and then threw them down, “Start smoking?”
Justin ignored him and stood up, “Are you here for a reason?”
“You, Smoky the Bear, have an appointment with TRL in 10 minutes”
“Shit” Justin said as he pulled a sweatshirt over his head and a blue Red Sox hat to cover his short hair and followed his security guard

~~~

“Isabella” Vin’s voice sang over the intercom, he was finally back in Boston
“Vinnie!” she yelled into the white box by her door
“Damn Bella you got half the city staring at me that was so loud” he said with a slight chuckle, “Let me in” She pressed the button and heard the buzz before she ran down to meet him at the door
“Ahh Vin!” she screamed when she saw him and couldn’t stop herself from jumping up and down
“Seriously Bella calm the fuck down” he said as he handed her a Stop and Shop bag, “Turn around, and walk”
“I’m just happy to see you” she smiled as she walked back into her apartment, “And relieved” she placed the bag of groceries on the counter, “I’m so glad you came thank you so much” she pulled her brother into a tight hug and let out a sigh of relief. Finally she wasn’t alone anymore. She felt her eyes begin to water, when she pulled away she quickly wiped them
“Of course” he said with a smile, pretending like he did not see the tears falling down his older sister’s face. Vin placed a carton of orange juice in the refrigerator so he wouldn’t be staring at Isabella’s tear stained face, “It’s good to be home”
Bella nodded her head and sat on a barstool by the kitchen counter. She rested her head in her arms, leaning over the counter, “How was the drive?”
“Fine” he continued unpacking, “How are you doing?”
“Fine” she nodded her head, “Look, I know we don’t like say it a lot or anything. But thanks a lot for this like seriously, thanks so much” she paused, “And you know… I love you”
Vin stared at his sister for a couple seconds and then let out a chuckle, “I know Bella”
They never were really a family that shared their emotions very much. Even as kids, Bella couldn’t even remember a time when her parents had told her they love her. It wasn’t a problem, it was not like she had ever doubted the fact that they loved her but they never said those words. Her father had always said, “We don’t say things in this family, we do them”. That had shown through in pretty much all aspects of life for them. If Bella would do something wrong, saying the words ‘I’m sorry’ wouldn’t mean much of anything. He had taught them to show the way they feel whether it be drawing a picture or baking a cake. Of course their father would always explain that you don’t get anything done by saying you’re going to do it; you have to work for it.

~~

Justin sat in the limo driving him to the MTV studios and looked out of the tinted windows. Hundreds of screaming kids were already standing outside in the freezing cold. He wondered what was wrong with all of them to make them want to spend their Friday afternoon standing on the streets in the snow. He loved his fans for the most part, although he’d be the first to admit some of them are just as annoying as hell, but he always wondered why anyone cared so much about him. He never understood it, especially the paparazzi following him to the grocery store. As he watched the people outside screaming at the sight of a limo he thought about how his life is. No matter how many fans he had or videos he’s made or tours he’s sold out he still did not feel as if he really fit in this lifestyle. Sure he looked like he did from the outside, but on the inside he’s just a southern boy caught up in this crazy life. His confidence was fake, on the inside he felt like the size of an ant most of the time. He looked strong and independent but the truth was there were few things in his life that he could do without talking to his mother first.
These past few weeks had been crazy for Justin. He was trying his hardest to put that conversation with Isabella in the back of his mind but he couldn’t stop thinking about her. He didn’t know what to do. He knew the conversation he had with her was wrong, he knew he shouldn’t have talked to her that way, but he didn’t know what to do. It was one of the few things in his life he couldn’t discuss with his mother, although he knew if he did she would know exactly what he should do. But he couldn’t tell her, because he also knew how disappointed she would be, he had lived his life making sure not to do anything to disappoint her, but now it had finally happened. He’d reached that point.
“Let’s go” Justin’s security guard said as he opened the door, “Come on man, we’re running late” Justin stepped out of the limo and followed the MTV assistant upstairs, with his hood still covering his head
“This way Mr. Timberlake” the assistant said as he led Justin into his green room. Justin sat down on the couch and pulled his hood even further down his face
“Alright what’s your problem?” Jim waited a couple seconds and grabbed a bag of chips from the table, “J, what’s going on?”
“Nothing”
“Yeah, alright Smokey, I’m sure that’s the case” he said sarcastically
Justin looked up at him and then looked away, “I just got a lot of shit going on”
“Problems in Paradise?”
“You have no idea”

~~~

“What do you want for dinner?”
“Chinese” Isabella said as she flipped through the channels, “Let’s go to China Town”
“Alright, let’s go I’m hungry” Bella nodded her head and stopped the TV when she landed on MTV and saw Justin’s face on the screen, “Let’s go Bella… Bella”
“That’s him” she said softly, unable to keep her eyes off the screen.
“Who?” Vin asked as he walked over and sat down on the couch next to her
“Justin” she said as she shut the television off and looked at her brother, “That’s the father”
“Justin Timberlake?” he said with a chuckle, “Right Bella”
She looked at her brother, “Seriously” she stood up, “Let’s go”
“Wait” he said as he grabbed his jacket, “You’re telling me the man that got you pregnant is Justin Timberlake”
“I guess so”
“So why didn’t you tell me his last name”
“I didn’t know it”
“How do you not know Justin Timberlake’s last name”
“Ok it’s scary that you know that much about him”
“Every girl in my dorm had a picture of him on their wall” he paused “How do you not know? He’s like this huge superstar”
“I thought he was lying” she shrugged, “I wasn’t exactly thinking”
“He’s with Christine Hudson”
“Who?”
“Justin is dating Christine Hudson” Vin answered slowly so she could understand
“The actress?”
“At least you know who she is” he answered sarcastically
“Wait, how long have they been together?”
“At least three years”
Isabella took a deep breath and grabbed her purse, “He really is a complete asshole”
“Of course he is. He can get away with whatever the fuck he wants to get away with because he’s Justin Timberlake”
Bella couldn’t say anything, she just shook her head. It killed her to think that the one night she had a one night stand it would get her pregnant. And the one time she gets pregnant it’s with Justin Timberlake the asshole of the century that everyone seems to know, everyone of course, except her. She had always prided herself on her lack of knowledge on the Hollywood gossip. Justin Timberlake was a pop star, she was a twenty four year old, not exactly his audience. She was pretty sure the only people that actually like his music are twelve year old girls. Although apparently there’s something about him that all the girls at Vin’s college have posters of him.

She had spent her whole life fighting stereotypes that beautiful people were always so dumb. It killed her every time she got special privileges because of the way she looked and the fact that this asshole got all the privileges in the world because of the way he looks and what he does for a living killed her. He probably makes more money than the CEO of her company. There are people dying from hunger all over the world and she would put money on it that Justin Timberlake deals with problems like poverty, hunger and sickness by buying himself another car.
Chapter 5 by Lily
“I need to get the fuck out of here” Justin said as he sat in the limo, watching the screaming kids cry and jump up and down like they were watching Elvis walk out of the grave. Or at least maybe like they were actually seeing him instead of a limo with tinted windows driving by.
“What’s that?” his assistant asked
“I need to get the fuck out of here” he repeated louder this time, “I’m going home”
“OK?”
“I’m going fucking home. I don’t give a shit. I need to go home”
“You have a week full of appearances”
“I. don’t. give. A. fucking. Shit.” He said louder, still not looking away from the window, “I’m going home. Get me a ticket”
“Johnny is going to…”
“Fuck him. I’m not kidding Andrew, get me a fucking ticket”
“How long are you planning on going for?”
“For fucking ever” he pulled the hood over his head again and took a deep breath, finally looking over at Andrew for the first time, “Look dude, I’m either going home or I’m going to jump off a fucking cliff. I’m thinking you’ll loose more money if I’m dead than if I miss a week of appearances. Get me a fucking ticket”
The door of the limo opened and Justin walked out quickly getting on the elevator and closing the door before anyone else could walk in. He needed this one minute to himself more than anything. He threw his head back and ran his hands through his hair and tried to figure out what the fuck he was going to do. He needed to go home to talk to his mother and she would know what to do.
Justin packed up all his things and laid in his bed waiting for someone to come in with the ticket, or for someone to yell at him, whichever came first. He was pretty sure they would both happen, it was just a matter of which would be first. The door opened an hour later and Andrew threw a piece of paper with a ticket printed on it, “Let’s go bro the plane leaves in an hour”
As Justin sat quietly on the plane going home he tried to remember everything about Isabella. He remembered what she looked like and how as soon as he saw her he just had to have her. But he also remembered she didn’t care about him whatsoever. And that’s what was so exciting for him. He waited outside the building trying to come up with a plan to see her again. It was six o’clock at night; she couldn’t just be going in to work now, could she? Maybe she just had to drop something off and would be right out. He sat down against the edge of the building and waited, hoping she would soon come out. The truth is she would have to come out at some point and Justin knew he had to see her again.
Two hours later Isabella walked out of the building and Justin jogged to catch up with her, he noticed how she was always in a rush and was always walking quickly, “Bella” he called out calling her to turn around
She laughed, “Are you serious? You are a stalker. Do you get that?”
“I’m not a stalker” he laughed, “Can I buy you a drink?”
“I don’t know you. All I know is that you’re following me. What do you think?”
“I think that you should let me buy you a drink. I admit, this looks a little strange but your eyes are just so beautiful I had to talk to you”
“Original” she laughed, “Very original”
“It’s true” he laughed, “One drink. Anywhere you want. Please?”
She looked at him carefully, he was very good looking. If he had come up to her in any normal situation she probably would have given him a chance right away but it was a little strange that he was following her, “OK. One drink”
“That’s all I want. That’s all you have to stay for, one drink” he smiled
“Actually I don’t have to stay for anything”
Once Isabella finally opened up they got along really well. The truth was they got together because Justin knew exactly what to say. They talked for hours, although Justin could honestly say he knew nothing about her. He told her what she wanted to hear and made her feel like she was the only person in the world he cared about. When in truth, he couldn’t care less about what she was saying and was just feeding her lines so he could get her into bed.
And it worked. Justin knew it would work, it always works. Isabella however couldn’t believe it worked. She was never one to fall for lines and definitely wasn’t one for one night stands. But somehow this one guy made her feel so different.

A little more than four hours later Justin found himself standing at his mother’s front door unable to go in. He stood as still as a statue, clenching the key in his fist trying to gain the courage to open the door and actually see his mother. It was already past eleven, she was probably asleep. He thought maybe he should just get a hotel and come back in the morning. After shaking that thought from his mind he was finally able to put the key inside the lock and turn it slowly.
The house was dark and quiet, just as he had expected his mother was already in bed. Justin dropped his bag at the door and slowly walked up the stairs. He stopped at his mother’s doorway where he saw her sleeping soundly. He fought with himself over if he should wake her up or let her sleep. “Mom” he whispered softly. He decided if he called her quietly she wouldn’t hear him and at least he could say he tried to wake her up
“Justin?” she shot up, he should have known better, mothers can always hear the slightest sound when they sleep, “Baby, what are you doing here?”
“I just needed to talk to you” he held onto his mother tightly, not letting go of the hug. He really needed to be in his mother’s arms more than anything.
“What’s the matter sweetie?” she asked sincerely, she hated seeing her son like that
“I just have a lot of shit going on, I need to talk to you” he said softly, still not letting go of his mother
“Come on, I’ll make some coffee”
Justin followed his mother downstairs and sat silently at the kitchen table. He had no idea how he was going to tell her, he knew it would break her heart. She placed a cup of coffee in front of him and slice banana bread, “Thanks” he said softly, staring into space
“Sweetie you’re worrying me, what’s going on?”
He took a deep breath and played with the bread in front of him, “I got a girl pregnant”
“What?” her face lit up, “Christine is pregnant? Baby, that’s great news”
“No Mom stop” he cut her off, “It’s not Christine”
She sat down and felt her knees go weak, “Then who is it?”
“Her name is Isabella” he said softly, looking into his cup of coffee so he wouldn’t have to look at his mother’s reaction, “She’s from Boston”
“When did this…”
“About six months ago I was there” he looked up slowly to see his mother looking into her own cup of coffee
“Are you sure that it’s…”
“Yeah” he broke in again, “Well she said that it couldn’t be anyone else”
“But sweetie, those groupies will do anything to get close to you”
“She wasn’t a groupie. She wasn’t at the show, she didn’t even know who I am” Justin watched his mother stand up and look through a drawer. She came back with a pack of cigarettes and put one to her lips immediately. She had quit smoking three months ago but this was the moment in her life where she needed one more than anything. Justin reached over and grabbed one himself and slowly put it to his lips, “I don’t know what to do”
“Does Christine know?” he shook his head, “Does she know that you’re seeing other people?”
“I’m not seeing other people. It was a one time thing. I was away for awhile and Bella had the most amazing eyes and she didn’t know who I was. She didn’t throw herself at me; she looked at me like I was just a normal person. It was like a chase ya’know. It was the first time in god knows how long that I’ve actually had to chase someone and it made it so much more intriguing”
“But baby”
“Please don’t lecture me mom, I can’t take it”
“I know sweetie, I’m not” she reached over and grabbed his hand, “You need to tell Johnny”
Chapter 6 by Lily
Author's Notes:
Thanks so much for reading!
Isabella stood in front of her mirror looking at her bare stomach. She rubbed her large stomach, still trying to comprehend that there is a little baby growing in there. She slowly pulled a shirt on and looked at her reflection, she felt so fat and bloated, this whole pregnancy thing is much harder than she thought.
The sound of her cell phone ringing woke her from her thoughts, “Hello?”
“Hey,” the voice on the other end said quietly, “How are you?”
“Fine. Who is this?”
“Justin”
“Justin who?” she asked even though she knew exactly who he was but had no idea why he was calling her now. He made it pretty clear that he wanted nothing to do with her or the baby so she thought that meant she would never have to hear his voice again.
“Timberlake” he paused realizing she probably didn’t even know his last name, “Justin, you know the…”
“I know” she broke in, “What do you want?”
“I um… I want to talk to you. Can we talk?”
“Talk”
“I was thinking more… in person”
“Why?”
“Look, I’m sorry about the way I talked to you when you called. I was just… in shock”
“Yeah, so was I”
“I know. I’m sorry. Can I come by? Please?”
Bella waited a second before answering. He did sound sincere and maybe they could work something out. The truth is she really wanted her child to at least know his father. “OK”
“Alright. We’ll be there in ten minutes” he hung up the phone. Isabella threw her hair up into a messy bun and went into the living room, quickly cleaning up the apartment. She wished Vin was home but then again she did need to deal with this by herself, just Justin and her.
There was a nock on the door and Isabella took a deep breath before opening the door and seeing two men in suits standing in front of her, “Um… can I help you?” Justin moved from behind them and bit his bottom lip, “Oh, come in”
The two men walked right past her and sat down at the dining room table opening up their briefcases and pulling out folders, “Have a seat Isabella”
“What’s going on?”
“Take a seat please” the same man answered. Justin sat down and Isabella did as well
“Can someone please tell me what’s going on?”
“We want you to keep this a secret, not tell anybody that he is the father” the one man said looking her right in the eye, “If you do that, Justin will pay you 10,000 dollars a month, every month, granted of course the DNA test matches”
“I don’t want your money” she said softly
“Come on now, everybody wants money”
“Not everybody” she answered, “Look, I’m not going to tell anybody, you don’t need to be here”
“Great, that was easy. We just need you to sign here and here, initial here and here, and date and sign right here” he handed her a pile of papers
Isabella looked at them carefully, “I’m not signing this”
“Why not?”
“Because I don’t understand it. I’m not going to tell anyone, don’t worry about it. I’m not exactly proud of the fact that he’s the father”
“Then sign it”
“No” she said as she crossed her arms, “I won’t. Thank you but no. You can leave”
“Sweetie, you need to sign it”
“Don’t call me sweetie, who are you? I’m not signing it”
“She’s not going to tell anyone” Justin answered quietly
“Who are you to pretend that you know that? You don’t know me, don’t pretend that you do” she answered, “You need to leave right now or I’m going to call the cops”
“Let me talk to her” Justin said, “Just go outside, and let me talk to her” the two men listened to him and quickly gathered their things and left the two of them alone
“I don’t want to talk to you either”
“Listen, I’m sorry they had to come but you have to understand that I can’t just have this getting out”
“I am so naive” she let out a slight laugh, “I thought that you were coming here because you actually cared about the fact that you are going to be a father. There are two types of people in this world. The ones that take responsibility for their actions and the ones that think money will make everything go away. I know which one you are. And I also know which one I am and I’m not going to just take your money and shut up. If you don’t want anything to do with this baby then that’s fine. But don’t think that you can pay me off to act like you’re not the father. This is a human being we’re talking about, not just a stupid way to make money. Every child deserves to know who their father is. The baby should not have to live its life wondering who their father is so your cute little reputation doesn’t get ruined”
“It’s not about my reputation”
“It is about your reputation are you kidding me? I’m not an idiot, and I know you usually surround yourself with girls that are idiots and you’re not used to one with a brain, but that’s not how I am. I’m not going to sell the story to a magazine. I don’t want money, I don’t want attention or fame I just want my baby to know its father”
“And I want to know my child. I want to know the color of her eyes or the color of his hair. I don’t want to be just represented as a check. But I can’t just come and be this super father. I’m going to try the best I can. I’m going to come around as much as I can and I’m going to love him or her just like it is my child because it is. I mean, I’m not going to be around everyday but I’m going to do the best I can” Bella looked away from him as he spoke, he sounded sincere but who knew anymore, “Listen, I’m going to go. You have my number, I have yours, I’ll call you. Call me if you need anything, honestly anything” Justin stood up and walked towards the door, “I’ll leave the papers if you want to have your lawyer look at them or something. I really couldn’t care less if you sign them or not. I know you’re not going to tell anyone. It’ll just make them happy. But I don’t really care if they’re happy or not. It would actually be more fun for me if you didn’t sign them so I could see them freak out about everything” he laughed slightly, “Take care alright?” she nodded her head, “Do you need anything now?”
“I’m fine”
“I know you can take care of yourself” he said quietly, “But if you need or want anything let me know. It was good to see you again. Bye Bella” and with that he walked out of the apartment.
Isabella took a deep breath as she sat down on the couch, she had no idea what was even happening.
Justin walked out of the building and right past his lawyer and manager. They followed him closely, “Did you get her to sign it?”
“No dude, let it go” after making it into his hotel room he fell on the bed and for the first time in a long time he just cried. It was one of those moments that he started crying about anything and everything that he’s held in his whole life. After awhile he forgot what he was even crying about but still wasn’t able to stop.
Chapter 7 by Lily
Author's Notes:
Thank you so much for reading, I'm so glad you like it :)
It was four months later when Isabella was lying in a hospital bed, resting after just giving birth. She and Justin had been talking about once a week, basically just a quick hello, asking how everything was. Neither of them was too interested in the other, but they were acting like adults and joining together for the good of this child.
Isabella picked up the phone by her bed and dialed his number, “Hey”
“It’s a boy”
“You had him?” Justin felt a smile over his face, “It’s a boy? Like a live, breathing, crying, baby boy?”
“Yes” Isabella said with a slight chuckle
“Is he alright? Does he have all his fingers and toes?”
“Yes” she laughed
“Does he have your eyes?”
“Yes”
“Good” he paused, “How big is he?”
“Six pounds seven ounces”
“That’s good right?”
‘Yeah, it’s fine”
“What’s his name?”
“Aidan Christopher”
“I like it”
“Me too”
“Is he adorable?”
“Yes, he really is. He’s gorgeous”
“How are you doing?”
“I’m fine” she said softly, “I’ll take a picture with my phone when they bring him back and send it to you”
“Yeah, thanks” he looked at the clock and saw that he had an interview in an hour, “I’m going to try to get over there”
“Yeah, whenever you can” she paused as the door opened, “Alright I have to go, they’re bringing him in. I’ll talk to you later”
“Alright, send me a picture”
“I will, bye” Justin hung up his phone and fell back on the couch. Now it was real, it wasn’t just going to happen it had happened. There is a child out there that is half of him. A little baby boy. Aidan Christopher.
He heard his cell phone ringing and picked it up quickly, thinking it was Bella again, “Hey”
“Hey baby, what’s going on?”
“Nothing” he answered softly realizing it was Christine
“Is everything alright?”
“Yeah, why?”
“You’ve just been acting weird lately. I mean half the time you don’t even answer your phone”
“Not now Christine”
“Then when? I mean you’ve been acting like this for the past few months, it’s not like it’s just been a day or two”
“I know, I’m sorry I just have a lot of shit going on”
“And I don’t?”
He took a deep breath as his phone beeped telling him he got a new picture message. Justin put Christine on speaker phone and opened the picture, for the first time looking at his new baby boy. He never believed in love at first sight but just looking at that tiny boy made him change his mind. He looked just like him, just like he did when he was a newborn. “Justin, what’s going on?” Christine spoke but Justin couldn’t stop looking at his baby boy, “Are you still there?”
“Yeah, sorry. I gotta go, I feel like shit and I have an interview in an hour, I don’t even know if I’m going to be able to make it. I’ll call you later ok?” he hung up the phone before hearing a reply and called the airport while he packed up his things, he needed to go see his baby.
“Hey Ma” Justin called his mother as he sat in the cab driving to the airport, “She had the baby”
“She did!” his mother shouted, “Girl or boy?”
“Boy. Aidan Christopher, Six pounds seven ounces.”
“Aww sweetie, congratulations! I love the name. You were six pounds seven ounces when you were born too”
“I’ll send you the picture on your cell. I’m on my way to the airport now so I can go see him. I didn’t tell anyone, so if they’re looking for me”
“Don’t worry. I want to see him too”
“Yeah, by the time I get there it’s going to be late so let me call you tomorrow or something and you can come”
“Yeah, talk to her about it”
“Yeah, for sure. Alright, I just got here so I’ll call you later”
“Alright sweetie, I love you”
“I love you too, bye mom”


Isabella took a deep breath as she held tightly onto her new baby boy, “You’re gorgeous” she kissed his forehead
“Thank you” she heard her brother’s voice, “Can I hold him?”
“Yeah, later though ok?”
“Why can’t I hold him now?” he asked with a laugh
“Because I just got him, leave me alone” she smiled, “He has my eyes, doesn’t he?”
“I can’t see because you won’t let me hold him”
“Well he does. He has my eyes but that’s it. The rest is all Justin. That kinda sucks”
“No it doesn’t. He’s the sexiest man alive” Vin said with a chuckle
Isabella rolled her eyes, “Now you’re never holding him”

It was one thirty in the morning by the time Justin made it to the hospital in Boston. After asking the nurses he finally found Isabella’s room but she was sound asleep. He walked back to the nurse’s station, “Hey, can I see the baby?”
“Yeah” she smiled, “Just go down the hall and you’ll see the nursery to the right. The baby’s name is on the crib”
“Thank you” he said. He took a deep breath before walking slowly down the hall. He felt his hands sweat and his legs go weak. He started to take deep breaths; he was never really good with pressure like this. As he stopped in front of the window he knew exactly which one was his. Second row, third from the left.
Justin watched carefully as his new baby slept and put his hand against the glass, wishing he could just hold the baby in his hands. He spent an hour at the window, just watching Aidan sleep, “Excuse me, sir” a nurse said softly, causing Justin to turn away, “I found a blanket and a pillow if you want to go stay in the room with your wife”
“Thanks” he said softly as he took them from her hands, “Later Aidan” he said softly as he walked slowly back to the room where Isabella was sound asleep. He watched her carefully, she looked so peaceful.
After spending the night trying to get comfortable Justin was pretty sure he had no more than a total of an hour of sleep. A single ray of sunshine landed on Bella’s face waking her up immediately. The first thing she saw when she opened her eyes was Justin on the chair, “Hey” she said softly as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes, “What are you doing here?”
“I had to come see him” he sat up, “You were sleeping so I didn’t want to…”
“It’s ok” she sat up, “Did you get to see him?”
“Just through the glass”
Bella nodded her head, “He’s gorgeous isn’t he?”
“He is”
“He looks just like you”
Justin let a slight laugh escape, “Is that a roundabout way of saying I’m gorgeous?”
“No” she laughed, “I’m not talking about you, I’m talking about him”
“Alright” he smiled, “So what do I have to do to get to hold him?”
“A lot of begging?” she said sarcastically as she pressed a button by her bed.
“How are you feeling?”
“I’m fine today. I was just a little sick and uncomfortable and tired yesterday but I’m good now”
“Yeah, understandable. When do you get to leave?”
“Today I hope”
“That’s good” Justin said softly. The truth is this is actually the first time the two of them have been alone since they met. The only other time they were actually face to face was when they were joined by Justin’s manager and lawyer.
Luckily the nurse came in with Aidan in her hands to break the uncomfortable silence between the two of them. “Thank you” Bella smiled as she held Aidan in her hands. Justin watched her carefully as she held him close, he had a feeling it would take a lot for her to give him a chance, “He’s sleeping still, he’s not up. You can’t see his eyes. They’re the only part of me that he has” she let a chuckle escape but Justin knew it was hurting her.
“Yeah right” Justin said as he walked over to her, “He has your nose. Thank god. If he had my nose it’d be bigger than his head”
Bella smiled as his attempt to make her feel better, “You can hold him”
“Yeah” he said softly as he grabbed his son for the first time ever. He watched him carefully and tried to take in the moment. Things like this don’t happen everyday. And it will never happen again, at least not the first time holding his first born in his hands. Aidan did look just like Justin. If you got a picture of Justin when he was first born and put it next to a picture of Aidan now no one would be able to tell the difference. At least with his eyes closed.
“How are my two favorite people?” the doctor asked as he walked into the room, “Is this the father?”
Isabella looked over at Justin, not sure if she was supposed to tell him or not. Justin looked up, for the first time turning his gaze away from his new son, “Yes, Justin Timberlake” he handed Aidan back to Isabella to shake the doctor’s hands, “Thank you, for everything”
“Of course” he smiled, “How are you feeling sweetie?” he walked over to Isabella
“Pretty good, thanks. I’m ready to go home” she smiled
“I think I’m ready to let you go home” the doctor smiled as he picked up Aidan, “Everything looks fantastic with Aidan, any questions?”
Justin laughed, “Any questions? Are you kidding? A million questions”
“I should rephrase that. Any questions I can help you with right now?”
“I think we’re all set” Isabella said, “Thank you so much”
“Alright, good luck with everything and just call if you need help with anything” the doctor said as he handed Aidan back to Justin
“I’ll just call my brother”
“NO, I’ll help you with him” Justin answered quickly
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah of course, why wouldn’t I?”
“I thought people weren’t supposed to see you with him”
Justin shook his head as he stood up, “It’s not that big of a deal, I mean no one’s going to- oh look he’s awake!”


As Isabella and Justin finally exited the hospital they realized they had no real way of getting back to the apartment. “I don’t think we should take a cab” Justin spoke up, “The T?”
“No, I don’t think that’s any better. With people rubbing against you and stuff”
“Oh yeah. Walking then?” Isabella nodded her head
“How far exactly do you live from the hospital?” Justin asked after walking for a few minutes
“Not that far” she laughed, “Are you not used to walking?”
“Not this far” Justin said with a smile
“It’s the next block, you can do it” she smiled as they walked into the apartment and placed Aidan in his crib, “Do you want to sleep in my bed? You probably didn’t get any sleep last night if you want to take a nap”
“Yeah, maybe thanks” he said as he sat down on the couch, “My uh… my mother wants to see him. Would you mind if she came?”
“No, of course not. She should definitely come”
“Cool, thanks a lot”
“Yeah, you don’t even have to ask that. It’s your mother, come on”
“I just wanted to make sure. Where’s your mother? Has she seen him yet?”
“No, my mother died a few years ago”
“Oh I’m sorry” he answered quickly
“No, don’t be. It’s not a big deal” she said softly as she looked through the cabinets, “I’m going to make some pancakes, do you want any?”
“Yeah sure, thanks”
“You’re home already?” Vin asked as he walked out of the bedroom and into the kitchen, “How are you feeling? How’d you get home? Where’s the baby?”
“One question at a time” Isabella smiled as her brother gave her a hug, “Yes, I’m home. I’m feeling fine. We walked home. Aidan’s in his room sleeping”
“Sorry” Vin sat down on the counter, “What are you making?”
“Pancakes” she said softly, “You haven’t met Justin have you?”
“No” Vin said as Justin stood up from the couch.
“What’s up man?” Justin asked as he shook his hand
“Vin, this is Justin. Justin this is my brother, Vin” Isabella said as he placed the last of the pancakes on a plate, “its ready, come sit. Vin can you get the orange juice and syrup”
“So when did you get here?” Vin asked
Justin finished chewing his pancake, “Last night”
“Nice” Vin said quietly as he poured syrup on his pancakes, “Surprising”
“Why’s that?” Justin asked as he took a sip from his orange juice.
“Surprising that you showed up? Seriously?” Vin asked as he took a bite of his pancake, “Maybe because you have never shown up, except to get my sister pregnant and to get her to sign a contract so the fact that you did get a girl pregnant and refuse to have any part of the baby’s life doesn’t get out and ruin your image”
“Vin stop” Bella spoke up
“I obviously want something to do with his life or I wouldn’t be here” Justin answered
“Yeah, obviously. Or she didn’t sign the papers so you want to act like you care until you get her to”
“Look, Bro”
“I’m not your bro, don’t call me that”
“Stop, both of you please?” Isabella sad sternly
“Look, I know I treated her like shit and I’ve apologized to her for that, many times. It’s not everyday someone calls me and tells me I’m going to be a father. I was caught off guard and it was a shitty thing but I’m doing the best I can here dude”
“The best you can huh? That’s a little sad” Vin said as he stood, “I’m going out”
“Vin” Bella said as she followed him to his room, “Stop”
“I’m not going to just sit back and watch this asshole run his lines and act like he cares when he doesn’t. How do you not see it Bella? Just sign the fucking papers and then he’ll leave”
“I’m no signing the papers Vin. I know that he’s not the best person in the world but the fact is he is Aidan’s father. I’m not looking to marry him or have any sort of romantic relationship with him but the truth is that I’m going to have to have some sort of relationship with him because he is the father of my child. And Aidan deserves to know his father”
“He doesn’t need a father if he’s going to be a dick like this guy”
“You don’t even know him”
“Neither do you”
“Exactly. I’m giving him the benefit of the doubt. I’m just giving him a chance for Aidan”
“I still think he’s an asshole and he’s going to fuck everything up even more” Vin said as he pulled a sweatshirt over his head, “I need to get away, I’ll be back later”
Isabella walked back into the kitchen and saw Justin sitting with Aidan in his arms, “Sorry about that”
“It’s cool, I understand” Justin said softly, “He was crying so I grabbed him”
Isabella nodded her head, “Is he ok?”
“Yeah, he’s fine. I’m thinking he might be hungry”
“Oh, ok” she took Aidan in her arms and sat down, “Can you look the other way?” she asked
“Oh yeah, sorry” Justin laughed slightly as he turned his head so Bella could breastfeed
“OK,” she said as he turned back around, “Thanks”
“Yeah. My mother is going to come up tomorrow, if that’s ok”
“Yeah, of course”
“Cool. She’s excited to see him” Isabella smiled, “So… this is a great apartment, it’s really big”
“Yeah”
“Have you lived here awhile?”
“About three years”
“Oh wow, impressive. What is it that you do?”
“I’m in advertising” she answered softly, she hated the small talk, it was killing her.
Chapter 8 by Lily
Isabella sat cross-legged on the floor of Aidan’s nursery with Aidan crying in her hands. She tried rocking him but he just kept crying. She tried feeding him but he wouldn’t take it he just kept crying. Her eyes were closing and she felt like she wasn’t even awake. She was more tired than she had ever been in her entire life but she could not stop her son from crying. Before Isabella knew it, she too was crying uncontrollably, “Shhh” she said between tears, “Please, Aidan, just stop crying”

Justin walked into the nursery with the hood of his sweatshirt covering his head. He stood at the doorway watching Bella cry and beg Aidan to stop crying himself. He walked slowly and stood next to where she was sitting, slowly sliding down the wall and sitting next to her, “Are you alright?”

“Yeah, I’m sorry” she said quickly wiping her eyes so he wouldn’t see her cry, even though she knew he already had, “He just won’t stop crying. I don’t know what’s wrong with him, I mean he shouldn’t be crying this much. He just shouldn’t be”

Justin looked at her and didn’t know what to say. The truth is he didn’t have much experience with kids himself, let alone the ones straight from the womb. “Maybe he just isn’t tired, he’s been sleeping all day”

“But why is he crying?” she cried, no longer attempting to hold it in
“Why are you crying?” Justin asked with a chuckle
“I don’t know” she laughed
“Let me hold him” he said and Isabella handed him the baby. Part of her prayed that Aidan wouldn’t stop crying as soon as he touched Justin, because that would just prove her prediction that Aidan had hated her. Bella pulled her legs to her chest and hugged them tightly

“Do you think he’s sick? Like do you think something’s wrong?”

“No, he’s just a baby, they cry” he said although he really had no clue, “Did you see that episode of Mad About You when they had the baby? And they stayed up all night”

“Why are you comparing our life with a stupid sitcom?” she asked with a laugh

“That was a good show” he said seriously, “How do you not like Mad About You?”

“He stopped” Bella whispered and looked at Aidan in Justin’s arms who had finally closed his eyes and fell asleep

“He likes Mad About You” Justin smiled, “Now do we dare put him back in the crib?”

“Go ahead, careful though”

“He’s good” Justin said softly as he placed him in the bed

“Thank you”

“He just got tired of crying, I didn’t do anything” Justin smiled, “Goodnight Bella”

“Goodnight Justin”

The next morning Vin woke up to see Justin sleeping on the couch and his sister feeding Aidan while drinking a cup of coffee. she looked half dead, like she didn’t sleep at all, “You look dead”

“Yeah, I didn’t get much sleep. I’m sorry if he kept you up all night”

“No, I didn’t hear him” he said as he looked over at Justin, “Why is he sleeping?”

“My guess is because he’s tired Vin”

“Well, what the fuck, you’re tired too” he said loudly so Justin would wake up, “Dude, get up”

“Come on Vin, he was up all night too, let him sleep”

“Yeah, ok” he said as he threw a pillow and Justin jumped up, “Good Morning” Vin said with a smile

“Don’t be a jerk Vin” Isabella said as Justin walked into the kitchen


“Hey” he said quietly as he wiped the sleep from his eyes, “Were you up anymore after I left?”

“No, he actually slept until about an hour ago. There’s coffee if you want any”

“Thanks” Justin said as he grabbed a cup, “You want some?” he asked Vin who shook his head, “Do you want more Bella?”

“No, I’m fine, thanks” she said softly, surprised he was actually looking out for someone besides himself, “What time do you have to get your mother?”

“Noon” he took a sip

Bella nodded her head as she tried to burp Aidan, “She can have my bed; I’ll sleep in the nursery”

“No, we’ll get a hotel”

“No, I insist that she stay here. You don’t want her to stay in a hotel”

“It’s not that big of a deal. I don’t have to stay here either but I don’t want to make you deal with him alone. I mean, I know I’m not much help but I want to help as much as I can while I’m here”

“Are you kidding? You’re the one who finally got him to sleep last night” Bella said as she handed Aidan to Justin, “Thanks”

Justin nodded his head, “So I was thinking I’ll pick her up and then bring lunch back. So don’t eat”

“”OK” she smiled, “I’m sorry Vin woke you up”

“It’s ok” he said with a smile

“I’m going to take a quick shower. Will you be alright with him?” Justin nodded his head, “Vin’s at class so he won’t bother you anymore”


As Justin waited at the gate for his mother he found himself taping the armrest of the chair he was sitting in. he didn’t know exactly why he was so nervous. He couldn’t wait to see his mother because he knew things would be much easier once she was there.

“Hey baby!” she hugged him tightly, never planning on letting go, “How is he?”

“He’s great” Justin found himself smiling, “He’s so cute Ma”

“I bet” she smiled, “Hurry up, let’s walk and talk I want to see him. You didn’t bring him?”

“No, he’s sleeping” Justin laughed, “Come on”

“How’s everything going? With Isabella and everything?”

“Good” he nodded his head, although he didn’t really know how great things were actually going, “I mean we’re not yelling or anything. I think it’s kinda like we’re just trying to work it out. It’s weird because we’ve never spent time together ya’know?”

“It’ll get easier. Does she have her parents there and everything?”

“No. She didn’t say anything about her father but she said her mother died a few years ago”

“Oh, poor thing, I bet she really misses her mother right about now. Does she have any family?”

“Her brother, who is a fucking ass. He hates me”

“I doubt he hates you baby”

Justin laughed as he walked into Isabella’s building, “You’ll see”

“Well he’s probably just looking out for his sister. He’ll open up to you”

“Yeah, I know” Justin said as they stepped into the elevator, “Ya ready?” he asked with a smile

“I can’t wait to see him, I’m so excited” she said as Justin knocked on the door and Isabella came to answer

“Hi” she smiled, “I just put him down. I was trying to keep him awake but he kept falling asleep”

“It’s ok, he’ll be up soon” Justin said softly, “Bella this is my mother, Lynn, Ma this is Isabella”

“It’s so nice to meet you sweetie” Lynn said as she automatically pulled Isabella into a hug, “You’re beautiful, how are you feeling?”

“I’m good, I’m fine thank you” Bella said with a smile when Lynn finally let go of her

“Let’s eat” Justin said as he walked past the two of them and into the kitchen

“Calm down, she probably wants to see him” Bella said softly, “I’ll put your things in the bedroom so Justin can show you Aidan”

“No sweetie, I’ll sleep on the couch”

“No, please sleep in my room. I just changed the sheets, I insist” Bella said as she grabbed Lynn’s bag, not waiting for a response

“She’s adorable, and the sweetest thing, bless her heart” Lynn said softly, letting her southern drawl shine through. She grabbed onto her son’s arms and followed him into the room. As she took the first glance at her new grandson she felt a tear roll down her face.

Justin looked over at his mother and laughed, “What is it with you people and your crying?” he picked his son up and slowly handed him to his mother, “Mom, this is Aidan Christopher, your grandson”

“Oh my gosh” she held him tightly and watch him sleeping in her arms, “He looks just like you Justin. He’s so little. Aww, I remember when you were this little” she looked over at her son who was unable to wipe the smile off his face while he watched his newborn son sleep, “I’m so happy for you baby, he’s adorable” she placed him back in his crib

“Thanks Ma” Justin said softly as his mother gave him a kiss on the cheek, “Let’s go eat”

As they walked into the kitchen they saw that Isabella had already brought out plates and had everything ready, “Oh sweetie, we could have done that. You need to relax a little, you must be so tired”

“It’s ok” Bella smiled, “What would you like to drink? I have water, iced tea, lemonade, soda there’s Pepsi, or Diet or sprite”

“I got it Bella, sit” Justin said as Bella went to the table and passed out the plates

“So did he sleep alright last night?”

Justin laughed, “No”

“Yeah, he kept us up pretty much all night” Bella said as she put a piece of eggplant parmesan on her plate, “But Justin got him to stop crying”

“He was just sick of crying, he gave up” Justin said as he placed a can of soda in front of his mother and Isabella

They continued the small talk and Isabella was actually really surprised about how much she fell in love with Justin’s mother right away. She didn’t know what to expect but she was definitely pleasantly surprised. Lynn was just like any other mother, so excited that she had a new grandson, even though she had never met the mother before and also the simple fact that they were not together, never were, and it was just a one night stand.

As they were finishing dinner there was a nock on the door and Justin’s lawyer and manager walked in, “What are you guys doing here?” Justin asked as he walked over to them. He wondered how they even knew he was here or that she even had the baby.

“Oh, hi Justin, we didn’t know you would be here” his lawyer answered his question, “We are here to talk about that contract and of course the DNA test”

“Are you really here two days after Aidan was born to bother her about that?” Justin asked seriously
“If she signs the contract we will leave her alone. The DNA test will take a piece of hair, it won’t hurt anybody”

“He doesn’t have any hair, so how are you going to do that?” Bella asked, “Look, I am not signing a contract. I have not told anybody and I’m not going to tell anybody. Aidan has no hair. You are not giving him a blood test when he is two days old. You can look at him and see who the father is, he looks just like him. I don’t want anything from you. I have never asked for anything. Please just leave me alone”

“It won’t hurt him” the lawyer said, “Sweetie if you just do this then we will leave you alone forever”

“Do not call me sweetie. And I highly doubt that. You just need to leave us alone” she said as she ran off to Aidan’s room and shut the door. Lynn followed her quickly knowing exactly how difficult this must be for her. She never did like Justin’s lawyer or even manager for that fact. Lynn knocked on the door and opened it slowly, “How many times do I have to tell you?” Isabella yelled, tears streaming down her face

“It’s just me sweetie, can I come in?” Lynn asked softly

Bella nodded her head as Aidan started crying. She stood up and held him tightly in her arms before sliding down the wall. Lynn sat down next to her, “Why won’t they let it go?”

“I don’t know sweetie, but Justin will take care of it”

“I don’t want anything from him. I promise I don’t. I just want Aidan to be happy. I want him to know his father. I don’t want his money, I don’t want any attention, I just want Aidan to be happy” she said softly between tears

“I know sweetie” Lynn said as she moved Isabella’s dark hair out of her face, “He’ll take care of it, you’re going through a lot they should not be here” Isabella nodded her head and Lynn put her arm around her. Isabella rested her head on Lynn’s shoulder and for the first time ever Lynn felt like she had a daughter. Isabella continued crying knowing that at least some of those tears were from relief that Lynn was so great. She really needed a mother and even though nothing would be as good as having her own mother there this was pretty close.
Chapter 9 by Lily
“You need to leave” Justin said, “You’re making this a hell of a lot harder than it has to be”
“Just get the girl to sign the contract. Then you’ll be done with it. You won’t have to deal with her or this kid ever again”
“It’s not just a kid dude, he’s my kid”
“You don’t know that”
“Yes I do” Justin said seriously, “If you keep bothering her she’s going to sell the story to some magazine just so you’ll leave her alone about signing it” They were both quiet for a few seconds, “Look, honestly, you need to just let me handle this. And if you don’t I’m going to have to look for a new team”
The men left when they heard Justin threaten to fire them and Justin hoped that would work. Although he disliked those men very much he didn’t want to fire them, but he knew he easily could and they would leave him alone forever. Justin walked slowly to the nursery. He opened the door to see his mother sitting on the floor along with Isabella who had her head resting on his mother’s shoulder and Aidan in her arms. He sat down next to Bella and took a deep breath, throwing his head back, “They’re gone”
“Thank you” Bella said softly
“No, I’m sorry they’re just… I don’t know. They’re not going to come back. You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do, don’t worry about them, alright?”
“Yeah” Bella said softly
“I think that we need to take you shopping sweetie” Lynn said, hoping that would cheer her up, “You have absolutely nothing up here. You need to get a rocking chair and I want to get him some clothes and a dresser and a better changing table”
“You don’t have to do that”
“We want to” Lynn said with a smile, “We’ll go in a little while alright?”
“Do you want to wait for Vin to come home and he can watch Aidan?” Bella looked over at Justin, “Or we could take two cars”
“No way, don’t worry about that” Lynn answered for her son
“It’s fine” Justin said as he stood up, “I really don’t think anyone is going to think I’m here. And I don’t care if they do. I’m taking my boy shopping”
They spent the day shopping for all things for the baby. Isabella felt like a princess, everything they looked at they bought without even looking at the price tag. The nursery was going to be amazing, and the most comfortable room in the apartment. Aidan had more clothes than she knew what to do with.
Later that night, Bella sat in the nursery unpacking all the clothes and Justin sat at the kitchen table with his mother while cleaning up after dinner.
“How am I supposed to tell her?” Justin asked his mother as he played with the fork in front of him
“You just have to tell her. Just tell her that you love her and you know you’ve been acting weird and just tell her why. Just tell her that you were afraid to tell her because you love her and you don’t want to hurt her and this is it. She’ll understand. She’ll be angry at first but she’ll understand. She loves you”
“Yeah” Justin said softly, “I’m going to go see if Bella needs help” he walked into the nursery and stopped at the door as he watched Bella sitting on the floor folding all the clothes that they bought that day, “Need help?”
“Sure” Bella smiled as Justin sat down next to her, “Thank you so much for everything, you really didn’t have to do all this”
“Yeah, no problem. Stop thanking me” he laughed, “So I’m going… back to LA for a couple days, but I’ll be back”
“Oh. OK”
“I’ll be back I just have to take care of some stuff” Bella nodded her head, “With uh… Christine”
“Are you still dating her?” Justin nodded his head, “What does she think about Aidan?”
“She doesn’t know”
“You didn’t tell her?”
“No, I’m… that’s why I’m going back”
“Oh gosh” she said softly, “Good luck”
“Yeah thanks” Justin let out a chuckle, “I’m scared to death”
“Why?”
“She’s going to dump me, I can feel it”
“Maybe not”
“Would you dump me?”
“Yes” Bella answered honestly causing Justin to laugh, “But that’s because I don’t love you. If she loves you maybe she won’t”
“So if you loved me you wouldn’t?”
“I don’t know” she answered softly as she continued folding the clothes. They sat in silence for a few seconds before she spoke up again, “I didn’t know you were with her. I would have never…”
“It’s not your fault” he broke in, “I take full responsibility”
“I know but still”
“Don’t even think about it” he said sincerely, “My mother is going to stay a little to help you out. I’ll be back; I just have some things I need to take care of”
“OK” Bella nodded her head, “Good luck, seriously. I hope everything works out alright for you”
“Thanks. it will be alright” Justin said as he picked up his son and sat on the chair, “I feel like if she can’t deal with it then too bad. I mean, I have a son. That’s a good thing”
Bella smiled as she looked over at Justin who was unable to keep his eyes off of their son. She was really impressed about the way he was acting, surprised even. She never thought he would even come to see him right away, forget about staying here for a few days. Then he’s planning on coming back, it’s almost too good to be true.
“I’m going to go see how your mother is doing and I’ll leave you alone with him” Bella said softly as she walked into the kitchen to see Justin’s mother washing dishes, “What are you doing? You don’t have to do that, you’re a guest”
“Sweetie, I am here to help you. I’m not your guest”
“Yes, but I don’t want you to have to do all this” Bella said as she grabbed a towel and started to dry the dishes
“It’s not a problem” she smiled, “Where is Justin?”
“Saying goodbye to Aidan”
“Poor boy, he’s so nervous”
“Do you think she’ll break up with him?”
“I don’t know” she shrugged and sat down at the kitchen table, “She’s a nice girl but… I just think that they’re going different places in life”
Chapter 10 by Lily
Justin stepped off the plane at LAX and took a deep breath. He was so nervous he could see himself shake. As he grabbed his bags and stepped foot out of the door he was greeted by dozens of paparazzi, one thing he would never miss about LA. They just hang out at the airport here, hoping they’ll catch someone.

“Where are you coming from Justin? Did you have a good vacation?” Justin continued walking, not looking and anyone or even acknowledging their presence. He quickly got into a cab and stared out the window as he was driven home. He wondered how he was going to tell Christine what he had to tell her and if she’d ever forgive him. He felt horrible about the fact that he had cheated on her. Justin himself had been cheated on many times and he knew how horrible it feels when you find out the person you love is cheating. But it really was only one night… although it’s not like Bella was the only girl. It really meant nothing, it was just physical attraction. Then again, he did get a girl pregnant. And the fact remains that if Aidan did not exist he would have never told Christine and he probably wouldn’t even feel bad about the fact that he had slept with other girls.

He never thought he would be able to cheat on a girlfriend. After being cheated on in almost every relationship he’s been in he knew how it felt. He knew all about those sleepless nights blaming yourself, thinking you just weren’t good enough. He knew the truth, people who cheat… cheat. It has nothing to do with the other party involved. But why was he now one of those people that cheat? He’d never cheated on anyone before and he’s been on plenty of tours where he was away from his girlfriend for weeks at a time. Why was this tour different? What had happened after the second record that made him change so much?

Justin handed the cab driver the money and slowly walked to his house. he threw his keys on the table and dropped his bags at the door and fell right onto the couch. He knew he had to go see Christine but he was procrastinating as much as he could. After taking a deep breath, he finally talked himself into getting up and driving to Christine’s house. As he parked his car in her driveway he took one more deep breath before walking to the door and knocking on it gently, hoping that she wasn’t home.

“Oh my gosh Justin” Christine jumped into his arms, kissing him gently, “Where have you been? You like disappear for days at a time”

He held on to her tightly, afraid this was the last time he would ever feel her in his arms, “Sorry, I’ve been busy”

“Yeah,” she said as she ran her hands down his chin stubble, “Are you alright? You look dead”

“Tired” he said softly, “I need to uh… talk to you. Can we talk?”

“Yeah, should I be worried?” she asked with a chuckle

Justin ignored her question and walked past her, sitting on the couch, “Alright, you’re going to… just know that I love you, alright? I love you” he grabbed onto her hands, “I really do love you. I don’t know how to…”

“What’s going on J?” she asked nervously. Justin took a deep breath and ran his hands through his shaven hair. he handed her a picture of Aidan watching for her reaction. Her face was blank, “Who is this?”

“His name is Aidan” Christine felt her bottom lip quiver. She could tell from the first glance that this was Justin’s child, “My son”

Christine sat quietly, staring at the picture in her hands, “And this is a recent picture?”

“Yeah, that’s where I was” he answered softly, running his hands through his hair. Christine handed him the picture back and ran her hands through her own hair, she didn’t know what to say or what to do, “Baby, I’m so sorry”

“So are you like… dating her or…?”

“No, no it was just a one night thing”

“Just a random girl?”

“Yes”

“And how many other girls were there?”

“What?”

“How many other girls?” she asked, tears falling down her face, “How many other girls that you didn’t get pregnant? How many other fucking whores did you sleep with Justin?”

“It was a mistake”

“How many fucking mistakes Justin?”

“I don’t know” he said softly

“You don’t know? Like what? Three? Ten? More than
fifty? Give me a fucking ballpark here Justin”

“Baby, I’m sorry”

“No, I’m not your baby” she grabbed the picture
of Aidan, “This is your baby. You have a baby. You have a fucking son and he’s not mine. We’ve been dating for three years and you have a kid, and he’s not mine” Justin sat there unable to say anything, “Say something”

“I don’t know what to say. I fucked up, what do you want from me?”

“I want you to leave”

“Christine, please”

“No. Leave. Because I know that you’re sorry and
I know that you feel horrible. But only because you have a son. If this baby didn’t exist you would have never told me that you’ve been sleeping with different whores in every damn city you go to. You wouldn’t feel bad about it because I would never know” she wiped her eyes, “Just leave Justin. I’ll send you your shit”

Justin stood up and slowly walked out of Christine’s house. he wanted to fight for her but he couldn’t. he just didn’t have the strength. As he stopped at a red light he threw his head to the steering wheel. He had never been more confused in his life. Although Justin knew that he loved Christine, the fact that she just dumped him didn’t hurt as much as he thought it would.


~~~

“I really want to thank you so much for coming here” Bella said sincerely to Justin’s mother as she fed Aidan, “I really have no idea what I’m doing and it’s such a relief to have a mother here”

“Oh sweetie, don’t even worry about it. I’m so glad to be here”

“But seriously, you’re helping so much. I don’t know what I would do without you. I will repay you for this, I don’t know how or when but I will”

“Please Isabella, don’t even think about it. I’m not doing anything”

“Can you stay forever?” Bella asked with a laugh

“I wish I could” Lynn smiled, “You’re doing great though, you’re going to be a wonderful mother. And Justin is great with kids. You should see him with his brothers. And whenever there are kids around he’s always the one adult playing with the kids all day”

Bella smiled as she looked at her son, “It’s just so weird. Like it’s such a weird situation. I don’t even know him”

“I know. But he’s a good guy” Lynn paused and let a chuckle escape, “Well I would hope I would think so, I am his mother. He really has his head on right. I mean, considering all the horrible things he could so easily get messed up with. I’m proud of him”

Bella nodded her head although she didn’t think of Justin as an all around good guy. Granted so far he wasn’t as horrible as she had expected but the fact remained that he did have a girlfriend when he had sex with her. He also technically still has a girlfriend who he did not tell he has a son. Then of course there is the way he fed her lines and used her to have sex in the first place. Sure, maybe in his business he’s a good guy. Compared to Colin Farrell or Fred Durst, but that didn’t impress Isabella. Not even a little bit.

“Your mother would be very proud of you too sweetie. Justin told me she passed away” Bella nodded her head, “How long ago?”

“It will be four years in December” Bella said softly

“I’m sorry. I know you really wish your mother were here”

Bella nodded her head, “It’s not a big deal. I mean it was a long time ago, I’m over it” she said quietly although that couldn’t be further from the truth. Isabella missed her mother every day of her life and as soon as she found out she was pregnant she cried for hours not only because of the fact that she was pregnant with Justin’s baby but also because she knew how much her mother wanted to live to see her own grandchildren.

“Was she sick?”

“Yeah, she had cancer” Bella continued
quickly, “I don’t really want to talk about it. I’m sorry, I just…” she trailed off. The truth was Bella never really talked to anyone about her mother. She never really showed how much it hurt her. Bella had to be the strong older sister for Vin when she died and she never even really cried in front of anyone over it.
Chapter 11 by Lily
Author's Notes:
Thanks for reading and I love the feedback :)
It was two days later when Justin arrived back in Boston. After renting a car he made his way back to Isabella’s apartment. He was surprised at how excited he felt to be back in Boston, to think he wanted Bella to have an abortion. He had come a long way in the past few months, and although he was worried, the second he saw Aidan’s little eyes looking back at him he knew that he would make it work.

He knocked softly on the door and placed his bag at his feet smiling softly when Bella came to the door, “Hey”

“you’re back” she smiled, a bit relieved, part of her was afraid that he wouldn’t come back

“I am” he smiled as he walked inside, “How’s he doing?”

“Good. He slept all night last night. From midnight to five”

“Whoa” Justin said with a chuckle, surprised at what his life had come to, he walked into the nursery where he saw his mother sitting with Aidan in her arms, “Hey Ma” he said softly as he kissed his mother’s forehead and grabbed his son from her arms, “Hey Aidan,” he smiled

“Did everything work out alright hunny?”

“Yeah. I got this stroller. It should come tomorrow, it’s awesome, it’s big and he can sleep right in there” Justin looked over at Isabella, “It’s amazing. You’ll love it Bella”

“Cool” Bella smiled, she really couldn’t believe how far Justin had come in the past few months. It was only a few months ago when he had hung up on her and told her he wanted nothing to do with Aidan. Now here he was, excited about his trip back home to LA because he got a new stroller. “I’ll leave you guys alone I’m going to go start on dinner” It was Justin’s mother’s last night in Boston and Bella really didn’t want to see her leave.


“I really, really want to thank you so much” Bella said softly, “I didn’t expect to get this much help and I really don’t know what I would have done without you”

“Oh, sweetie, I didn’t do much”

“You did, you did so much. Thank you” Bella felt a single tear fall down her cheek, “It means so much, it really does”

“It’s not a problem darling” Lynn said as she gave Bella a strong hug, neither of them wanting to let go

“Don’t leave” Bella said with a chuckle

“I’ll be back” Lynn smiled as she pulled away, wiping her own tears, “You’re doing great, keep it up. Justin is here to help let him help. You have my number sweetie, call me any time; I always have my phone with me. If you have any questions that I can help you with or you just want to talk call me ok?” Bella nodded her head, “Alright sweetie, I’m going to miss you” she laughed, “Bye sweetie”

“Bye. Thank you” Bella waved

“I’ll be back” Justin smiled before handing Aidan over to Bella, “Let’s go Ma” he grabbed his mother’s bag as they walked to the elevator. As he looked over at his mother he noticed she was crying, “Jeez Ma, I don’t even remember the last time you cried when you said goodbye to me”

His mother laughed as she wiped her face, “I love her Justin, she’s such a sweetheart. You’re so lucky; do you even know how hard this could have been for you? She could have sold this whole thing and made millions of dollars and ruined your career. She could have sued you, she could have made your life a living hell, but she didn’t. she really just wants what’s best for Aidan” Justin nodded his head, “You better not hurt her. You better take care of her”

“I know Ma”

“I know you know baby” she said as she followed Justin to the car, “You need to help her alright? Don’t let her do everything; she’s going to work herself crazy. She needs to rest, she did just give birth. Don’t let her be a pushover”

“I know Ma, I’m not”

Lynn nodded her head as they drove to the airport in silence, “How did everything go with Christine?”

“Oh, she dumped me, we’re done” he answered nonchalantly

“Oh no baby, I’m so sorry. Are you alright?”

“Yeah, it’s not a big deal. I just need to focus on Aidan now; I don’t need any more drama”

“I’m so proud of you” Lynn smiled, “You really are making me proud”

“Yeah well” he stopped at the security check point, “Alright. Thanks for coming Ma. You really helped out a lot”

“Of course baby” she hugged her son, “You take care of them”

“I will” he kissed her forehead, “I’ll miss you”

“I’ll miss you too baby. Call me and let me know how everything is going”

“I will. Call me when you get in”

“Alright, bye baby”

“Bye Ma” Justin said softly as he watched his mother walk away. He pulled his sunglasses down his face so no one would see the tears forming in his eyes. It was always hard for Justin to say goodbye to his mother, but this was far worse than it had ever been. He was worried about taking care of Aidan but most of all about being alone with Isabella. He really knew nothing about her and it was sure to be an awkward situation.

On his way home he called Isabella, “Hey, is everything alright?” she answered

“Yeah, I’m stopping to get ice cream, I’m craving it. What do you want?”

Bella let a chuckle escape, “Um… a sundae, vanilla ice cream, hot fudge, whipped cream”

“Nuts?”

“Sure. Thanks Justin”

“Alright. What would your brother want?”

“He’s not here”

“That’s ok, I need to win him over” Justin laughed

“Same thing but cookie dough” she smiled, “But no nuts, get it with rainbow sprinkles”

“Alright, I’ll be there soon”

Justin walked into the apartment to see Bella sitting on the couch wearing a pair of sweatpants and a hooded sweatshirt, “Oh my gosh, it’s huge”

Justin laughed, “It’s not that bad, you can do it” he said as he handed her the sundae and put Vin’s in the freezer

“Did your mother get off alright?”

“Yeah,” he nodded his head and handed her a spoon, “Dig in”

“Thank you, this looks so good”

“I was craving ice cream like no one’s business”

“I’m always craving ice cream” Bella laughed

“Yeah, I pretty much am too” Justin said before they sat in silence for a few minutes

“So… everything worked out ok in LA?”

“Yeah” Justin laughed, “We broke up but I mean…”

“Oh, I’m sorry”

“No it’s cool. It works out; I’m not worried about it”

More silence.

“So” Justin stretched his arms over his head, “I really know nothing about you”

“I know nothing about you”

“It’s true” Justin smiled, “You’re from here?”

“Yes, born and raised. Where are you from? LA?”

“No, oh hell no” he chuckled, “I’m from Tennessee, Memphis”

“Do you not like it in California?”

“I don’t hate it. OK, sometimes I hate it” he played with the string on his sweatshirt, “It’s just a different world from where I was brought up and everything. It takes some getting used to”

“Are you used to it?”

“I’m used to it as much as I want to be. I don’t want to get too used to it”

“Why not?”

“Then I’ll turn out to be a complete jackass” he chuckled, “Like you already think I am”

“I don’t think that”

“OK” he laughed as he placed a spoonful of ice cream in his mouth

“Your mother said you have a brother?” Bella asked trying to change the subject. The truth was she didn’t necessarily believe that Justin was an asshole. So far he seems pretty decent, but the past was still in her mind

“Step brothers, two of them. You just have Vin?” she nodded her head, “Any other family here?”

“Just Vin” she shook her head

“Where are your parents?”

“My father died when I was a kid and my mother died a few years ago” she trailed off softly

“Oh” Justin said softly, “I’m sorry”

“It’s ok, really”

“How uh… did she die?”

“Cancer, I don’t want to talk about it” she said the whole sentence as if it were one word, “Do you watch Grey’s Anatomy?”

“Yeah” Justin answered. It was obvious Bella didn’t want to talk about her mother and Justin wasn’t want to pry

“Good, because it’s on and I’m kind of addicted” she turned the television on
Chapter 12 by Lily
12

As the weeks passed Isabella and Justin were growing closer and closer. They quickly became a support system for each other. Every day that passed Isabella couldn’t believe how much she was enjoying Justin’s company and how lucky she was that he was there.
“I am so tired” Justin said as he fell onto the couch, Isabella nodded her head, “Do you know why we can’t sleep when he sleeps unless he wakes up every ten minutes?”

“No, why?”

“I’m asking, I don’t know” Justin laughed, “He thinks he’s funny”

“Yeah, that must be it” Bella laughed as she turned the television on

“Shit”

“What?”

“Can we not watch this?” Justin asked seriously

“Why not?”

“I just don’t want to watch it. Please” Justin said with a smile, “Please Bella, please. Don’t make me beg” he chuckled

“Tell me why” Bella laughed

“Please Bella, please” he reached for the remote

“No” Bella laughed, “Now I want to watch it because you don’t want to so bad”

Justin took a deep breath admitting defeat, “I’ll go check on Aidan” he stood up

“No, stay” Bella pulled him back down

“He’s crying”

“He is not” Bella laughed, “What is your problem with watching a bunch of ten year olds do skits?”

Justin ignored her question as he watched himself as a kid on television. The show was the Mickey Mouse Club and Justin was surprised Bella hadn’t know he was on it… everyone knows he was on it. It was almost like she was in this different universe. It was a relief more than anything. He had to spend most of his life in the public eye and the thing he hated most about it was that everyone always thought they knew him. He had said once in an interview when he was sixteen that his favorite movie was Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and to this day countless people act like they know that one thing about him. In nine years his taste in movies has obviously changed but that doesn’t stop all the Bueller things he still receives. But Bella knew nothing about this. She knew him as a normal person, as a human being. She didn’t treat him like he was special; she never gave him special privileges like everyone else did.

“Oh my god” Bella laughed as she looked over at Justin who was staring into space, “That’s you isn’t it?” Justin shook his head, “Don’t lie to me, that’s totally you”

“Alright, it’s me” Justin answered, “Enough ok? Change the channel”

“No, I want to watch you” she giggled, “How old were you?”

“12”

“Aww, you were a big nerd” she laughed and then stopped when she noticed Justin wasn’t smiling, “You’re really upset about this”

“I don’t want to watch it, it’s embarrassing”

“it’s cute, you were funny” Bella continued laughing, “Did you get free passes to Disney World?”

“Yes, I did” Justin answered with a slight
smile, “And I got a character breakfast with Mickey every morning”

“Impressive” Bella laughed, “Do you still have the ears?”

“In a hydraulic chamber at my house” he grabbed the remote from her hands, “If we could never talk about this again that would be fantastic”

“Yeah right” Bella laughed, “I’m going to talk about it all the time”

“Great. I’m going to go look through your things for embarrassing videos of you”

“No such thing” Bella smiled

“Right, I’ll do research” Justin smiled as he flipped through the channels

“I’m not worried”

“You will be” Justin laughed as he reached over Isabella and grabbed a picture in a frame

“It’s not embarrassing, go ahead. I was always an adorable child”

“OK” Justin stood up and walked over to the bookcase, “Then I can look through all these photo albums”

“Go for it”

Justin smiled as he opened the cabinet underneath the bookshelf

“OK, just get over it, there’s nothing there” Bella said quietly although she knew that there were pictures in there of her in her uncomfortable years

“Alright then, I want to look at pictures of you being an adorable child” he said as he grabbed a photo album hidden in the back

“OK, no” Bella said as she stood up and reached for the album, but Justin managed to pull it away from her, “Seriously, don’t look at those”

“Why not?” Justin asked with a chuckle, “You were an adorable little girl right?”

“Please don’t look at them” she said softly hoping she could make him feel bad

“Aww, you really don’t want me to look at them?” she shook her head, “Too bad” he laughed, “I want to see it just because you don’t want me to”

“Please Justin”

“No Bella” he laughed as they fought over the book, “It can’t be that bad”

“It is that bad” she laughed as she grabbed it
from him, “Ohh, too slow, too slow”

“I’m never too slow” Justin laughed as he wrapped his arms around Bella’s waist and threw her down on the couch. Bella pulled him down with her where he landed on top of her. They were both laughing and stopped when they noticed Justin was lying on top of her, his face mere inches away from hers. Isabella and Justin looked into each other’s eyes and without thinking Justin kissed her gently. One kiss lead to another, and another and it wasn’t until the door opened and they heard Vin’s voice that they stopped, “What the fuck?” he asked loudly, causing Justin to jump off of Bella as if they were 15 and caught by her father. Vin walked quickly into his room just as Aidan began crying.

“You get him, I’ll get Vin” Bella stood up and fixed her shirt as she walked to her brother’s room. She turned around and jogged back into the living room, grabbing the photo album in her hands smiling, “Not even close”

Justin let out a slight chuckle as he walked into the nursery. He quickly picked up Aidan in his arms and sat down on the chair, “Daddy is an idiot Aidan. Can you say idiot?” Justin asked softly. He couldn’t believe he had just kissed her. He did not want a relationship with her more than the one they needed to have with Aidan. He had already put her through so much shit he didn’t want to hurt her anymore. He was also pretty certain that even if he wanted a relationship with her she wouldn’t be interested. He had lied to her so much and told her everything she wanted to hear just to get her into bed with him. And that was the first night. First impressions mean a lot, and for the few hours they had spent together that night he had lied to her more than most couples lie in a lifetime. And then of course, there was the way he was dating Christine at the time. He was positive if the other things didn’t ruin his chances that would.

Isabella walked slowly into her brother’s room and waited at the door. He looked up at her and then back to the ceiling, “Hey” she said softly, lying in the bed next to him

“What are you doing Bella? Seriously, do you have any idea?”

“It was just a kiss Vin”

“OK, just a kiss. It looked like more than a kiss”

“OK, it was a couple kisses. Why are you making such a big deal out of it?”

“Whatever Bella, do what you want”

Bella took a deep breath and pulled the hood of he sweatshirt over her head, “Why do you hate him so much?”

“He’s an asshole”

“How is he an asshole?”

“He had sex with you and then planned on never talking to you again”

“People have one night stands all the time”

“OK, but he lied to you about it, fed you lines just so
he could get you into bed. And he had a girlfriend”

Bella big her bottom lip, “OK, what else?”

“And then you call him to tell him you’re pregnant and he hangs up on you, telling you he doesn’t want anything to do with the baby”

“He’s here now”

“I just don’t like him alright?” Vin said as he sat up, “I don’t trust him. Do what you want. You like him?”

“I don’t know” Bella said honestly, “He’s not like I expected and obviously I don’t want to jump into things but I just want to get to know him and see what happens” she ran her hands through her hair

“OK” Vin said softly, “I have homework I need to do”

“Alright” Bella said softly as she stood up and quietly walked away. She saw Justin sitting with Aidan in his hands singing to him softly to keep him from crying. She smiled softly and went into her room where she lay on her bed. She had no idea what was going on in life. She was surprised about the way she felt about Justin. He was turning out to be a very decent man. The fact that he came to see Aidan and has stayed for so long really meant a lot. And he’s trying really hard, he’s helping a lot.
Justin knocked softly on the door causing Isabella to break away from her thoughts, “hey, can I come in?” he asked softly

“Yeah” Bella sat up and Justin sat down next to her

“I’m sorry about that, I shouldn’t have kissed you”

“It’s alright. It’s just a kiss”

Justin nodded his head, “I just…” he took a deep
breath, “Uh... fuck. I don’t even know what to say”

“It’s ok, really”

“This is the strangest situation I’ve ever been in” Justin let a chuckle escape as he threw his head back, “Alright, I’m just going to be straight because I was always taught to say what you’re feeling” he took a deep breath and felt his heart beat in his throat. He really didn’t know what to say or how to say anything but he knew he had to get his feelings out there. “I like you…as a person. You’re so strong and hardworking and you don’t give in. and you’re obviously beautiful and those eyes” he chuckled, “Alright, what I’m saying is… I don’t know what the fuck is going on. I know you probably don’t want anything to do with me except what we have to do with Aidan and…” he paused trying to gather his thoughts, “But… I would be interested… in focusing on us or trying to see if there is or can be an us” he looked over at Bella to get her reaction, “I hope you still don’t think I’m a complete asshole. If you do then… forget everything I just said”

Bella let a quick chuckle escape, “I don’t think you’re an asshole”

“Alright, there’s one pro”

“I think that you’re a good person” Bella began, “And I know I’m still learning a lot about you but I like what I’m finding out. I’m just confused and I don’t know exactly what is happening. We should just take things slow”

“Slow” Justin chuckled, “We have a son”

Bella giggled, “You know what I mean”
Chapter 13 by Lily
“Stop, that tickles” Bella giggled as Justin rubbed her feet. They sat on the couch at opposite ends with Bella’s feet resting on Justin’s lap. Justin let go of her feet for a second and then picked them up again, “Seriously, why can’t you keep your hands off my feet?”

“I can’t keep my hands off you and your feet are the closest” Justin chuckled, “I want to take you out”

“What?”

“On a date. Will your brother watch Aidan?”

“Yeah” Bella answered softly, trying to hide the smile on her face. She loved spending time with Justin but it did seem like they skipped the first stages of dating and went straight to married couple.

“Should I ask him or should you?” he chuckled

“You should. He doesn’t hate you that much”

“No? I would hate to see someone he hates a lot” Justin smiled as he pulled Bella into his lap

“He’ll open up to you”

“Yeah, I know” Justin smiled as he kissed her gently

Aidan’s crying caused Bella to laugh, “Your turn”

“What?” Justin chuckled as he stood up, “You could help”

“Oh yeah? He likes you better”

“That’s true he does” Justin answered with a smile as the front door opened. Vin walked in and went right into his bedroom

“OK, I’ll get Aidan, you talk to Vin” Bella smiled as she stood behind Justin and massaged his shoulders, “Go get um” she laughed as she walked into the nursery, “What’s the matter baby?” she asked as she picked up her son in her arms, she was surprised at how much he had grown in the past two months.

Justin took a deep breath before walking to Vin’s room and knocking gently on the open door. Vin looked up and then continued taking his book out of his backpack, “What?”

“What’s up man? Can I come in?”

“I’m busy, I have a test to study for” he looked up at Justin, “What do you need?”

Justin walked in and sat down at Vin’s desk, “I know that you hate me. It’s cool, I know where you’re coming from, don’t pretend you don’t”

“I do hate you. I would never pretend I didn’t”

“Good” Justin chuckled as he ran his hands through his hair, “She really wants us to get along” he waited for a response but Vin ignored him, “I’m going to get on your good side some day, what do you want?”

“What do I want?” Vin asked with a chuckle, “What are you going to buy me a car or something?”

“Is that what you want?” he looked around Vin’s room to see all the sports memorabilia, “I thought you would have wanted Red Sox tickets or something. Season tickets, box seats. I mean, I can do that if that’s what you want”

“Are you bribing me?”

“Nah” Justin laughed, “Are you easily bribed?”

“No” Vin laughed, “What do you want man?”

“I want to give you something for helping us, what do you want?” Justin smiled, “Alright, you feel like it’s wrong to actually tell me, so I’ll go with the season tickets. If not, speak now” he paused, “Alright. I really don’t want you to hate me bro. And your sister really wants us to get along so maybe I could come with you to like… one of those games” Justin chuckled, “Are we cool?”

“Are you really getting me season tickets?”

“Yeah man” Justin laughed, “Just pretend you don’t hate me around her, then maybe some day you really won’t hate me” he said as he stood up

“Wait, that’s it?”

“Yeah man, that’s it” he walked towards the door and then turned around,

“Oh, and if you could watch Aidan Friday night so I could take your sister out”

“I have a date Friday”

“Perfect, chicks love babies” Justin chuckled, “Saturday?”

“Yeah man, no problem”

“Alright, good luck on that test” Justin smiled as he walked out of Vin’s room and sat down next to Bella on the couch, “Is Aidan ok?”

“Yeah, I just had to change him” Bella smiled as she rested her hand on his leg, “How’d it work out?”

“Fantastically” Justin grabbed Bella’s hand in his, “He has a date Friday so Saturday is our date”

“OK, where are you taking me?” she smiled as she moved closer

“Hmm… you’ll have to wait and see” he kissed her gently as Vin walked out of his bedroom

“Hey, you didn’t cook anything did you?”

“No” Bella answered as she moved away from Justin, “What do you want?”

“Chinese food” Vin said with a laugh, “I’m craving it”

“Yeah, I’ve been craving Chinese food too” Justin stood up, “I’ll go get it”

“I’ll come so you don’t have to park,” Vin offered. Isabella looked back and forth between Justin and Vin surprised that the two of them were talking and especially that Vin offered to go with Justin somewhere he didn’t have to. Vin walked out as Justin grabbed his hat

“What the hell just happened?” Bella asked in shock

Justin laughed, “We’re going to get dinner”

“I know but like… what did you say to him?”

“Nothing,” he chuckled before leaning over and kissing her gently, “What do you want? Lo mien?”

“Shrimp” she nodded her head, “Thank you. Have fun”
Chapter 14 by Lily
Isabella took one last look in the mirror before walking into the living room, “Wow, look at you” Justin stood up from the couch with Aidan in his arms, “You look great”

“Thank you” Bella smiled as she grabbed Aidan, “Thanks Vin”

“Yeah, no problem”

“He’ll probably sleep the whole time. Remember to lay him on his stomach”

“I know Bella”

“And if he’s hungry there’s a bottle in the fridge, you know how to warm it up right?”

“Yes Bella, go” Vin answered

“I know, I just… I’ve never left him and…”

“Take her dude” Vin said as he grabbed on to Aidan, “Have fun”

“Thanks Vin” she gave her brother a kiss on the cheek

“Come on,” Justin laughed as he grabbed onto Bella’s hand knowing he would have to drag her away from Aidan, “Thanks bro” as they stood in the elevator Justin looked over at Bella and let a chuckle escape, “Are you going to be ok?” she nodded her head, still staring into space, “You’ve never been away from him”

“No” she answered softly

“I forgot about that. He’s three months old”

“I know”

“I won’t keep you out late, we’ll have fun” Bella nodded her head, “If you don’t want to go…”

“No, I want to”

“Alright. You look beautiful though”

“Thanks, you’re not used to me with makeup” she giggled, “You look nice yourself”

“Well thank you” he grabbed on to her hand, “I’m excited to spend time with you out of the living room”

“Yeah, the first date huh?”

“Awkwardness. I’m nervous if I should go in for the kiss or what”

“Oh, I don’t kiss on the first date. I’ll make it easy for you” she laughed

“Good to know, good to know” Justin smiled, “Alright, we’re here”

“Really?” Bella asked in disbelief as they stopped at the restaurant, one of the most fancy ones in the city. Bella had always walked past there hoping that one day she would just get to go inside. It was beautiful on the outside, it looked just like a castle, she couldn’t wait to see what it looked like inside, never mind how wonderful the food must be.

“Really” Justin laughed, “Is this not ok?”

“No, it’s perfect”

“Alright” he smiled as they walked to the table, “Get something big”

“OK” she laughed

“Do you want wine? Let me wine and dine you”

“I would love some wine. You pick though, I’m not good at that”

“Alright, you pick an appetizer then”

“Hello” the waitress smiled as she came to the table, “I’m Anastasia, I’ll be your waitress. Can I start you off with a drink? You look…” she paused, looking at Justin for the first time, “You really look just like Justin Timberlake. You probably get that a lot”

“Yeah” Justin smiled

“Doesn’t he? Don’t you think? I guess you’re probably a little taller, I think he’s shorter. And I’m sure you’re a lot nicer too, I heard he was a complete asshole” Bella let a chuckle escape as she looked over at Justin who plastered a fake smile on his face, “Alright but anyway, I’m sorry” she laughed, “Drinks?”

“We’ll have a bottle of your best Pinot Gringo “

“Sure, and what do you want for water? Sparkling, bottled or tap?”

“Bottled”

“Alright, I’ll be right back with that” she smiled

“Nice” Justin laughed when she left

“Aww, at least she said you were nice”

“Yeah, she thinks I’m a short asshole. Great” he shook his head, “Hey, on the bright side you’re not the only one that thinks I’m an asshole”

“Stop with that, I don’t think you’re an asshole”

“Not anymore”

“So that’s good. Wouldn’t it be pretty bad if I thought you were amazing at first and then once I got to know you I realized you were an asshole?”

“You think I’m amazing?”

“I did not say that. Do not put words in my mouth” she smiled

“Oh, but you think it” he let out a chuckle, “What are you getting? Get a steak”

“I don’t eat steak”

“Really?” he asked out of disbelief, “Lobster?”

“Don’t worry I’ll get something expensive” she chuckled. Bella definitely was not used to spending money like him. She was never really poor as a kid but more in the middle class. Her mother worked hard to give them want they wanted. It wasn’t like they ever went hungry but there were nights they would complain about the food or not being able to get a new toy. It wasn’t until later that Bella realized the reason why was because of money.

Now that Bella was on her own, she knew it was important to be able to support herself at a young age. She got a scholarship for Boston College and graduated from there with a job right away. She’s always been one to save her money and never wasted her money on anything. But things were different with Justin. He was a spender, although the amount he probably makes is so much he would probably be considered a saver as well.

After dinner they walked around The North End and stopped in a small café for some dessert. “It’s such a beautiful night” Bella said as they sat outside
“Yeah, we should take Aidan to the park tomorrow. That’ll give us something to do, right?” Justin said with a smile

“Yeah, we totally should. It could be fun, we’ll have a picnic”

“Sounds good” Justin answered, “This whole having a baby thing isn’t as hard as I thought it would be”

Bella laughed, “That’s because you have me. No but now that he sleeps all night it’s easy as pie”

“It sure is. Do you want to walk back or take the T? Or a cab?”

“We can walk back it’s beautiful”

“Sounds good to me” he said as he grabbed onto Bella’s hand. Justin knew he was falling for her fast and it scared him more than anything. Things were going great now but he knew it wouldn’t last forever. It was only a matter of time before he’d have to go back to LA and start working on an album again.

“What?” Bella’s voice broke him from his thoughts

“Huh?”

“You’re looking at me weird” she smiled

“No, I’m not… I’m not” he smiled

“OK” she whispered, “I think we’re being followed”

“By who?” Bella pointed her head and Justin turned around to see three college girls following closely, “Great. Let’s run for it”

“Shut up” Isabella laughed

“No?” Justin asked seriously

“No” she continued laughing, “I have heels”

“Take them off” Justin chuckled, “Let’s just stop and let them pass or say something. I hate when they just follow and don’t say anything”

“They’re probably nervous. Apparently you’re a big deal to some people”

“Thanks Bella”

“Anytime” she smiled, “I don’t see the big deal though. It must be those subliminal messages you have in your songs”

“Shit, you know about those?” he asked with a smile as they stopped and sat down on a bench

“Yeah, I listened to them backwards and I could hear it, I won’t give away your secret, don’t worry”

“Thank you” Justin laughed as he rested his hand on her lap

“Maybe… if we call you another name they won’t think it’s you” Bella whispered into his ear, “What do you want your name to be?”

“Seus”

“What?” she laughed, “Like Dr. Seus?”

“No? You don’t like it?”

“Maybe you should pick a real name and then it’s a little more believable”

Justin chuckled, “Any suggestions?”

“Hmm… you could be a Mike… or a Chris”

“I like Seus”

“Oh my gosh, I am so glad I did not ask your opinion in naming Aidan”

“He would have made Seus a popular name” he smiled as he put his arm around Bella

“I keep forgetting you’re Hollywood, you guys like to name your kids Apple and Moses and Suri”

“And Lyric”

“That’s kind of cute actually. Lyric” she repeated and rested her head on his shoulder, “It has meaning to you and stuff. I would have let you name him Lyric”

“Next time” Justin rested his head on hers

Bella laughed, “Next time? OK. Next time”
Chapter 15 by Lily
It had been three days since Justin left for LA and Bella was surprised at how much she missed him. It was so different for her to be alone with Aidan and not have Justin there to keep her company. She walked into Aidan’s room and grabbed him in her arms as he cried, “OK, baby, shhh” she rocked him in her arms, “What’s the matter babe?” Bella wished he could answer. She felt like she had control over the whole situation most of the time but then there were times where she had no idea what she was doing. If Aidan cries it’s because he’s hungry, tired, or needs his diaper changed. Maybe he doesn’t feel good but sometimes he just cried because he wanted to and there was no helping him.

Justin always had a way of making Aidan stop crying. Sometimes all he had to do was pick him up and the wailing stopped. “Do you miss your Daddy?” she asked softly. Then of course Justin could always sing to Aidan and he stopped automatically. It was like as soon as he heard his voice he would just shut up and listen.

Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the country Justin sat in a meeting with his management and record label. Justin wanted more time off but the fact remained that he signed a contract, promising three more albums. It confused Justin more than anything that he didn’t really care about music. Since the day he was born music was always a huge part of his life, music was his life. The only thing he had thought about since being back in LA was Aidan and Bella. He didn’t think about music once. Sure, there was still music in his life. He was always singing or humming along with his IPOD but as for making his own music. Justin always was thinking about making music but as soon as he set eyes on Aidan that took a backseat.

“We set some time down at the studio for you to get to work”

Justin looked at his manager Johnny for some help. Johnny had worked with Justin for 12 years and they were more than just manager and client. Johnny would do anything for Justin and always looked out for his best interest, “He has a studio in his house” Johnny spoke up

“We won’t know if he’s spending time in his studio if it’s at his house”

“So you’re pretty much making me go to fucking jail so I write music?” Justin asked with a chuckle, he couldn’t believe his ears. They really want him to spend his days in a recording studio when he paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to build a recording studio in his house so he could go to one in the city.

“You disappeared for three months, don’t act like it would be that out of the ordinary for you not to work on your music”

“He is Justin Timberlake” Johnny began, “Justin Timberlake. The man that spent a year and a half pretty much 24/7 on his last album. Do you really think he’s not going to want to spend time on his music?”

“I think that he wants to spend time on other things right now and isn’t thinking about his music, or his career or his contract”

“I’m always thinking about my music, don’t patronize me” Justin said sternly, even though the truth was he couldn’t care less about his music right now. The truth was he did want to write a new album and he did want to get out there and record but he had other things on his mind. He wanted to be in Boston with Aidan and Bella.

“You have until a week from Friday. You can record wherever you want to record but if we don’t hear anything by a week from Friday then you’re recording where we say. And it better be good, if we hear shit then you’ll be recording where we say” the record label rep said before standing up,

“Have a good day” he reached his hand out to shake Justin’s but Justin just stood up and walked away. He couldn’t believe he was actually being lectured about not putting in enough time with his music. Music was his life.

Justin walked right outside and sat in the limo alone for a minute, taking a deep breath and throwing his head back. This was a nightmare. Johnny crawled in next to Justin and sat in silence as the limo drove away. “Don’t worry about them. You’ll write music, they’ll love it, everything will work out wonderfully”

“It’s bullshit” Justin answered, “I can’t think about this shit right now. I can’t have three fucking months off without the world crumbling from underneath me. I have a fucking son. Why can’t I have some fucking time off?”

“Why don’t you send them out here? Have Bella and Aidan come, spend some time in LA. You have the studio in your house, you can spend all day with them and just go down there when you have time”

Justin thought about it, it would be perfect if they would come out here. But he was sure it would never happen, “I’ll think about it” he answered softly, “I just gotta think this shit through, it’s been a stressful few days”

“Alright” Johnny said as the limo stopped in front of Justin’s house, “Take care then, I’ll call you tomorrow”

“Alright, thanks bro” Justin gave him a quick hug before walking into his house and falling on the couch. He took a deep breath and reached for his phone, calling Bella immediately

“Hello?”

“Hey” Justin said softly, “What’s up?”

“Heeey” Bella felt herself smile, “How’s life in Hollywood?”

“Shitty. How’s everything there? I miss you guys”

“OK, we miss you too”

“How’s he doing?”

“Good. He’s sleeping” she yawned, “I’m bored here without you”

“Yeah” Justin let out a chuckle, “How’s your brother?”

“Good, he misses you” Bella chuckled

“I bet he does”

“I’ll tell him you were asking about him”

“Yeah” Justin said softly. They both sat in silence for a minute, “I want you guys to move out here”

“No” Bella answered without missing a beat

“That’s it? You’re not even going to think about it?”

“What is there to think about? No” Justin threw his head back

“You’ve never been here”

“You hate it there, why would I want to move there?”

“Maybe you’ll like it”

“Yeah, maybe I’ll like being followed around by grown men with cameras”

“Bella I need to stay here. You have no idea how much shit they’re giving me. I can’t come back” Bella didn’t say anything but she felt her stomach twist, “I need to work for a little while”

“Then work”

“I was there for three months”

“What do you want me to say?”

“Can’t you guys just come out here for a little while? A couple months, if you hate it you can leave” she didn’t say anything, “Bella, please?”

“I have a job here”

Justin took a deep breath, “You don’t need to work, you never have to work another day in your life”

“I want to work”

“Then you can get a job here”

“I like it here”

“You can’t make one fucking sacrifice? I was there for three fucking months Bella, I disappeared for three months” he shouted, “I can’t get away. I’m asking you to come out here for a little while so I can see my fucking son”

“Don’t yell”

Justin took a deep breath, “Alright, whatever. I have to go, I’ll see you when I can get away” he hung up the phone
End Notes:
That was short... haha sorry :)
Chapter 16 by Lily
Author's Notes:
It's been a little while... sorry. I hope you like it. Thanks so much for the feedback, I love hearing what you think :)
“I can’t believe you’re leaving” Vin said as he walked with Bella through the airport

“Me neither” Bella giggled, “We’ll be back soon. He should see his son right?”

“Right” Vin said as he held Aidan in his hands. He was actually quite impressed that Justin wanted his sister and Aidan to go to California to be with him. Vin thought Justin would use this as an excuse to get away from them and go back to his Hollywood partying lifestyle.

“Alright,” Bella took Aidan from Vin’s hands and put him in his seat, “We’ll miss you. Have fun, no parties” she laughed

“OK Bella” Vin chuckled as he hugged his sister, “Be careful alright? Call me when you get in”

“I will, thanks for everything, I love you” she kissed his cheek before grabbing Aidan and walking through the security checkpoint.

Eight hours later the plane touched ground at LAX, “You can get off first sweetie” the flight attendant smiled as she stopped at Bella’s row.

“Sorry, I’m not used to this” she smiled as she stood up, this was her first time flying in first class and she was sure it would be hard to flying coach again, “I’m sorry he’s crying” she said trying to quiet Aidan

“No, it’s ok. It’s probably just his ears, he’ll be fine”

“Thank you so much” Bella said as she grabbed her bag and walked out of the plane. She could feel the warm air as soon as she got off the plane and looked out the windows to see a beautiful sunny day. After following the crowd, she finally found her way out of the security area and saw a big man holding a sign that read ‘Bella and Aidan’. She walked over to him with a smile, “hi”

“I knew it was you” he smiled, “I’m Jim, one of J’s security” he gave her a hug. Bella smiled, surprised that a man so big and tough would be so sweet, “And this is Aidan of course, he’s adorable”

“Thank you” she smiled

“He looks just like J” Jim chuckled, “Can I hold him?”

“Of course” Bella smiled, handing the man her son. Aidan took one look at Jim and started crying bloody murder, “It’s his ears”

“No, it’s the fact that he’s never seen a big scary man like me” Jim laughed, rocking Aidan in his arms. Aidan stopped crying quickly

“Well you have a way with him” Bella smiled

“I do” he laughed, “Alright, let’s get your bags” After getting all of the luggage they walked outside and saw Justin wearing a hat and sunglasses leaning against his BMW

“What is this?” Justin asked with a chuckle watching Jim holding Aidan and Bella pushing a cart full of luggage, “Bro, you’re supposed to be helping with the luggage not making her do all the dirty work”

“It’s ok” Bella smiled

“How was the flight?” Justin asked pulling Bella into a hug

“Fine”

“Thanks for coming” he whispered before kissing her forehead. *FLASH*

“Yeah” Bella said softly, surprised at how good it felt to be in his arms again *FLASH*

“How was he on the flight?” Justin asked after finally pulling away from Bella and grabbing Aidan from Jim’s hands. *FLASH*

“Good, he was fine. He slept the whole time”

“Good” Justin smiled, “Let’s get out of here before they get any closer” he said softly, noticing people with cameras forming a crowd around them. Surprisingly it wasn’t really paparazzi just people on vacation. Maybe they won’t sell the pictures… wishful thinking. Justin placed Aidan in the car seat, “You ready? Gotta make sure he’s in alright, we don’t want to pull a Britney” he said with a chuckle

“He’s in right” Jim laughed as he walked to the backseat

“Don’t you want the front?” Bella asked

“No, of course not, go ahead sweetie”

“So welcome to California” Justin said with a smile as he rested his hand on Bella’s lap

“Yeah, thanks. it’s beautiful”

“Not so bad. My mother’s coming up in a couple days”

“Really?” Bella’s face lit up. She really missed Justin’s mother. Lynn really became a mother figure to Bella as soon as they met

“Yeah” Justin answered with a chuckle, “She misses you and Aidan”

“I miss her too”

“I know you do” Justin smiled as he pulled down his street, “Alright, welcome home” he parked his car and walked to the trunk, taking out all of the luggage.

“You think she’s alright boss?” Jim asked pointing to the front seat where Bella was sitting in shock with her mouth wide open
Justin laughed as he handed Aidan to Jim, “I’ll get her, thanks man” he sat down in the driver’s seat and looked over at Bella, “How you doing?”

“This is your house?” she asked in disbelief. She had never seen such a large house, except maybe on MTV cribs

“This is my house” he smiled, watching Bella carefully. He found the way she was so enticed adorable

“I was going to say that we could get a hotel because I was afraid you wouldn’t have enough room for us”

“I have enough room, don’t worry” he chuckled, “Do you want to go in? I mean it’s a lot nicer inside”

“Yeah, I’m sorry” she laughed, “I’m just trying to take all this in”

“It’s cool” he smiled, “I have to warn you though there’s going to be people here… all the time”

“OK?”

“Jim and other freeloaders” Justin chuckled, “It’s not bad, it’s a big house” Bella followed Justin inside and stopped at the door, “Keep walking, it gets better” they walked into the living room and Bella stopped when she saw four men, including Jim sitting on the couch passing her son around.

“Trace, Jon, and Steve” Justin said pointing to each man as he introduced them. “Trace has been my best friend since we were born”

“What’s up?” Trace gave her a wave

“Jon worked with me on tour, he a dancer. He thinks he’s the shit, but in reality he’s got shit skills” Justin smiled

“Yeah, alright man, we’ll see”

“And Steve, I don’t even know where this kid came from. He just started following us around like a lost puppy so we felt bad”

“Funny” Steve rolled his eyes

“It’s nice to meet you all” Bella said with a smile

“Let me see those eyes” Trace said with a chuckle, “That’s all I hear about is those fucking eyes”

“Dude” Justin said as he pointed at Aidan

“Sorry. Can I see your eyes?” he asked as he stood up and walked over to Bella

“Um… ok” Bella giggled

“Oh, he’s right, amazing”

“This kid is the biggest moron, don’t pay any attention to him” Justin said as he grabbed onto Bella’s arm, “You want a tour?”

“Yes, please” Bella grabbed Aidan from Jon’s hands, “I’ll bring him back, I promise” she smiled as she followed Justin through the house.

“Yeah, don’t leave them alone with him. Good move”

“I just want Aidan to see the house”

“Yeah” Justin laughed, “It’s cool I don’t trust them either”
Chapter 17 by Lily
Justin walked in to the nursery to see Isabella sitting with Aidan in her arms. He let out a chuckle before sitting on the arm of the chair, “You know, you can go downstairs”

“I know” she smiled, “Look, he’s been laughing all day”

Justin laughed as he grabbed Aidan in his arms, “What’s so funny little man? Why aren’t you coming downstairs?”

“I feel stupid going down there when you’re not home” she answered softly, “All your friends are down there and…”

“Don’t feel stupid, you live here now” Justin said as he moved the hair out of Bella’s face, “My mother is coming in tonight”

“I know, I can’t wait” Bella smiled

“I know. I have this party on Saturday, I have to go. It’s for T-Mobile. If you want to come, you can come… if you don’t want to, I mean, I understand so don’t feel like you have to”

“What about Aidan?”

“My mother will watch him”

“I don’t have a dress or anything”

“We’ll get you a dress” he paused, “You don’t have to come though, I mean…”

“Do you want me to come?”

“Well yeah, of course”

“Then I’ll come” she smiled

“Perfect,” he sat down on the chair with Bella on his lap and Aidan in her arms, “I’m really glad you came”

“Me too” she smiled, “It’s pretty here”

“Yeah, it’s nice” Justin smiled as he heard Aidan giggle, “What is so funny?”

“What time is your mother coming in?”

“Can I come with you to get her?” he nodded his head, “I’ll go in and get her… so you don’t have to”

“Alright” Justin laughed, “Do you want me to just stay here so you two can spend the night alone?”

“That’d be great” Bella smiled

“Yeah, I bet. It’s amazing how quickly I’ve been replaced”

“What?”

“My mother. Every time I talk to her she asks about you and Aidan. She doesn’t even care about how I’m doing”

“Aww” Bella laughed as she rested her finger on Justin’s chin, “That’s because we’re way more important”

“Yeah obviously” Justin let out a chuckle before kissing Bella gently on the lips. Although he pretended it annoyed him, he really could not be happier about the relationship his mother and Bella had. His mother was always polite and acted like she loved all his girlfriends. But that did not mean he didn’t get the lecture in private. Well, it was never really a lecture. She would just point out the girl’s problems but she’d also have a positive thing to say too. It usually made Justin laugh, although it did get on his nerves. There was Kendra who his mother said was beautiful but she says the word like a lot. Or Jenna who was cute but he could do better. Jess who was funny and cute but she was afraid she was using her to get more famous. His mother was usually right though. She saw these things before Justin did, while he was still in the love struck stage. Kendra was beautiful but her lack of vocabulary and brain cells really got to Justin after a while. Jenna was cute, but annoying as hell. And Jess was almost perfect… until the truth came out and he found out she was in fact using him for publicity to become a bigger star.

Lynn never had anything bad to say about Bella. Everything bad she had to say about the situation had to do with Justin. He better take care of her, he better not use her, and he better treat her good. She wasn’t worried for once that Bella was using him or she wasn’t good enough. Deep down Justin knew it was because all that was true. Bella was not using him, and in truth she probably was too good for him. But it was all up to him to get it all under control and not be the one to ruin the whole situation.

Bella stood at the arrival gate, waiting impatiently for Lynn to arrive. Once she spotted her walking out of the security area Bella found herself running towards Lynn as if she were seeing her own mother for the first time in ten years. “I want to like, jump on you” Bella giggled as she gave Lynn a big hug, “How was your flight?”

“Fine, it’s so good to see you sweetie”

“I’m so happy to see you. I was so excited when Justin told me you were coming in”

“I was so happy that he said you were here” she smiled as she grabbed onto her arm as they walked through the airport, “How do you like it?”

“It’s beautiful, his house is amazing. We’re still getting used to it though”

“How’s Aidan doing?”

“Great, he’s happy. He was laughing all day today” she smiled as they walked to the car.

________________________________________________________________________

“Damn, look at you” Justin said as Bella walked down the stairs wearing a red cocktail dress

She laughed as she continued walking downstairs, “Look at you”

“Nah, I’m looking at you. Everyone will be looking at you”

“Stop” Bella answered, feeling herself blush

“Bella this is my thing. They’re supposed to be looking at me. I can’t take you looking like that no one will pay attention to me”

“Shut up” she laughed as Justin walked over to her and grabbed her hands and looked her up and down

“Damn. That is a dangerous dress”

Bella giggled as Justin kissed her cheek, “We’re not going to talk about how this dress costs more than I get paid in a month”

“Yeah, we don’t need to worry about that”

“Oh my gosh, Isabella, you look beautiful” Justin’s mother said as she walked into the living room, “Look at you”

“See I told you, no one would be looking at me” Justin smiled

“You look handsome too” Lynn laughed, “But Bella looks gorgeous”

“Thank you” she smiled, “I’m not used to this princess treatment”

“Well get used to it” Justin smiled, “Are you ready?”

She nodded her head, “He’s sleeping. He’ll probably be asleep the whole time we’re gone. There are bottles…”

“She knows how to take care of a baby” Justin cut in with a chuckle, “He’ll be fine”

“I know, I just…”

“Let her talk about it Justin, it’s ok. It’ll make you feel better sweetie, I know what its like. I hated leaving Justin alone when he was Aidan’s age”

“It’s not that I don’t trust you”

“Oh, of course not. I know sweetie”

“You’re the only one I do trust with him. You and my brother, and I don’t know why I trust my brother, thinking back I probably shouldn’t have”

Justin threw his head back and let out a chuckle before grabbing onto Bella’s arm, “Come on Beautiful, we have to go”

“I’m ready, thank you Lynn”

“Have fun, don’t worry about him all night”

“I won’t, I promise”

“Oh… you heard it here folks” Justin said with a chuckle as he held her hand tightly and walked into the living room where Justin’s best friend, Trace and his girlfriend were waiting, “Let’s go, you guys ready?”

“Bro, we’ve been ready for the past half hour” Trace spoke up

“That’s my fault, sorry” Bella answered

“You don’t have to apologize to this fool. Now get off your ass and let’s go” Justin said with a smile, “What’s up Amanda? He’s not even going to introduce you guys” Justin rolled his eyes, “This kid is slacking. Amanda, Bella. Bella, Amanda”

“Nice to met you” Bella said softly

“You too, I love your dress”

“Oh, thanks” she smiled as they followed the guys outside.

“I have to do the red carpet” Justin turned around to look at Bella in the back seat, “Just stick with Trace and Amanda and I’ll meet you inside”

“We’ll take care of her” Trace smiled

“That worries me more than anything,” Justin laughed as the pulled up to the valet parking.
Chapter 18 by Lily
Author's Notes:
Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think! :)
“You made it” Bella smiled as Justin walked over to where she was standing after making their way into the club.

“I made it, you made it” he smiled and wrapped his arms around her waist, “Want to dance?”

“I don’t really…”

“Dance? Everyone dances” he paused and bit his bottom lip, thinking about the first night they were together, “Lies. The first night we met we went dancing”

“I was very drunk that night, I guess you don’t remember” Bella laughed

“You really aren’t going to dance with me? I’ll get you a drink”

“But everyone will be watching”

“Good, I need to show you off”

“But you won’t show me off when I’m dancing horribly”

Justin smiled as he grabbed onto her hand and dragged her onto the dance floor, “What? Sorry, I can’t hear you, it’s too loud”

Bella shook her head and placed her hands on his chest as he pulled her closer, “Please don’t make me look like a fool in front of Bob Barker”

Justin threw his head back as he laughed, “Out of all the people here you are most impressed by Bob Barker?”

“Yeah” she giggled, “I’m not big on the Hollywood type… sorry. I don’t watch too many movies or television shows but I watched The Price is Right every day I was home sick as a kid”

“Me too” Justin said as he rested his hands on Bella’s hips, “Move with it girl”

“I’m moving with it” she laughed, “I’m trying here, you have to go easy on me”

“You’re doing great” Justin smiled as he moved with her and then stopped when he heard his song go across the speakers.

“Why are we stopping? I was just getting into it” Bella laughed

“Come on,” Justin grabbed onto her hand and led her to a table. He hated it more than anything when they played his songs when he was at a party or a club. He always felt like they were doing it just because he was there, “That’s my song”

“I know that much” Bella smiled, “So why aren’t you dancing?”

“They’re playing it because I’m here”

Bella gave him a look, “They are not playing it because you’re here”

He gave her a look and took a deep breath, “OK”

“And he’s back because they’re playing his song” Trace said as Justin sat down next to him, “Isn’t that the most fucked up thing you’ve ever heard?”

“Dude, I don’t like dancing when my song comes on, I feel like a douche”

“You’re supposed to grab the mic and dance for everyone, that’s what they want” Trace said with a chuckle as Justin gave him a sarcastic smile as he took a sip from his drink

“You really don’t like that huh?” Bella asked as she grabbed her own drink

“I just feel like they’re playing it because I’m here and I feel like an idiot”

“That’s kinda cute” Bella smiled as she moved closer to him

“Really?” he smiled, “I’m adorable”

“Yeah, really” she said as she kissed him gently

“Aww, it’s Justin and his little whore that he got pregnant,” Christine stood in front of the table with her arms crossed.

Justin threw his head back wondering how he thought he would get through the night without seeing Christine. “I’m Bella,” she said softly, holding her hand out

“Hi Bella, it’s so nice to meet you” she answered with an overly excited tone, “I’m Christine, you know, the girl that was dating Justin for three years before you decided to sleep with him and get pregnant and fuck my life up completely”

“Christine, don’t…” Justin finally spoke up

“I’m not… doing anything. I just want to meet her” she smiled, “I just want to meet the random girl that was a huge mistake. The one night stand that you would never possibly be with again. If I remember correctly, the whore… those were your words, that you would never date, just one of those fuck and leave type of girls”

Bella felt the pit of her stomach begin to twist as Christine spoke, “I never… I never said that” Justin looked at Bella, “Don’t start shit Christine, what are you doing here?”

“What am I doing here? It’s a fucking party,”

“I mean here, why are you here, standing in front of me?”

“I didn’t know you were here. I didn’t think you’d ever come back. I thought you were enjoying your new life in Boston with your mistakes”

Justin took a deep breath as he stood up and grabbed onto Christine’s arm, “What the fuck Christine?”

“What?” she asked with a chuckle

“Why are you trying to start shit?”

“I’m sorry, am I hurting your whore’s feelings?”

“She’s not a whore”

“Yeah, she’s a great person, obviously” Christine answered sarcastically

“She has nothing to do with what happened, it was all my fault”

“Aww, that’s cute. Take all the blame for her. So what? You guys are like together now?”

“Yes Christine” Justin took a deep breath, “Look, we’re not together anymore. So don’t get involved in my shit and I won’t get involved in yours” he walked away from her.

Bella sat at the table watching Justin and Christine carefully. She could tell Justin was upset, although she couldn’t tell what their conversation was about. She watched Justin walk to the bar and then watched as Christine walked back over to Bella, “I’m really sorry” Bella began, “I didn’t know you were together and I really wouldn’t have…”

“Mmhmm” Christine nodded her head, “So now you’re together right? And he’s like so romantic. He opens the door for you and he calls you beautiful and baby and gorgeous. And he talks about how he’s never felt the way he feels when he’s with you before. And he introduces you to his mother and his family and tells everyone that you’re the one. He talks about what he wants to name his kids and how he wants to have kids with you… well you already have a kid so he probably talks about the rest of the kids he wants to have with you. And how he wants to name a son Lyric and his daughter Laura Rose. Don’t fall for his lines. I fell for them. Trust me, don’t fall for them” Christine said as she walked away, leaving Bella speechless.

“What did she say?” Justin asked as he walked over, “I didn’t know she was here, don’t listen to anything she says”

“I want to go back to your house”

“What? Baby we just got here”

“I know, but I don’t belong here J, this isn’t my scene. I’m not having fun, I’m sorry”

Justin wrapped his arms around Bella’s waist, “What did she say to you? Don’t listen to her, she’s…”

“I’m not, I just really want to leave”

“I can’t leave now, I have to do an interview”

“I’ll take her home” Trace offered

Justin bit his lip as he thought, “Alright, thanks man. You’re alright?” he asked Bella, she nodded her head but when he went to kiss her she moved her face so he kissed her cheek instead, “Bella”

“We’ll talk later, ok?” Bella said softly as she walked away from Justin who was already on his way to the bar. He should have known better. He should have known that Christine would be here and she’d try to start shit with Bella. He tried to think about what he could have done differently to make it not occur but he knew deep down that it was only a matter of time before Christine would talk to Bella.
Chapter 19 by Lily
Author's Notes:
Thanks again for reading and the feedback :)
The drive back to Justin’s house was quiet. The silence was a relief to Bella; it gave her time to think things through. “He’s a good guy, he wouldn’t do anything to hurt you” Trace spoke up

“I know” Bella said softly as she glanced out the window, “That’s what everyone says, his mother and you, his best friend since you were in diapers. Do you really think I should take your opinion to heart on this matter?”

Trace shook his head and let out a chuckle, “I would say my opinion is worth more than his ex girlfriend’s” he waited for a response but got none, “All I’m saying is if he were a complete asshole I would be home in Tennessee working my ass off, I wouldn’t spend my time here with a jackass” he said as he stopped the car in the driveway.

“Thanks for the ride Trace” Isabella walked into the house, past Justin’s mother sleeping on the couch. She went right up to Aidan’s room and watched him sleeping and then carefully picked him up in her arms. She knew she should let him sleep but she needed to hold him in her arms more than anything.

Bella had never been more confused in her life. She ran through the facts that she knew for sure in her mind. Justin was dating Christine when he got her pregnant, so obviously Christine would not have good things to say about him. But why would she want to have anything to do with him? Why wouldn’t she just let it go and move on with her life? It’s not like she was someone that could never find another man. But if they were in love… or if she was telling the truth. Bella wanted more than anything to believe Justin but in the back of her mind was always the way he fed her those lines to get her in bed in the first place. This was Hollywood. Justin is an actor. He writes songs for a living. He tells stories and writes words that people want to hear so they’ll buy his records.

She slowly placed Aidan back in his crib and walked into her room across the hall. She changed into a pair of pink pajama pants and a black tank top and fell onto the bed, curled up in a ball.

“Bella” Justin softly woke up her up

“Hey” she said quietly as she sat up

“Are you alright?”

“Yeah”

“Baby, you need to tell me what she said”

“Why are you calling me Baby? You never call me Baby”

Justin gave her a confused look, “Ok, I won’t call you Baby. I didn’t know it bothered you, I’ll stop”

“It just like… came out of nowhere, ya’know?”

“Sorry” he said softly, wishing he knew what it was that was really bothering her

Bella nodded her head as she played with the elastic around her wrist, “Are you playing me? Please, just let me know, because I’ll leave, we’ll leave and I’ll sign that contract and you don’t need to worry about us ever again”

“What?”

“Please just tell me. I won’t do anything to ruin your image. But if I find out later and you break my heart I can’t promise you that I won’t”

“What are you talking about Bella? Of course I’m not playing you. I don’t want you to leave; I haven’t mentioned that fucking contract since Aidan was born. I never even gave a shit about the damn thing” he ran his hands through his hair, “Is that what Christine said?”

“No” Bella shook her head, “It’s not about her, it’s about me”

“That’s bullshit, because everything was going great until you talked to her”

“Did you call me a whore?”

“What? No. Bella, I never thought of you as a whore”

“Then why did you tell her that I was one of those fuck and leave kind of girls?”

“I never said that”

“Why would she make it up?”

“Are you serious? Because she’s crazy. She’s a fucking drama queen”

“So she just randomly decided to make that up?”

“Yes. Why are you believing this girl you’ve never met before over me?”

“I’m not, I’m just trying to figure everything out”

“I don’t understand what you have to fucking figure out. We’re doing fine, great even, and then you talk to my ex-girlfriend and the shit hits the fan. Obviously we didn’t end on good terms but you talk to her and once again, I’m the asshole. It always goes back to that,”

“Calm down”

“No, what did she say? She’s full of shit, she’s a fucking actress she needs drama. You don’t get it, these girls need their drama, it’s a fucking addiction like any other” he paused, “What did she say? Can you fucking tell me what she said so I can set it straight?”

“Stop yelling like a mad man”

He took a deep breath and started to pace around the room, “I can’t deal with this Bella, I don’t need this right now”

“You’re getting awful upset for something that’s not real Justin”

“Because it’s bullshit and I don’t want her bullshit to ruin us. Yes, I cheated on her but I had never cheated on anyone in my life before her. I never even thought of it, even when I’m away for months at a time I don’t think of cheating I just go back to the hotel every night and call my girlfriend and talk to her all night. I’m not one of those guys that go out every night fucking every girl in a skirt. But with her, I just knew it wasn’t working. I knew from the beginning, I don’t know why the fuck I stayed with her for so long. Granted, I shouldn’t have cheated on her, I should have ended it before it even got started, but I fucked up. But with you it’s completely different, I’ve never felt this way before” he saw Bella roll her eyes and he clenched his fists. It was killing him that he really did love Bella but she thought he was full of lies, “Don’t fucking roll…” he paused and took a deep breath to try and calm himself down, “What did she say to you?”

“That you feed these lines that I’m completely different from anyone else…”

“I’ve never fucking… she’s so fucking full of shit. Why do you believe what she says over me? You don’t know her” he ran his hands through his hair, “I never said that with her because I never felt that way with her. I knew from early on that it wasn’t real; I just wanted it to be real so bad that I was fine with pretending it was. Ask my fucking mother… ask her how many times she even met Christine. You know how close I am to my mother, if I’m in love with someone I’d want my mother to meet her and spend every damn minute with her. She met Christine like 5 fucking times, over three years Bella. You spent more time with my mother the first three days than she had the whole time we were together” he shouted, “Ask my mother, ask her. Ask anyone, ask Trace, he’ll tell you. I’ll get her on the phone and call her out. Ask anyone Bella, they know. Ask my mother how the first time she saw us together she knew we had something before we even knew it”

“I don’t care about what she says, it’s always about her. It’s not about your fucking mother Justin, it’s about you, can you please just not bring your mother up for once in your life” Bella shouted back

“I’m not bringing up my mother, I’m saying she knows, mothers fucking know Bella” he continued pacing around the room, “What do you want from me? What can I possibly say right now to make you get it?”

“Nothing” she answered calmly, “I just need to figure it out myself”

Justin took another deep breath and continued pacing around the room and clenching his fists, “What exactly am I using you for Bella? Sex? How many times have we had sex since Aidan was born? Fuck that, how many times have we had sex at all? You wanted to take it slow, and I’m taking it fucking slow. I’m not even bringing it up”

Bella rolled her eyes and shook her head, “Are you really talking about sex right now?”

“OK, so I’m not using you for sex, we’ve established that. What else? Am I using you for publicity? Clearly not since no one knows. Maybe I’m using you so you won’t sell shit, which wouldn’t explain why I fucking begged you to come here” he took a deep breath as he looked at Bella who wouldn’t even look at him, “Don’t even look at me, it’s cool. It’s not like I’m pouring my fucking heart out or anything” he finished sarcastically, “What am I using you for Bella? To get close to Aidan? Obviously that’s not it because I can afford the best fucking lawyers in the world and could get sole custody for him in a heartbeat”

“Don’t even say that” she looked him in the eye

“Oh, now you look at me”

“Why would you ever say that?”

“I’m not saying I would, I’m saying I could” he paused, realizing he probably made it worse instead

“Well thanks for putting it out there, that’s nice”

“Calm down, I didn’t mean anything by it” he shouted

“So why say it? That’s shady to even say that” Bella shouted back and stopped when she heard Aidan cry, “Now you woke him up, good job” she stood up

“I got him” he answered, Bella ignored Justin and continued walking to the door, “I said I fucking got him”

“Yeah, like I’m going to let him go with you when you’re like this” she said as she walked across the hall, “I want him, just let me get him” Bella walked into Aidan’s nursery across the hall from her room as Justin walked off, trying to calm himself down.
Chapter 20 by Lily
The next morning Justin woke up to a throbbing headache, some combination of a hang over and the stress from the night before. He stretched his arms over his head as he walked out of his room noticing Bella’s door was closed. He knocked gently on the door and opened it carefully to see Bella packing her suitcase.

Bella looked over at him and then back at her suitcase, “Usually the whole knocking thing looses its appeal if you don’t wait for the person to answer”

“What are you doing?”

“Baking a cake. What does it look like I’m doing?”

“Why are you packing?” he ignored her
“I said that I would come out here to give it a try. You said if I don’t like it I could leave. I don’t like it. So I’m going home”

Justin felt his head throb even more than it had earlier, “You were only here for a week” Bella ignored him as she continued packing, “Bella” he said as he grabbed onto her arm, “Bella, please”

“Justin please just let it go. I’ve made up my mind,” she said softly
Justin gently let go of her arm and picked up Aidan who was lying on the floor as he walked downstairs. Bella watched as Justin walked out and felt a tear fall down her face. She dropped the clothes in her hands and fell on the bed crying. She couldn’t believe she actually thought that her life was working out. She fell for Justin’s lines once and she thought that she learned her lesson but she didn’t. Justin could keep feeding her lines for the rest of her life and she would still fall from them.

Bella still had no idea who she should believe. Justin did seem sincere, and he did seem to get really upset when Bella even suggested he had said those things about her. But as much as she wanted to move past the first night they spent together she couldn’t. It was pretty obvious that Christine was a drama queen. Bella wondered why she would start a scene in public like she did. She would think that Christine would be more likely to talk about what had happened in privacy. But then again, Justin did hurt her. Bella had never been cheated on, especially not with someone she’d been with for three years. It’s only expected that she would be upset, and maybe that was the best way she could deal with her anger.

Justin walked downstairs; poured himself a cup of coffee and sat down at the kitchen table across from his mother, “Good morning darling” Lynn said softly as she passed a plate of bagels over towards him, “How are you doing?”

Justin shrugged as he took a sip from his coffee, “She’s leaving”

“Who sweetie?”

“Bella”

“What? Why?” she asked quickly, “I heard you last night, what happened?”

“We woke you up? I’m sorry,” he answered softly as he grabbed a bottle and started to feed Aidan, “We ran into Christine”

“Oh no”

Justin nodded his head, “I don’t know what else to do Ma. She doesn’t believe me at all, she wants to leave”

“No she doesn’t. She’s just upset. Sweetie you can’t let her leave”

“What do you want me to do?” he paused as he looked down at Aidan in his arms, “Why does she get to keep him?”

“Justin…”

“No, I’m serious. How is that fair?”

“Baby, that’s not going to help anything”

“I’m not trying to help anything. I’m supposed to just let her leave with him and I never see him again?”

“Justin, listen to me. Bella just needs some time to think things through. She’ll come back. If you even mention taking Aidan you will loose her forever”

They sat in silence for a few minutes until Aidan started to cry and Justin rocked him in his arms, “She doesn’t believe me Ma. She thinks I’m feeding her lines”

“Are you?”

Justin felt his stomach twirl. He couldn’t believe his own mother was asking him that question. If she didn’t know it would be impossible to prove to Bella the way he really felt, “Come on Ma, are you serious?”

“Baby, I know that you’re not. But it’s tough for her. You need to tell her the way you feel, you can’t just expect her to get it”

“Can you talk to her?” he asked softly, “She’ll listen to you”

“Of course Baby,” Lynn said as she stood up, kissed her son on the forehead and walked upstairs. She knocked softly on the door and waited for an answer. Then knocked again and opened the door softly when once again Bella did not answer, “Bella, sweetie, can I come in?”

“Yeah” Bella said softly as she quickly wiped her eyes and sat up, “Good Morning” she tried to hide the sadness in her voice

“How are you doing sweetie?”

“Good, how are you?”

Lynn sat down next to Bella on her bed and pushed her hair out of her face, “What are you doing?”

“I just want to go home” Bella whispered, unable to speak at a normal volume

“Why?”

“I’m just homesick” she lied as she felt the tears begin to flow down her face, “I miss my brother and I miss Boston and my apartment and my bed”

“You don’t think you’ll miss it here?”

Bella shook her head as she wiped her eyes, trying to stop herself from crying, “I’m sorry Lynn. You’re so great, you really are. You’ve helped me so much with Aidan. And you really have such a great relationship with Justin and I really hope that I have like even half as good of a relationship with Aidan. And I really love you like you’re my own mother” she paused when she couldn’t control the crying anymore. Lynn gave her a hug and felt her own eyes begin to tear, “And you really made me feel welcome from the beginning and you didn’t have to. You’re really like… my mom” she paused again to cry

“Bella, sweetie” Lynn spoke up sniffling back the tears, “I felt like you were my daughter from the first time I saw you. Justin really does not want you to go. He really doesn’t want to hurt you. Sometimes it’s hard for him to say it but he really wants you to stay”

Bella nodded her head, “I’m sorry” she whispered, “But I have to go”
Justin slowly walked into the room and when Bella saw him she stood up and quickly started packing again. Lynn grabbed Aidan from Justin’s hands and left the two of them alone. Justin sat down at the foot of her bed unable to speak. He just watched her carefully as she packed up all of her belongings.

“Can you move? You’re sitting on my clothes” Bella asked softly, Justin pushed out of the way so Bella could grab the clothes then sat back down.

“Please stay” Justin spoke up softly.

Bella looked at Justin carefully, he really did seem sincere but she didn’t know if she should trust him. There was just too much drama with him no matter what. Even if they worked everything out there’d still be the girls starting rumors to get to him. She wasn’t used to things like that, and to her at that time it was not worth it. “I can’t”

“Why can’t you?”

“I miss my brother”

“We’ll bring him out here”

“I miss my bed and I miss…”

“Would you please stop with the bullshit? This has nothing to do with the fact that you’re homesick and you know that damn well”

“Of course it does” Bella lied as she continued packing

“Why are you running from this?”

“Right, because you’ve never run from anything” she said softly as she continued packing and quickly turned around as she started to cry

“I’ve made mistakes. I’m sorry. I don’t know what else to do. I’ve moved on. I realized as soon as I saw Aidan what an asshole I’ve been and I’d never do anything like that again” he stood up and walked over to her and she quickly moved her head so he wouldn’t see her cry, “Are you crying?” he asked softly even though he already knew the answer

“No” she said quickly and turned away

“If you’re crying it’s because it’s hard, you don’t want to leave, so don’t”

“I want to leave,” she said softly as if to prove it to herself, “Please just let me go”

“I’m not going to let you go Bella it’s not fair. You’re leaving because of what my ex-girlfriend said. You’re letting her win. She won. That’s what she wants Bella, she wants to fuck us up because she’s so fucked up and that’s what she needs” Bella ignored him as she put the last of her belongings in her suitcase, “I want you to stay Bella, I really want you to stay. How else can I tell you? What else can I do? Please stay Bella, I don’t know how I’m going to live here without you” he paused as he wrapped his arm around her, “I love you Bella, please stay” he said softly looking into her eye.

Bella bit her bottom lip and quickly looked away from Justin and broke from his grip. She quickly closed her suitcase and grabbed it as she walked away, leaving Justin alone in her room speechless.
Chapter 21 by Lily
Isabella sat quietly as Lynn drove her to the airport. She was not sure if she was doing the right thing, but she did know she had to get away from everything for at least awhile.

“Thank you so much” Bella spoke up softly as they stopped in front of the gate, “Really, some day I’m going to pay you back for all of this”

“I’m going to miss you darling. Please call us when you get in” Bella nodded her head as Lynn pulled her into a tight hug and both of them began to cry.

Justin sat alone in his backyard looking up at the stars. He refused to take Bella to the airport and was mad at his mother for being the one to take her. He had no idea what he was doing with his life. This was the first time he did not get what he wanted with love, he always was able to get whatever it was.

As the plane took off, Isabella watched the stars, unable to even think about getting some sleep on the plane ride. She really wished more than anything that she could figure out her life and that everything would just be clear for her.

When Lynn arrived back at Justin’s house she went right outside, knowing exactly where he would be. When he saw his mother sit down next to him he stood up but she grabbed onto his arm and would not let him leave, “I knew you’d be out here. You know when you were a kid and we first moved out to Florida and you were so homesick we’d always go outside and look at the stars and you’d always tell me that Grammy and Pops were outside looking at the same exact stars, thinking about how much they miss you. Do you remember that?”

He took a deep breath, of course he remembered it but that really had nothing to do with the fact that Isabella was currently on a plane with their son going across the country, “yeah, Ma”

“Well I have a feeling that Bella is looking at those same stars thinking about you just like you’re thinking about her”

“Why did you take her?” he asked, still looking at the sky

“Baby”

“Seriously Ma, why would you take her?” he looked at his mother for the first time

“Sweetie she would have gone whether I took her or not. I’m not sending her and my grandson in a cab to the airport” she stood up and gave her soon a kiss on the forehead, “I’ll leave you alone”

Justin continued looking at the stars as he thought about what a year the past year had been. It was only a little more than a year ago that he even met Bella. He thought about how he felt when he first got the call from her, telling him she was pregnant with his child. How he didn’t believe her, and how he wanted her to get an abortion, how he said he wanted nothing to do with the baby’s life. And now, a little more than a year later, he can’t even begin to imagine his life without Aidan, and Bella. He truly thought she would be a one-night stand and he’d move on, never even thinking about her again. But the truth was he did think about her. Not only when she called him, but also he had thought about her a lot since the night they were together.

He had so many questions about being a father, and all the mistakes he had made. But as soon as he laid eyes on Aidan for the first time he knew his questions were gone and he had to be in Aidan’s life. Not just a check or a father that he saw a few times a year… he had to be an actual father to Aidan. He wanted to be a real father to him.
As Bella walked out of the airport she had never felt so good to see her brother. She placed Aidan down on the ground in his carrier and fell into her brother’s arms, unable to hide the tears any longer. “Are you alright?”

Bella nodded her head, “Yeah, I’m totally fine”

“I can see that”

“Please don’t start with me right now, I’m really tired”

“I’m not saying anything,” Vin said as he grabbed onto Bella’s bag, “It’s good to see you, I missed you”

“I know, I missed you too”

“It was weird being alone, the place is so quiet. I even missed Justin singing in the shower that you could hear throughout the whole damn apartment” he let a chuckle out, “Can you believe it?” Bella shook her head as they drove off, “So how was life with the rich and famous?” Bella shrugged, “Did you give up talking?” she looked out the window, “Bella. Why are you here?”

“What are you talking about? I live here” she answered softly

“When you left you were so excited to try something new, to be with Justin. And now you’re back a week later ready to jump off a bridge. What could possibly be so bad about living in a mansion in the hills of Hollywood?”

“There’s just so much drama with him” she answered softly, “I’m not used to it”

“You didn’t give it much of a chance to get used to it”

Bella took a deep breath, she couldn’t believe her own brother, who hated Justin more than anything just a few months before, was actually saying she gave up early, “You weren’t there so you can’t pass judgments about it”

“All I know is you’ve never been one to give up before. I don’t know why you’re starting now”

“Vin you don’t know what it was like” she answered softly as she felt her eyes water

“Yeah, I don’t” he answered, “But I know that the day you got there you called me up in tears because you were so happy. And you told me how good it felt to see him again and you felt like you weren’t all alone with Aidan and you had your partner in crime back. You told me how beautiful he made Aidan’s room and he got those little Lakers jersey’s for him”

The more her brother talked the harder it was for Bella not to cry. She remembered how good it did feel when she first saw Justin. Even after not seeing him for a couple weeks she felt so relieved. Vin was always there to help at home, and he did a great job, but there was no one like Justin. Justin had a way with Aidan; it was like no matter what he could control him. From the first time Justin held Aidan, it was like Aidan automatically knew he was his father, “I’m sacred of him Vin” she answered softly

“What do you mean you’re scared of him?”

“I’m afraid to be with him. I’m scared that he’s going to do something to hurt me”

“You’ve never been scared before? Bella weren’t you scared when mom died? Of course you were, but you didn’t run away from it and hide. You dealt with it. You took charge. You’re the strongest person I know Bella, and you’re leaving him because you’re afraid he might hurt you?”

Bella had never really thought about it that way. The truth was she knew that she was running away because she was scared. She knew deep down that Justin wanted her to stay and that he didn’t say all those things Christine said he did. But she also knew that if she stayed with him and he did do something she would have her heart broken because she knew that she was falling in love with him, if she wasn’t already there. “I liked it better when you hated him”

Vin chuckled, “Me too, what the fuck?”
Chapter 22 by Lily
Author's Notes:
Here it is... the last chapter.....
“Turn it up a little” Justin said into the microphone in the recording studio in his house, “Nah man, turn the music up but the mic down, I’ma be wailing”

Justin sang his heart out; one take was all it took. He felt what he was singing, more so than he ever had before. Sure, he’s had his share of heartbreaks, but nothing even compared to the way he was feeling today. It had been two weeks since Bella and Aidan left, and Justin still was in complete shock. He did not know what to do with himself. He wanted them back. Justin spent his days and nights in the recording studio, writing and recording the best music he ever had.

As the music ended Justin stood quietly in the booth, “That’s some deep shit” his producer Mark said, breaking the silence

Justin nodded his head as he slowly twisted the top off his water bottle and put it to his lips, “That’s what happens when you get your heart broken right?” he asked softly. Justin hadn’t been the same since they left, and he really felt like a part of himself was missing.

“I guess so” Mark said with a chuckle, “There’ll be other hoes”

“What the fuck?” Justin felt himself tense up, “Did you really just call Bella a hoe?”

“Nah man, calm down. I’m just sayin’ there’ll be other girls. It’s not like it’s so hard for you to get a fucking date”

“I don’t want any other girl,” he said softly as he put the cap back on the bottle of water, “Play it down, I want to go again”

Mark pressed the button and sat back, putting his arms up in defeat. He knew better than to mess with Justin when he was like this. Justin always fell in love fast; he had only known Bella a few months. But even Mark knew this was serious, and he had never been this out of it before. He was spending his days and nights in the studio, coming out only to eat and even that was scarce.

Isabella took a deep breath before knocking gently on the door in front of her. She held onto Aidan tightly and rocked him as he began to fuss and then knocked again. The door opened slowly and Bella was face to face with Trace, “Hey, what the fuck are you doing here?” he asked with a smile

“Is he home?” she asked softly, still standing outside

“Yeah, he’s upstairs. Are you all right? You look…”

“Yeah” Bella nodded her head, “Can you watch him?”

“Yeah, of course” Trace said as she placed her son in his hands, “He’s in the studio, just go in”

“Thanks Trace” she said softly as she walked up the stairs and stopped when she got to the door. This was a lot harder than she thought it would be. She hadn’t even planned out what to say. What if Justin didn’t want them back? It had been two weeks, what if he moved on? What if he smartened up and realized he shouldn’t have to deal with someone like her who doesn’t trust him at all.

She slowly opened the door and stood at the door, listening carefully to Justin as he sang. Mark looked over, “What’s up girl?” he asked with a smile

Bella smiled softly but paid attention to Justin as he sang. She had never really heard him sing, besides when he was singing to Aidan. But she definitely never heard him singing a song she’s never heard before that he wrote himself and was recording.

“Alright man, that’s good. Come on out” Mark said as Justin finished

“Yeah, just give me a minute”

“Man, you want to come out” he said as he stood up and pat Bella on the back as he walked out and left the two of them alone.

Justin walked out of the booth and stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Bella standing at the door. He took a sip of his water and blinked his eyes a few times, he had been seeing Bella in his mind every day, and this was no different.

“Justin” she said softly

“Bella” he quickly walked over to her and pulled her into a tight hug, almost as if to prove to himself that she was actually there standing in front of him, “What are you doing here?”

“I wanted to come and talk and… I left and I shouldn’t have left” she rambled, “I’m sorry Justin”

“It’s ok,” he said as he kissed her gently

“No, but really. I should have trusted you. I did, well I kind of did. I mean deep down I knew you weren’t lying to me. But I was scared that something would come up. There’s so much drama with you and I was scared of it”

“There’s no drama with me babe”

“There is. It’s not your fault, it’s just you. It’s the city and what you do for a living, there will always be drama with you”

Justin felt his stomach twirl. He thought she was here because she wanted to be with him. But why was she really here? Maybe she wanted to explain why she’s not with him. Although, she could have done that over the phone, “There doesn’t have to be. I won’t let there be drama. It’s just you and Aidan and me. I don’t give a fuck about anyone else. You have to stay; I can’t let you leave again. I’m so fucked up here without you. I can’t even do anything; I don’t want to do anything but stay inside and fucking write. It’s not healthy. It’s been two fucking weeks and I still can’t even sleep”

“I couldn’t sleep either. I thought I didn’t need you but I do. I need you to help me with Aidan but I need you for me. When we’re together I feel safe and like it’s going to be ok. For once in my life Justin, I feel like I’m not alone in this world”

“So are you staying?”

She nodded her head, “I’m not going anywhere” Justin felt a smile cover his face and he wrapped his arms around her, kissing her passionately, “I love you Justin”

“Yeah” he chuckled as he pulled her close, he’d been waiting for her to say those words for what seemed like forever, “I love you too”

“Yeah” she giggled, “You ruin the moment or what?”

“This moment could not possibly be ruined” he smiled and kissed her lips gently, “Where’s my boy?”

“Downstairs with Trace”

“What?” he shouted as he slapped Bella on the butt, “You trust Trace? Girl, you’ve gone crazy”
End Notes:
Thank you so much for reading. Please let me know how you liked it :)
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