Deana woke up the next morning, her head turning to face the picture frame. Her fingers touched the glass, against Justin’s cheek in one of the pictures. 

“See you soon, babe,” she sighed contentedly. She got up, showered, making sure she packed her toiletries. She dressed in jeans, her cream sweater, and pulled a heavy jacket out of the closet. She pulled out an emerald green infinity scarf she’d knit, and put her hair in a braid. 

She opened the door to the guest room, checking on Danielle. “Hey,” she groaned, half awake. “I hate you being such a morning person…”

“I’ll make you some coffee,” Deana said, turning and walking down the hall. 

“I love you!” Dani yelled. Deana laughed. 

Danielle made her way to the kitchen, taking the mug of coffee from Deana. She took a long sip, closed her eyes, and sighed. 

“This is damn good coffee!  I don’t know why he bothers going to Starbucks.”

“Word is he’s got a crush on one of the baristas…” Deana smiled. 

“Talk about a rags to riches story.”

“I don’t care what you call it, I’m just happy it’s true.”

They had a quick breakfast, Deana triple checking everything was packed. “You guys have the rest of the stuff at my apartment taken care of?”

“Your couch, bed frame, and mattress are being donated or something. Your dresser is going in your parents’ garage, could be repainted for a baby…”

“You first,” Deana laughed. 

“With any luck,” Dani laughed back. “Yes, the rest of your stuff is taken care of. Does it feel weird, knowing when you come back, they’ll likely have rented it out to someone else, and you’ll be here?”

“In a way, yeah. But yet totally amazing in another way. A new chapter of my life is starting, and I can’t wait to see where it leads.”

“Well then, let’s get you to the airport and started on your new path.”  

Deana had called for the driver, she hadn’t taken advantage of it earlier in the week.  He greeted the girls, helping put her suitcase in the trunk.  Deana had a decent carry on bag just in case the suitcase got lost or delayed, putting her important things in the carry on.  They rode to the airport, Deana a sudden bundle of nerves.

“You ok?” Dani asked.

“I haven’t really flown before, especially alone.  Just hoping I can handle it.  I have a layover, I just hope there’s enough time.  I hadn’t looked at the info, I figured Justin and his team knew what they were doing.  I just trust him so completely, I”m suddenly worried I’ll miss my connecting flight.”

“Where are your boarding passes?”

“There’s paper versions, but also something on my phone.”

Dani took a look at her travel itinerary.  “You have 2 hours between flights.  Unless one gets severely delayed, you’ll be fine.  Grab something to eat in between.  What are you gonna do on the plane?”

“Maybe watch a movie, he left an iPad for me to save whatever I wanted, or it can become its own hotspot to load Netflix and stuff.  I also wanna listen to our Spotify mix a little at some point.  He changed it back to just the happier songs.”

“I’m glad you have things to occupy your time.  You’ll be fine, maybe even take a nap, get yourself well rested for this week…” Dani snickered.

“He packed a whole Target bag full of condoms…” Deana blushed.

“Lofty goal, even if it’s for the remainder of the tour.  Seriously though, enjoy this time together, just the two of you.  There’s nothing either of you have to do while you’re there, just time to relax.  Think of it as practice for your honeymoon.”

“It’s only been a week…”

“No.  It’s been 3 months.  All that time with Bruce was really time with Justin.  You don’t get to split the two into different time frames.  He’ll come around eventually, just you see.  You’ve already talked about it, you know it’s coming, at some point.  Soon he’ll be back on tour and you won’t have as much alone time.  I’m sure there is downtime, especially when travelling, but there’s also an agenda.  Make sure you get to know his assistant, they’ll be with you for a lot of stuff, so get to know him or her NOW.”

“Yes, Mom…” Deana laughed.

“Have fun, I’ll miss you, but this is an amazing opportunity.  You missed it once, and you kicked yourself.  You’d feel so much worse if you missed it again staying here with me.”

They pulled up to the airport.  Dani and the driver helped Deana get her stuff out of the car, then Deana gave Dani a big hug.  

“You’ll be great.  Text me when you get to Vancouver.  I want lots of pictures, but once you’re on tour.  Turn your phone off this week unless you absolutely have to.  Now GO!”

Deana pulled her carryon over her shoulder, grabbing her suitcase by the extended handle, walking towards the automatic doors of the airport.  She turned, watched Dani get back in the car and drive off.  She walked in, finding her way through security into the main concourse of gates.  She felt so alone, yet knew soon enough she would be with Justin, and that erased any fears or worries she’d had even a moment ago.

…

“Welcome to Vancouver, it’s been my privilege being your pilot for this flight.  Thank you for flying with us and we hope you have a pleasant stay,” the pilot said over the intercom as they pulled up to the gate.

Deana waited for the plane to think out a bit, hoping that meant her suitcase would be waiting for her at baggage claim, not the other way around.  She texted Dani, walking into the terminal and heading towards baggage claim.  She checked her phone, there was no text from Justin on what he’d be wearing.  He’ll recognize me, though, there’s no doubting that, she thought.  She got on the escalator heading down to the baggage claim, looking around for any sign of him as she rode down.  Sitting at a table across from the escalator was a man in a hoodie.  She couldn’t see his face, so she coughed, hoping to get his attention.  The man looked up, and she recognized the eyes in an instant.  

Justin stood up, walking slowly towards the bottom of the escalator.  As Deana got off, she practically ran into his arms, even though he was maybe 25 feet away.  He held her tight, a satisfied hum coming from both of them.

“I missed you,” he whispered.

“I missed you, too.”

They headed to the baggage carousel, watching the various bags and suitcases go round and round.  She saw her suitcase come onto the belt, relieved that she hadn’t lost anything in the flights.  Justin grabbed the suitcase for her from the carousel. 

“Where’s your stuff?” she asked.

“I got here a couple hours ago, so I got our rental and my stuff is in the trunk.  I figure we’ll unload our stuff at the cabin, get changed for dinner, go out for dinner, then come back to start our week off right.”  

“I like the way you think,” she smiled, giving a little laugh.  

They walked to the short term parking lot, Justin finding the car.  Since it was just the two of them, they only needed a regular 4 door, but still opted for the premium option.  It had heated seats, dual climate zones in case Deana got too warm and Justin was still cold, all the bells and whistles they could need from a car.  The sun was starting to set.  Deana was glad she’d taken Dani’s advice on taking a nap, she was almost at her work week ‘bedtime’, feeling a little jet lagged.  

The car gave Justin turn by turn navigation to the cabin.  True to his word, it was close to the city, yet surrounded by nature.  It wasn’t exactly the only cabin around, but enough distance between for some privacy.  It was in a gated community, so unless you were on their approved list, paparazzi couldn’t follow them in.  That was a relief to both of them, not that Justin expected any problems while in Vancouver.

They walked into the cabin, Deana taking everything in.  High ceilings, what looked like almost full tree trunks as support beams, lots of windows to take in the views.  The master bedroom was a super comfortable King bed, a fireplace centered against one wall.  The master bath had a giant soaking tub and a separate glass walled shower stall.  Next to the tub was a giant window to look out into nature, hear the birds chirp, yet had curtains for added privacy.  

“I’m gonna take a shower, get the travel funk off of me,” Justin said, peeling off his shirt.

“Think there’s room for two, get things started a little early?” Deana asked, a slight growl in her voice.

“Room for two, definitely, but I wanna take my time with my beautiful woman, can it wait until after dinner?”

“Fine, if I HAVE to…” she teased.

“I mean, we could, but you won’t be in any position to go anywhere once I’m finished with you,” he growled in her ear, sending a shiver down her spine.

“I’m gonna hold you to that,” she laughed, watching him get into the shower.  “I love the view already…”

As he showered, Deana started getting ready, knowing she’d need more time than he would.  She brushed her hair, putting some mousse in to help the waves from her braid stay better.  She pinned just a little of it back behind her ears.  She did her makeup, opting for a light lilac eyeshadow to make the green in her eyes pop.  She put on her eyeliner and mascara, leaning over the counter to get the right angle she was used to.

Justin turned to look at her.  Just in a bra and panties, he smiled watching her bent over the counter.  “Ok, now you’re just giving me ideas…” he laughed.  

“I’ll change this stuff before putting the dress on, nothing to worry your pretty little head about.”

“You could wear what you have on now.  You know it’s YOU I find sexy, and in that dress, there is nothing more beautiful in all the world…”

Deana blushed.  “I still can’t believe it’s you saying these things to me, the real you.  It’s all I ever dreamed of, and more.”

He stepped out of the shower, drying himself off before pulling her close to him.  His arms around her waist, his lips nuzzling her neck before tracing her ear with his nose.

“Don’t start what you can’t finish,” she smiled.

“Oh, baby, this is JUST the beginning…”  He went into the bedroom and got dressed, a grey dress shirt and black slacks.  

“I hate that you take like 30 seconds, and I take half an hour to get ready.”

“I don’t.  You are worth every minute, every second, of waiting.  I like watching you get ready, it’s cute.”

“Well, let me just go get into the dress, put some heels on, and I’ll be ready to go.”  He watched her pull the dress out of her carry on bag, pulling it onto her body.  His brain was already thinking of doing the reverse later.  She walked back into the bathroom for a couple spritzes of her custom perfume, stepped into her kitten heels, and did a quick little turn for him.

She put on her jacket, Justin putting on his pea coat and the scarf she’d made him.  “I’m so glad I brought this, it’s definitely helped keep me warm out here.”

They got into the car, and headed back into the city.  He headed into downtown, showing her where his show would be in a few days.  He continued to drive, turning a corner in a business type area.  He pulled into a parking garage.  

“Where exactly are we going?  It doesn’t seem like there’s any restaurants around here,” Deana wondered aloud.

“Just trust me, or rather, trust the GPS did it’s job.”  They walked into a lobby connected to the garage, pushing the button for the top floor.  Suddenly, a light went on in her head.

“You didn’t… really?”

“Repeat a magical night with the most amazing woman I know.  This time, with a 360 view of Vancouver,” he smiled.

They checked in and were seated at a table against the windows, her jaw almost dropping at the view.

“This is amazing, Justin.  A perfect way to start off our little vacation.  How did you manage a week off in the middle of a tour?”

“Well, they had to cancel a few dates in Tacoma, so that opened things up a bit with travel on either side.”

“I’m glad it gave us some time alone together before joining you on tour.  The last week and a half feels like a completely different relationship than the months before it, even though it was you the whole time. You already know me very well, but now I get to know you fully.”

“Sadly you've already experienced the downside of being me,” he sighed. 

“We know the truth, that’s all that matters. I loved you before knowing who you really were. To quote a song, ‘haters gonna say it’s fake’...”

“So real,” he smiled in reply. 

“I’m gonna keep the next line in my head for when we get back to the cabin…” she laughed. 

“I’m holding you to that…”

They ordered their dinner and drinks, enjoying conversation as well as the view from their table. She told stories about coworkers, things she’ll miss; he told stories of people she’d get along with and some of what to expect on tour. 

She took bites of her dessert, staring off out the window. Justin smiled at her, her face still staring out the window. She was deep in thought, not noticing him. 

He took her hand in his. “Deana, you ok?” This shook her back to reality. 

“Oh, yeah.  Just thinking of something Dani told me…”

“What’s that?”

“Having Christmas at our place, our kids all running around together…”

“That sounds nice. Someday, it’ll happen.”

“Until yesterday, I had no clue she even wanted kids. She thought she was pregnant a couple months ago, but it was nothing.”

“Well, I’m glad she is open to that. I’m really close with my cousin, I’d like our kids to have cousins to be close to. The fact that their moms are best friends adds to that.”

“I can’t believe we’re even talking about this. I mean, I knew that’s where things were headed with Dani and J, but I’m still wrapping my head around the possibility of you being the father of my children.”

“Possibility? I wanna make sure that’s a certainty.  Even with Jess, I never felt like this. So sure of what I want for the rest of my life. I find it very freeing, that I don’t have to wonder and worry anymore.  I’m not saying it’ll happen anytime soon, but I also know it’s you, forever and always.”

“I like hearing you talk like that,” she smiled. “Family is obviously important to both of us, so it’s great we’re already talking and agreeing on things.”

They finished dessert, sat a little while longer just watching the view outside as the restaurant turned. They held hands, Deana smiling at him. 

“Think I can get away with posting a picture of just our hands on social media without the world going crazy?” she asked. 

“If you post, absolutely. My account, people would lose their shit. I say we both do it. It’s fun, but without showing our faces or where we are.”

They each grabbed their phones, took a quick picture, and posted the picture. 

“Well, that should get things going for a while,” Deana laughed. “And there’s the notification, ‘Justin Timberlake has shared a photo’...”

“Yup, I got one for yours. I know the comments will be very different on yours than on mine,” Justin said. 

“Shall we head ‘home’?” she asked. Justin nodded. 

They headed down to the garage to get their car. Justin put in the address for the cabin and followed the GPS. He parked the rental in the garage so they wouldn’t be exposed to the bitter cold outside. 

They stood in the doorway, looking at the house. “This is all ours for the next week…” Justin said, pulling her close. 

He kissed her deeply, his hand resting on the small of her back. 

“Say it,” he growled in her ear. 

“Put your filthy hands all over me…”

“No, this ain’t the clean version,” he replied.