“These are Jerusalem gold limestone floors.  They extend into the gallery and the kitchen as well.  The tiles were custom cut.  Each one has it’s own unique pattern that cannot be duplicated.  I know you expressed an interest in having something different in the home, Mr. Timberlake.  The material is very unique and the layout is one of a kind.”

Justin stares at the floor and smiles.  “I love this.  Baby, don’t you love this floor?”

“Uh...um yeah...” 

I’m so busy looking around the giant foyer, that the floors are the last thing I care about.  It’s our second viewing of this particular house, but I can’t get over how massive the place is.  I thought Justin’s estate in South Hampton was the epitome of mansions but this...this is like nothing I ever expected.  This house is like something out of a dream, and I can’t believe that I’m standing in it right now, with my husband and children, trying to decide if it’s what I like the best out of the houses we’ve seen this week. 

Do I really deserve this?

Justin seems to think so.

“You must see the kitchen again,” David, our realtor, smiles at me, snapping me out of my awestruck daze.  “Abbey, come with me.”

“Go on.”  Justin smiles at me, extends his hand so he can latch it onto the stroller, and gently wheels it towards him.  “That’s your area of expertise, not mine.”

I roll my eyes.  “I’m gonna get you to start cooking more.  You pulled off Thanksgiving in the past, so don’t act like you’re incapable.  Lucinda isn’t going to be around to fix everything for you like before.”

“You’re gonna have to work a little harder to get me to slave over a stove for you, woman.”

“Barbarian.”

He peers into the distance for a moment to make sure our realtor is out of site, before stepping away from the stroller, and yanking me towards him, giving me a long, passionate kiss.

He takes my breath away, and I fall in love all over again.  Our sex life has gotten right back to where it used to be.  After I completely healed from my cesarian, Justin started in on me again, night after night.  He proceeded slowly at first, but then I got impatient, and took our sex back to that playful, slightly rough stage it had been at before I’d gotten too pregnant.  If nothing else, it helped with the stress the babies and the boys have been putting us through.  It helped us maintain our strong bond, and the way we love each other too.  When we wake up beside each other in the mornings, we smile.

We’ve never been happier, but now our lives are about to change, again.

Victoria starts to fuss, and we are forced to stop making out.  “I guess you should get that,” I whisper, smirking slightly. 

He kisses my cheek quickly before going back over to the stroller, and lifting our girl into his arms.  “Later tonight...remind we where we left off,” he winks.

I laugh and shake my head.  “I’ll be back in a minute.”

“I’ll be here.” He sends me another silly little smile before he turns his attention back to Victoria.  “Tori oh Tori...what’s a’matta with my princess?”  He lifts up her shirt and starts giving her raspberries on the stomach.  In less than a moment she’s gone from whining and tears to squealing and baby giggles.

He really is a fantastic father.

Giving birth was the scariest thing I’ve ever done, but it was also the greatest, if that makes sense.  Holding my babies in my arms for the very first time is something that I can’t put into words.  It was just...incredible being able to meet them.  Finally being able to kiss their heads and little hands, knowing that Justin and I had created them from our love.  I cried the moment the nurses got them out of me and layed them to rest against my chest.  They were just...so beautiful.  Mason has thick, curly hair and Victoria has light blond hair like mine.  She has Justin’s nose and her eyes are slowly turning to Justin’s color as the months pass.  Mason is the needy one.  Loves his bottles and cuddle time, and doesn’t mind trying to hog it all from his sister if he can.

It’s given me a glimpse of what’s to come when they’re older.

I know it was hell for Justin those last few months of my pregnancy.  The fact that I had to be on bed rest nearly drove me insane, and Justin was the only person I had around to vent to.  They boys were at Trace’s so much during that time, that I barely got to spend time with them at all.  It was like I was this cast away, and I was completely miserable because of it.  When Justin would come home from work, I would cry on him, snap at him, bug the shit out of him, whine and complain about pretty much everything somebody could.  But my husband didn’t get angry at me or complain, tell me that I was ungrateful or ridiculous, like I felt I was.  He just put up with my moods, because he understood I was going through a lot.  He could get out of the house everyday while I was confined to a bed for hours on end. 

The day I checked into the hospital, I wanted to shoot off fireworks, knowing I wouldn’t have to lay in bed for much longer.

Only, the cesarian would cause me so much pain, I would be forced to take it easy for another three weeks.  Luckily, my mother and Kimberly stayed to get me through that part after Hannah and my daddy went back home.  Someone needed to help me, and Justin couldn’t tend to the twins all by himself.  I was thankful for them.  For the first time, they actually didn’t bicker, either.  I think they were both so busy gushing over the twins that they didn’t have a chance to focus on each other.  It was just the amount of time my mother and I needed to grow closer again too.  We talk nearly everyday now, and I send her pictures through email constantly.  My dad has been getting on me too, keeps asking when Justin and I will be able to come to Colorado and show off the babies to everybody. 

I assured him that once we were settled in Texas, it would be much easier for us to do that.  My parents are excited about our move.  Since Justin and I were married, they’ve been a lot more open to our relationship, and when the babies came, it was like they’d never felt differently about my life.  I know that it was a hard struggle to get back to this point.  I haven’t forgotten about the sacrifices I made to fall back in love with Justin again...

Braeden is still out there, and except for a few, everyone else seems to have forgotten about him.  My parents don’t even talk to the Sampsons anymore.  Hannah told me that, and I’m not sure who’s decision it was...my parents or Barbara and Sammy’s.  I haven’t asked.  I don’t want to, because I’m positive my parents don’t have a clue what Braeden did to his mother.  If they had, there’s no way they would have allowed Mark to be at the wedding.  It’s my not place to tell them about it.  I’d like Braeden to maintain a little bit of dignity with my parents if he happens to run into them again.

I was terrified when I found out the news from Mark, wanted to hate him for springing the information on my wedding day, but knew he was so distraught that he didn’t care what day it was. Justin got me through as best he could, and I tried very hard to put the situation out of my mind while we enjoyed our time in South Hampton. 

And then it was like...I couldn’t think about it anymore.  Once we got back, the boys needed our attention more than ever, and I had my pregnancy to focus on.  Braeden was in the past, and he wasn’t exactly calling me up and begging me to help him.  He was dealing with his issues, leaving me to live my life, because that was the way things had to be.

I hate it, but I forgot about him, and let my pregnancy, my marriage, and the boys rule my life, like they were supposed to.

The first two months were the worst with the babies.  Justin and I got no sleep at all, even though he would insist on doing the midnight and three am feedings, thinking I would get more that way.  He was wrong.  I would lie awake and listen to the baby monitor, smiling to myself whenever I would hear him shushing them or humming them back to sleep.  I love watching him with them.  It’s more than obvious how much he cherishes them, how dedicated he is and how he’ll always be.  He’s been making a valiant effort with the boys too, trying as hard as possible to get Austin back on our good side again.  His Christmas Day promise to buy him a car and teach him to drive once we got settled, seem to a crack a slight smile on his face.  It’s an attention thing with Austin, and we both know that.  I firmly believe once we’re settled, there will be more time to give it to him.

I keep telling myself that.  I have to, otherwise I’ll start to worry, and I can’t be a mess now.  There’s too much going on, and Justin has enough to worry about during this relocation process without me freaking out on him. 

“Granite countertops throughout.” David smiles as I finally enter the kitchen.  “Viking and Sub Zero appliances...” he trails off and walks to the center of the kitchen.  “A large island, and,” He points up at the ceiling.  “A lovely wrought iron chandelier, to set the mood.  It’s a chef’s dream.  Truly.”

I smile.  What does he want me to do? Somersaults? It’s luxurious.  He doesn’t have to sell me on that, but he doesn’t know my back story.  He doesn’t know that I don’t come from money, and that I would be fine living in a simple house in a low end area of town, just as long as I have my family.  This house is six and a half million dollars.  I can’t even factor in what his cut of that would be, but I’m sure he’s desperate to get his hands on the cash.  “It’s very nice.  The boys would have plenty of space here.”

“You should come out to see the pool a second time!  It’s a child’s dream, Abbey.”

“It’s fine...we saw enough of it when you showed us the house on Monday.  Justin and I will have to talk it over.”

It’s only our second viewing, but I know this is the house.  The pool area in the back is the perfect hangout for the boys and the friends they’ll make here.  There is an open air pool house attached with a bar, a fireplace, plumbing and wiring for cable.  There’s a movie theater here, six bedrooms, six and a half bathrooms, great room, dining room, a gym, a library, a study, a room that Justin has already told me would be perfect to display all of his art and keepsakes, along with a ton of other crap I have no idea how we would use.  The grounds are extensive, it’s like going to a park, which would always be able to remind Justin of the city.  What’s more, I can see us here. I can see my children growing up in this house, and that’s all it takes to sell me. 

It’s just crazy to think my husband and I can afford to live here.

“What’s the verdict?”

I turn.  Justin is standing in the kitchen entrance way along with the stroller.  I look at my babies.  Mason is fast asleep and Victoria is cooing and wiggling around as she waves her rattle in the air.  I smile.  “It’s nice, Justin.”

“That’s it?”

“I mean,” I laugh as I step towards him.  “It’s a great house, baby.”

He wraps his arms around me and kisses my forehead, and we both listen to Victoria making noise for a few moments, smiling at each other because of it, before Justin decides to speak up again.  “Do you want to live here?”

I sigh.  “I...I just can’t get over the cost.”

“The cost doesn’t matter.  I want you and the kids to be happy.”

I let out a long sigh.  I know he’s not going to back down unless I tell him I hate this house, but that would be a lie.  It’s like...fucking paradise or something, like I’d be on vacation every day.  “I love it here,” I reluctantly admit.

“Dave.”

He smiles at us.  “Sir?”

“We’ll take it.  Tell them six though.  Cash.  I saw a couple of chips in the steps on the front walk.  I want that cool painting in the foyer too.  They can take it or leave it.”

I laugh at him.  “Really?”

“Hey, I’m a finance guy.  I know how to barter like the best of them.”

I roll my eyes.

“Certainly, Mr. Timberlake.  I’ll submit your offer and have an answer for you by tomorrow afternoon.”

“Tomorrow morning, you mean.”  Justin flashes a cocky smirk as they shake hands.

I nudge him and narrow my eyes.  “The afternoon is fine, David.  Thank you.”

Getting under each others skin is something that comes with any relationship.  Justin has changed, yes, for the better.  He’s kind and caring now, will go the extra mile for somebody he cares about, but there’s still that part of him that’s cocky and arrogant, and sometimes it tends to show itself, especially when business is involved.  I guess that’s part of my job, to knock him down and remind him that the things he has aren’t the easiest to come by. 

“I’ll be in touch,” David smiles.  “Have a great afternoon.”

I flash him one more smile and pull myself away from Justin, taking charge of the stroller before I walk away from him and back outside.

“Ab...”

He knows I’m annoyed, and I smile to myself.

“Baby.”

I stop at our rental car and turn to him, doing my best to give him an annoyed expression.  “Hm?”  I bend down and start to unstrap Victoria from the stroller.

“I was just having some fun with him.”

“Ohhhh, okay.”  I pull my girl into my arms and rise to my feet again, and Justin is quick to open the back door for me so I can put her down into the car seat.  “I wasn’t aware that playing with peoples emotions could be so much fun.”  I belt her down into the seat and kiss her forehead before I can pull myself out of the car and look at my husband again.  “Remind me what’s fun about it, would you?”

“I...”  He frowns as he shoves his hands in his pockets and looks at the pavement.  “It’s not.”

“I hate when you do that.”  I say it roughly but I stroke his face, trying to tell him that I love him no matter what.  “You can be the nicest guy, Justin.  I want everybody to see that in you, not just me and the kids.”

“I-I’m sorry.  Ab...I...”

“I’m over it now.  Don’t worry about it.”  I kiss his cheek.  “Get Mason for me, would you?”

“Yeah.”

I get in the car while Justin puts Mason in his seat, and soon we’re on our way back to the hotel.  The house is in North Dallas, in a community called Preston Hollow.  It’s affluent, private, and only caters to the wealthy.  I’m used to the type of people that will be our neighbors, but know it’s going to be different from living in the city.  When I venture out with the boys now, I’m just any other New Yorker.  When we move here, I’ll be driving around in whatever type of car Justin deems worthy enough for myself and the kids.  People will know me, because they’ll know Justin.  I’m not sure I’ll love the attention, that people will know how rich I am whenever they see me, but I’ll put up with it for Justin’s sake.

He took me to see the building that will eventually become his firm a couple of days ago.  They’re starting renovations in a week or so, but Justin will be running his business in a rented office a few blocks down until they finish with the interior. It’s in a well to do area in Dallas’s financial district, mixed in with a bunch of other firms and corporations.  I’m sure Justin will have no problem networking himself.  In fact, when he took me up the buildings entrance, at least five men dressed in suits stopped us to say hello.  They all wanted to meet me and see the babies.  I couldn’t believe Justin had already made friends.

I know he’s going to take over this place.  Probably own half the area by the time he’s done building up his firm.  I’m happy for him...I just hope he doesn’t lose himself in the process.  Meaning, I hope he doesn’t forget why he’s made this move to begin with.

It wasn’t so he could create a new, massive, financial empire.

It was so he could be with us, all the time.  I haven’t expressed my concerns of course.  I want to give him the benefit of the doubt, because so much is going on.  He’s excited about the business, and he’s a new father.  I think I’d be jumping for joy too, and I understand why he’s getting a little cocky, letting himself slip up.  But I won’t tolerate it for a second once we’re settled here. 

I have no problem putting Justin in his place, and he knows that.

“You speak to your sister lately?”

I shrug.  “She called me on New Years Eve, why?”

He smirks a little as he continues to concentrate on the road.  “I just thought she might have said something to you, that’s all.”

“About?”

“I...I told your parents she was staying with us for Christmas.  Mark too.  They flew into New York one morning and I saw them off at Kennedy.”

I look over at him, feeling my eyes growing wide.  I have no idea what he did, but the fact that neither I or my parents had any idea where my sister was for the Christmas holiday, makes me want to kill him.  “Where the hell was she?”

He laughs.  “With Braeden.”

I just stare at him.

“I just thought it would be nice, you know? Mark needed his brother and I knew Hannah was the more responsible one, so I sent them both out there to see him.  It didn’t hurt anything.  She’s home now, right?”

“Justin...”  I shake my head roughly.  “You...I mean, what if something happened?  What if my parents called and asked to speak with her?”

“It didn’t though, and I sent your parents away on a cruise for the holiday.  They thought they won some kind of contest, remember?  Your parents were drunk as hell in the middle of the ocean, they weren’t thinking about Hannah.”

I remember.  My mother called me up a few days before Christmas, freaking out because she thought they’d won luxury accommodations for a Royal Caribbean cruise. I told Justin when he got home, and looking back on it now, I remember the mischievous gleam he had in his eyes.  What a plotter.  I want to be angrier at him, but...he did something so genuinely heart felt, that I can’t be.  “That’s...that’s not the point!”
r32;

“Fine.” He slaps his hand against the steering wheel in frustration.  “Just...never mind.  I did something nice for a guy that, in all honesty, I should hate.  Now you’re crucifying me.”

“I’m...I’m not saying it wasn’t nice.  It was, and I’m sure Mark and Braeden appreciated the gesture.  All I’m saying is that you could have told me what was going on.”

“Like you would have taken it well.”

“I would have been fine...”

r32;“You would have told me not to do it.  That’s why I didn’t tell you.”

I want to tell him he’s wrong, but I know he’s not.  I would have been against it simply because my parents wouldn’t know where my sister was for the holiday.  If something happened to them or to her, there would have been big issues.  At the same time though, Justin went out of his way to make Braeden’s holiday special when he didn’t have to.  Knowing that Braeden spent that time with his brother, gives me some peace of mind that he’s going to pull through what happened to his mom and to himself. 

I can’t deny it. Justin is a great guy, and today...I was a little hard on him.  He’s so cunning though.  He pulled this story out at just the right time to get himself off the hook.  I smirk.  “Fine.  I’m glad you did.  Braeden deserved a nice holiday.  His life has been hard enough.”

He nods.  “See?”

“You’re not off the hook.”
r32;“C’mon baby.”

Mason starts to wail.  He’s woken up, and now he’s hungry.  I groan.  “Justin...”r32;
“I’m really sorry about how I acted.”  He reaches over and gives my thigh a squeeze.  “All right?  I don’t want you mad at me.  We have too much going on.”

“Then don’t act like a cocky shit.”  I glare as I remove my seatbelt and turn around to tend to my boy. 

“Sometimes you like it.”

“In bed, yeah.  Not in front of a nervous realtor who’s trying to score the deal of his lifetime.”

“So I’ll be nicer.”

I sigh with relief when I get Mason to take his pacifier, and he quiets immediately.  Good.  I’ve bought myself some time until we get back to the room where I can give him a bottle in peace.  “You better be.”

I turn the radio up slightly after that, and pretend to be annoyed with him all the way back to the hotel.  I immediately give Mason his bottle when we get back to our suite, and Justin busies himself with changing Vicki, watching the news, and drinking some coffee.  I burp the baby once he finishes his bottle and put him down into one of the portable cribs that the hotel provided for us.  I move on to Vicki next, but Justin is already feeding her a bottle as he sits on the edge of the bed in the adjoining room.  I feel myself smile as I sit down beside him, and stroke Vicki’s head as she sucks her bottle down.

“Still annoyed?” He whispers, finally meeting my gaze.

I lean in and give him a long kiss on the mouth.  “A little.”

He gazes back at our girl, and smiles softly.  “I love you, Abbey.”

I squeeze his thigh.  “I love you too.”  I rest my head on his shoulder and we sit in silence together, simply taking in the joy of watching our daughter take her bottle, and I forget about the day and my frustrations with him.

Now that we’re alone together, I’m seeing the man I truly love again.  The daddy, the provider, and the man that would do anything for me.  I just...can’t be mad at him anymore, and I know that, even though a part of me still hates to let him off so easily.

We put Victoria down after she finishes her bottle and we burp her, and I willingly let Justin guide me back into the bedroom with him, knowing what’s most likely to take place next.  He says nothing to me, just smiles as he gently guides me down onto the bed and starts kissing my lips, and neck.  I’m naked before I know it, so is he, and we make love like that, there on the bed on top of the comforter.  It’s one of the last times we’ll get to be alone before we go back home to the boys, and begin to prepare for the move, and I make sure to cherish every touch, kiss, and caress that he gives to me.  The babies sleep, and it’s the first time in a great while that we’ve been able to be together without one of them crying.
“I’m a little scared.”  He whispers in my ear long after we finish, as he holds me in his arms and kisses my neck.  “About the move.”

“I think I am too.” I feel him rubbing my shoulders gently, and his lips brush against my collar bone after a moment.  I turn slightly in his arms so I can look at him, and find that he’s smiling at me gently.  “I guess I’m just afraid that something will go wrong.”

“I won’t let it.”

“Yeah but...”

“It’s the office isn’t it?”

I didn’t want to give that away.  Fuck.  I hate that he can just...read me like a book sometimes.  “I don’t know.  Maybe.”

“I’m not going to let it get in the way, Ab.  I...refuse to let it.  What we just did...giving Vic her bottle...that makes me want to be at home with you as much as I can.”

“But your career is important too.”

He kisses me.  “It’s not that important.  Nothing is as important as you and the kids.  Just...trust me, baby.  Give me a chance, and you’ll see it’s going to be fine.  The beginning stages of anything are always the craziest.  You should know.”

“Yeah,” I laugh.  “When I first met you I thought you were completely crazy.”

“And now?”

“You’re still crazy.”

“But you married me.”

“I never said that I wasn’t crazy too.  I’d have to be, and now I have to make sure our kids don’t end up just as crazy.”

He laughs heartily.  “You’re gonna pay for that.  You know that, right?”

“That was my plan, Timberlake.  Did you really think I was worn out?”

“I guess I’ll have to put you out of commission then.”  He climbs back on top of me, smiling, ready to take me all over again.

“WAHHHHHHHHH”

We groan in unison, and Justin’s lips pause on my skin.

Back to reality.