“Justin, get over here!” Deana called down the hall.

“I’m coming, I’m coming…” he teased.  He sat next to her on the couch.  “You know, a text or phone call would work just as well.”

“No.  I want to FaceTime.  Did I just text YOU on your birthday?”

“That was VERY different.  I’m not giving him what you gave me, what I gave you that night…”

“No, but Michael probably will.  Hell, maybe he already has, who knows.” 

Deana’s phone buzzed as the other end picked up.  “Hey guys, what’s up?”

“Happy birthday, Lance!” they said together.

“Aww, you didn't have to do this, a text or call would’ve been fine…”

“See, I told you…” Justin said, playfully hitting her shoulder.

Deana rolled her eyes.  “Ugh, men.  Any excuse to see your face.  How does it feel, the big 4-0?”

“Not too bad so far.  Been pretty spoiled and it’s barely noon…”

“We wanted to call once we knew you’d be awake, not a good idea to wake up the birthday boy too early,” Deana said. 

“Hi guys!” Michael said in the background.  “How are you?”

“We’re good.  We fly out tomorrow to Phoenix for my graduation.  I’m kinda nervous, there’s gonna be a lot of people…”

“You worked your ASS off, you deserve this,” Lance said.  “Now, THAT guy, his honorary doctorate? Meh.”

“I feel like I need to get business cards or something made.  How do I change my social media handles to Dr. Justin Timberlake…?” he laughed.

…

They arrived at the airport, taking another of his SUVs to fit her parents, Danielle, and Jonathan, and their luggage. Lynn and Paul had flown in earlier that morning and were waiting for them. 

They all hugged, introducing the parents to each other. They were both a little nervous, families officially meeting, but knew it would be fine. They boarded the plane, Deana’s parents a little in awe of being on a private jet. 

“So I hear you two are engaged? Congratulations,” Mama Lynn said to Danielle and Jonathan. 

“Yeah. Deana’s my best friend and she’ll be my maid of honor and sister in law.”

“Still waiting for these two to get their act together…” Lynn laughed, nudging her head toward Justin and Deana. 

“Mom, it’s been 6 months, cut us some slack. It’ll happen when we’re ready, along with kids.”

“I expect grandbabies from one of you in the next two years,” Deana’s mom said to her and J. 

“At least you already have some. The closest I get are his best friend’s little girls,” Lynn sighed. 

“Yeah, this was a mistake,” Justin whispered to Deana. “That’s all they’re gonna talk about now…”

…

They landed in Phoenix, getting to their hotel. They stayed in the same hotel they had during the tour. They got the suite for themselves, getting everyone else rooms in the hotel. 

“What do we want to do for dinner?” Deana’s mom asked. 

“We’re in Phoenix, why not do Mexican?” Justin answered. 

They got in two Ubers and headed to the address Justin gave. Deana saw the crowd around the restaurant, Cocina Madrigal, the parking lot full of cars. 

“Justin, we’re in Phoenix trying to get into a Mexican restaurant on Cinco de Mayo… We’ll never get in.”

“I planned ahead. I called yesterday. They don’t take reservations normally, but I offered a very generous tip and we made arrangements.”

“Sometimes it’s good to be you, isn’t it?” she asked. 

“Most of the time, especially after meeting you.”  He smiled, giving her a quick peck. 

They got to their table, looking over the menu. “Can I get you started with any drinks or appetizers?” the waitress asked. 

“Two pitchers of margaritas, one strawberry, and two orders of the guacamole.  One caramelized pineapple, the other jalapeño bacon,” Justin ordered. 

They looked at the menu more as they waited, ready to order when they brought the drinks and guacamoles. 

“Oooh, try mixing a bit of both of the guacamoles together ,” Deana suggested, taking a bite of her chip. 

“Are you ready for tomorrow?” Danielle asked. 

“A little. It’s gonna be a LOT of people. I was just online so I won’t even know anyone else.  Honestly a little worried about Justin, keeping his privacy.”

“I’ll be fine. It’s probably best that way, I’ll get lost in the crowd compared to sticking out like a sore thumb.”

They ate, heading back to the hotel after they finished. They all went to the suite for a while before all splitting off to their rooms for the night. 

Justin and Deana were in the bathroom, getting ready for bed. “I just realized something,” Justin said. “6 months in, and I still don’t know your last name… I know I could’ve looked at any ID, but I haven’t really needed to until now. I didn’t want to look at the court paperwork that leaked, I already know it’s in place. I never thought to ask what your last name was.”

Deana chuckled a little. “Ronco,” she replied softly. “I hadn’t really thought about it either. I know yours because, well, so does half the world. On Instagram my name is blocked out, so I guess that doesn’t help when I tag you in stuff. It hadn’t occurred to me to tell you my last name, but I certainly wasn’t  hiding it, either.”

“I realized they’ll read your last name, and wanted to know it was you tomorrow.”

Deana laughed. “I don’t think you’ll be able to miss me tomorrow…” She walked over to her bag, pulling out her graduation cap. “I’ve been working on this when you’re asleep or in the studio. It took longer than I anticipated, but I’m happy with the results. It reminded me of how your costume person must have felt bedazzling all those bananas you wore…”

Her cap was covered in crystals, blue, baby blue, and white. From afar you couldn’t really tell, it would just shimmer in the light. Up close, you could see the dark blue gems arranged to say “Deana + JT”.  Justin smiled looking at it.

“Any way you can profess your love for me, huh?” he laughed. 

“If I didn’t need you to pay for it, I’d get it in skywriting…” she replied. 

“Let’s get to bed, you’ve got a long day ahead tomorrow.  And a long night if I have my way…” he chuckled. 

“Can we skip forward to that?” Deana laughed, kissing his cheek and grabbing his ass.

“It’ll be here soon enough…”

…

They all got up early, grabbing a quick breakfast before dropping Deana off at the stadium. They wouldn’t be allowed in for at least 2 hours. They got in line to get inside. Thankfully there was a bench nearby the parents could go to to sit. Justin had a baseball hat and sunglasses on, a gaiter around his neck in case he needed extra cover later. 

There were pop up tents along the stadium, since families would have to wait a while before getting seats. Justin and Jonathan went on a quest to find water and Gatorade. The student bookstore was open, grabbing a few bottles for each of them. 

Justin suddenly got an idea. He pulled out his phone, and within minutes put it away. About 45 minutes later, he got a phone call, walking into the parking lot. He saw an SUV pull up, seeing the driver on the phone. 

“You made an Instacart order?”  Justin nodded. The SUV parked, throwing on their hazards, and started unloading. He ran and grabbed Jonathan to help, bringing cases of Gatorade and water to the front of the line. Word spread about the cases, grabbing bottles as they needed them. Justin pulled the gaiter over his face as people started coming up in a steady stream. 

“You’re a good man, Justin,” Deana’s dad said quietly, clapping him on the back.   

The line started moving inside, leaving the remaining drinks for those that needed them. They found spots in shade, seeing a sea of burgundy red on the football field. Justin looked, seeing Deana’s cap sparkling in the sun. “There she is!” he said proudly, pointing towards her area of the crowd. 

The ceremony felt like it dragged on, speeches and recognition, before it was time for the presentation of the diplomas. They watched carefully for her cap to move, knowing she would be up soon. Her row moved to stand, excitement filling all of them. 

“Deana Michele Ronco,” they announced, the group cheering for her. Justin felt overcome with emotion, never getting this kind of ceremony, instead having a mini graduation during a concert on tour. He prepared himself for Saturday where he would get his moment like hers.

 He was so proud of all the work she had done, that she had finished and was working towards her dream job. He’d been lucky to find his part early in life and attain it. Deana’s wasn’t that “easy”, and he knew it. She still wasn’t finished, but for the time being was taking a break. 

The ceremony ended, and they headed to the parking lot after the graduates left the stadium. Feeling lost in a sea of people, Justin stood on top of a concrete pylon looking for Deana’s cap. 

He spotted her cap shimmering in the sunlight, jumping down and moving through the crowd toward her. She was within sight, he moved faster towards her, wrapping his arms around her waist from behind and startling her. 

“It’s either me or Dani…” he said softly, pulling her around to face him. 

“Wow, you’re fast…” Dani said, coming up behind Justin.

“Can you take some pictures of us?” Deana asked. 

“Are these going on Instagram?” Justin asked. 

“Some can go on my personal page, the other on my public…” Deana replied.

“Either way, I’ll take this off,” he said, pulling the gaiter off his head.  He took his hat off, leaving the sunglasses.  

Danielle got a couple pictures of the two of them standing together, and got an idea for a cute picture.

“D, take off your cap, and hold it out.”  Deana did as directed.  “Perfect.  Now, kiss behind the cap.”

Justin obliged by kissing her deeply, the cap hiding his tongue sliding along hers. 

“Ok, now lower the cap a bit but still kiss.”  Justin changed to a nicer, camera friendly kiss.

“Perfect.  Now let’s go back to the family and get some pictures.”

“I heard someone got a bunch of water and Gatorade for the people waiting in line,” Deana said.

“Yeah, they just showed up and started letting people grab what they needed,” Danielle said, winking at Justin.  “It was gonna be a hot day and they wanted people to be safe.”

“Must be nice to spend that kinda money on complete strangers…” Deana said coyly.

“Yeah, well, a good deed has no price tag,” Justin smiled.  

She squeezed his hand, giving him a knowing smile.  “What gave me away?” he asked.

“Buying over 600 bottles of Gatorade, and a pallet worth of cases of water.  That has you written all over it, dropping that kind of money.  That, and someone said they could swear the guy looked a little like Justin Timberlake…”

“It wasn’t all that much, thank God for Costco and Instacart…” he laughed lightly.

Deana’s phone buzzed.  “Hey, your Instagram account just posted some pictures.  Looks like it’s you in the studio…”

“Yeah, kinda had them throw those out there to throw people off, tease them with working on new music, so we could have our privacy.  I know you’ll post, but I wanna wait until my thing on Saturday to post pics from both of our ceremonies.  I got choked up as they said your name.  I haven’t been to a real graduation, and it was nice to be here for you, and how you’ll be on the flip side for me this weekend.  Just another way we support each other.”

They got back to her family, taking pictures with Dani, Jonathan, her parents, then some with her family.  They took more pictures of her with Justin.

“I hope this isn’t too forward, but can we get some pictures with you darlin’?” Lynn asked.  

Deana smiled, motioning them to come over.  They took pictures of just Lynn and Paul with Deana, some with Justin, some of just Lynn and Deana.  “Get used to this for Saturday, baby, I'm gonna want TONS,” she said, looking at Justin.

“Let’s get out of this heat, head back to the hotel, relax a bit, have lunch, and then we’re going out for a nice dinner, and celebrate this beautiful woman,” Justin said, squeezing her tight.

They wait for their Ubers and go back to the hotel. They grab a table at the grill within the hotel, eating a casual lunch. 

They were talking as they ate when Deana felt a soft hand on her shoulder. Her eyes widened, a smile spread across her face. “Aunt Cathy, Uncle Mike!” She jumped out of her seat and hugged them both. 

“Sorry we couldn’t come to the ceremony, but your dad texted us to come for lunch…” she said. 

“Let me introduce everyone,” Deana said. “This is Danielle, my best friend and J’s fiancé, you’ve met Justin of course, and these are his parents, Paul and Lynn.”

“Nice to meet you,” Uncle Mike said. “Justin, good to see you again.  Get any golf in lately?”

“A bit, yeah. Still need more practice, it’s been a while.”

“If you’re here tomorrow, we already have a tee time scheduled…”

“I think we can swing that, no pun intended.  Well, maybe a little…” Justin laughed. “Maybe we can talk about investment options in your company, I’m hooked on those jalapeño ones, that sweet heat…”

“Glad to hear it.  Can we sit down and join you?” Cathy asked. 

“You came all this way, it would be rude to say no. It was Justin’s idea to have you come out if you could, I was just the messenger,” Deana’s dad said. 

They pulled up two more chairs, ordered some more food and drinks, and about everything from golf to Dani and J’s wedding plans.  They went up to Justin and Deana’s suite to talk more and not waste the tables, hearing stories about her aunt and uncle and stupid stories of them growing up.  

Deana looked at Justin next to her.  She wished her sister and the boys were there, but understood they still had school and she had work.  This meant so much to her to be surrounded by family, including his.  She gently put her hand on his knee and said “Thank you” in a quiet voice.  He looked back at her with a smile.  Things had been so hectic the last few months, and she was giving him normalcy and consistency he had been craving.  He’d gotten used to being Justin the ordinary man, and that’s what he felt like at that moment, with or without the spacious suite.  He said a soft “thank you” in return.  

They all split off, her aunt and uncle going home, and the others to get ready for dinner.  “I’d wanted to dress up for graduation, but there was no way I was going to wear my black dress under that robe.  At least now I can wear it and look as fabulous as I deserve.”

“That’s my girl,” Justin smiled.  “I’m glad school is over for a while, even with a minimal load, it was added stress.  I know that’s one of the things they suggest for when you’re trying to get pregnant, to eliminate stress.”

“Be careful what you say, or I might just have to find a new guy…” she teased.

“You saying I stress you out?” he asked, not getting her joke.

“OK, clearly that joke was in poor taste,” she corrected.  “Your lifestyle isn’t always easy.  Lots of travel, busy schedule, we did it, but at some point I won’t be able to keep up waddling along 8, 9 months along.  I certainly won’t be able to fly…”

“I know I’m working on stuff for the movie, but after that, it’s smooth sailing.  With movies, most of my work is on the front end of things, then the directors and producers and editors put it all together. It’s not due out until around this time next year, so there’s still plenty of time, not a big rush.  Even then, we’ll be at the house in LA for a while while I do that, so no going back and forth constantly.  The only thing would be doing press tours and stuff.  You don’t have to come to all of that stuff, you’d just be sitting around hearing the same questions over and over.   I’ve been quietly trying to prepare myself for this, asking different people on my team about certain things like travel, scheduling, all of that for when it does happen.”

“What if it doesn’t?” Deana asked.

“Hey, we haven’t even started the process yet.  Right now is just fun and practice.  Just know I have things in place just in case.  Enough of this for now, we’re celebrating.  Then tonight is a private party…”

She smiled.  “I do enjoy those, all the attention is on me.”

“Damn right it is,” he replied.

They all met back in their suite before going to the restaurant.  They headed to the lobby, a stretch limousine waiting for them.  It was a short drive on the freeway before turning off and heading up a hill.  The restaurant was round, high on the hill, called Top of the Rock.  Sunset was about to start, the sky brilliant strokes of orange and pink.  

They were seated with a window view, watching the sky shift colors as the sun set and darkness began to creep over the valley.  They started dinner with the chicken doughnuts, ravioli, and thai shrimp and ordered drinks.  

Justin cleared his throat, raising his glass.  “These last 6 months I’ve gotten to know and love this woman more and more.  She is smart, beautiful, and determined.  She isn’t afraid to follow her dreams, no matter where they take her.  Thankfully, I’ve been allowed to be part of all of this, and been able to make her part of my everyday life.  I can’t imagine my life without you, Deana.  I love you and I’m so proud of everything you’ve accomplished.  I know this is just the beginning.”

Deana’s heart swelled at hearing his words.  Surrounded by those closest to both of them, she thought for sure this was it.  They clinked their glasses as a toast to her, then continued the meal.  She excused herself to the bathroom, Danielle giving her a few second head start.  

Danielle opened the door to the ladies’ room slowly, seeing a stall closed, hearing soft sobs.  “D, are you ok?” she asked.

“I feel like such an idiot…” Deana sobbed.

“Why?  What’s wrong?”

“Everything Justin said, in front of you guys, our parents, I thought… I thought he… I thought he was…”

“...gonna propose…” Danielle finished.  “Open the stall door…”  

Deana opened the door to the small stall, unsure how there would be room for both of them.

“Well, they don’t exactly make this a hookup friendly bathroom, do they?” Danielle joked, trying to make Deana laugh.

Danielle’s phone buzzed.  Everything ok? Jonathan had texted.

It’ll be fine, but we may be a while.

“Hey, look at me.  Yes, he said some wonderful things about you, but not proposing doesn’t make them any less true.  For all we know he’s waiting until later, back at the hotel, just the two of you, before a super romantic night…”

“I thought he was gonna propose last week on our anniversary.  Twice in under a week I’ve thought ‘this is it’ and been let down.”

“You know it’s coming eventually, you know he loves you without having to ask.  How much do you love Justin compared to how much you loved Morgan?”

“No contest, I love Justin more than I ever did for Morgan…”

“And you were engaged to Morgan.  You thought THAT was it.  That should mean something.  That what you two had early on, that connection before things got physical, deepening that connection these last few months… It’s just going to get better.  Look at me and your brother.  As much as I loved him when we were in high school, I love him so much more NOW.  If we had gotten married back then, we’d be very different people now.  Things happen for a reason.  I honestly have no clue when or how Justin is going to propose, but know this.  That man out there loves you SO fucking much, Deana.  He would move heaven and earth for you, you know he would.  So trust that when the time is right, it’ll happen.”

“It’s just hard being so in the moment, expecting it, and then nothing happening.”

“Try not to get too far ahead, take each moment at a time.  While we were waiting for the ceremony to start today, he would NOT stop talking about you.  How proud he was of you, all the things he said just now, but in MUCH more detail.  He lives and breathes for you.  Let that be enough for now.”

Deana wiped the tears from her eyes and cheeks.  

“Let’s get back out there before your drink gets watered down and the food gets cold.  I love you, D.  You’re like my sister.  In February, you’ll actually BE my sister.  One wedding at a time, ok?”

They left the bathroom stall, checking the mirror before going back to the table.

As Deana sat down, Justin had a look of concern on his face, his eyes wide and a soft blue, his eyebrows knit together.  “Is everything ok?”

“Yeah,” she sighed softly, not wanting to get into things in front of everyone.

Justin looked at Danielle across the table.  Danielle carefully held her left hand up, trying to signal her ring finger.  Justin understood at once, a pit settling into his stomach.  He took Deana’s hand in his, running his thumb over the top of her hand.  

“I love you,” he said softly, not knowing what else to say.

“I know,” she replied.  “I love you, too.”

“I wasn’t sure how long you were gonna be, so I got them to remake your drink.”

“You’re so thoughtful.”  

Lynn was quietly watching their exchange.  She was trying not to listen too closely, but sensed the overall tone.  She clinked her glass, getting everyone’s attention.  “Deana, I remember Justin telling me about you on Christmas morning.  He was worried I’d be mad that he’d kept you from me.  I met you before his birthday party, learning about you going to school, everything that had happened with taking time off.  You impressed me that night.  The more I interact with you, the more I love you, too.  You are such a wonderful young woman, and I couldn’t be happier that you and Justin are together.  The road to happiness is never an easy one.  Your time together is just getting started, but I’m glad I get to have you in my life.  I couldn’t be more proud of you than if you were my own daughter.  You deserve all the happiness in the world, and you are one step closer tonight, following your dreams wherever they take you.”

Deana looked at Justin, tears welling up in his eyes as they all clinked their glasses. “That was beautiful, Mama…” he said.

“Thank you, Lynn,” Deana said, fighting back tears.  “I suppose it’s my turn to speak.  I couldn’t be here tonight without any of you here.  Mom and Dad, being supportive of my decision to leave school for a while, supporting and encouraging me to get back into it and continue after my dream.  Danielle and J for letting me study in peace, being another source of inspiration.  We’re all following our different dreams together.  Paul and Lynn, you’re the newest additions to my life, but without YOUR guidance, this man beside me might not be where he is today.  He supported him, and through all of your decisions for and with him, it led us together.  Justin, these last 6 months haven’t been easy by any means, we’ve had our share of struggles.  You’ve believed in me, believed in US.  I fell in love with you knowing you just based on the man you are, not the name and everything with it.  You supported me then, finding ways to help me achieve my dream while also planning ahead for the both of us.  I love you, I love all of you.  Thank you for your part in helping me get here.”  Her voice began to quiver, she stopped talking before she lost control of her emotions.

They ate wonderful food, watched the sky go from waning daylight to the dark of night taking over, stars twinkling in the sky.  The limousine picked them up and brought them back to the hotel, everyone going off to their rooms for the night.  Deana and Justin were going to LA for a few days, everyone else taking his plane back to NYC.  

Justin and Deana entered their suite, a bouquet of lilies on the table, tulip petals all around the suite, leading to the balcony.  Justin led her out to the balcony, looking at the skyline of the city, enjoying the cool of the evening.  He wrapped his arms around her waist, resting his head on her shoulder, Deana’s head against his chest.  

“Deana,” he whispered.  “There’s something I need to say to you…”