Saturday, December 29, 2018

Smiling to himself, he looked at his reflection in the bathroom mirror.  His hair was combed nicely.  His beard and moustache perfectly groomed.  Now to get dressed.  Still smiling Justin walked into his closet and quickly pulled down his best pair of jeans and a white button down from the rack. 

He hummed to himself as he pulled on the jeans, then slipped into the shirt, tucking the bottom into his jeans.  Next, he went for his ties.  He already knew which one he was going to wear.  In fact, he’d been saving it for just such an occasion.  Once the tie was on, he gave himself one more quick look in the mirror.

“Not too shabby, Gabby.” He said grinning at his reflection.

He completed the ensemble with the cuff links and tie tack from Chloe before grabbing his keys, wallet and phone and heading for the door.

Twenty minutes later his chauffeured car was pulling up to a stop in front of Chloe’s place.  He was excited and a bit nervous to be honest.  He just hoped Chloe liked the surprise.

Taking a breath Justin rang the doorbell then waited for someone to answer.  It was Chloe who appeared at the door.  She looked comfortable and at the same time completely shocked. 

“Justin?!”

“Hey.” He replied grinning.

“I wasn’t expecting you until later.  You said you had plans.”

He could see the confusion in her eyes and it made him smile.  He knew she wasn’t expecting this, but he’d been planning on that.

“I do.”

“Ok, I’m confused.”

Justin just grinned more. 

“I’m taking Gabby out.  Steak and sushi, right?!”

Chloe’s jaw dropped and tears sprang to her eyes.  Eddy had NEVER taken Gabby out, just the two of them.  Not once. 

“You’re serious?!”

Justin chuckled and nodded.  “I am.  You deserve a night off.  Take a bath, have a glass of wine, relax! I got this!”

“What about our plans?”

Chloe was still having a hard time believing Justin.  Years of disappointment and her current situation had left her jaded.  This was just too good to be true.  She was almost certain of it.

Justin smiled and lifted her chin to meet his gaze.

“Her bedtime is 8, right?”

Chloe nodded.

“It’s 5 now.  I’ll take her out to dinner, and maybe dessert after.  I’ll have her home by 7:30 so you can get her to bed on time then we can do that movie we talked about.”

“How?” Chloe managed to reply.

Justin looked back at her puzzled.  He didn’t understand the question. 

“How, what?”

“How did I get so lucky?”

Justin just smiled more and pulled her close.  “We’ve been over this.  I am the lucky one.”

Chloe allowed herself to smile back at him then nodded.  “Give me ten minutes.  I’ll go get her ready.”

Exactly ten minutes later Gabby came bounding into the living room dressed in a black and white checkered dress, a black pea coat, lace black boot socks and knee-high black boots.  She looked like quite the little lady. 

“Hi.” Gabby said grinning.

“Hey there Gabby.” Justin replied.

“Mommy said you’re taking me out on a date.”

Justin grinned and nodded.  “I am.”

Gabby’s eyes were wide and a smile had slowly started to tug at the corners of her mouth. 

“Just me and you?”

“Just the two of us.”

Gabby’s grin grew.

“Ok, let’s go.”

Chloe looked to Justin and smiled.  Right then there were no words that could describe the range of emotions she was feeling.  So much happy and sad in such a simple gesture.  She was over the moon happy that Justin had embraced Gabby.  The bond between them was growing stronger with each passing day.  This was how it was supposed to be.  This was how the bond between a father and daughter should be, and the realization that Gabby and her actual father would never have that broke her heart in so many ways.

Shaking the thoughts from her head Chloe looked down at her daughter and couldn’t help but smile.  She looked like quite the little lady and the smile on her face melted Chloe immediately.

“Have fun, but listen to Justin.  He’s the adult so he’s in charge.”

“We’ll be fine.” Justin said flashing a reassuring smile.

“Yeah, you worry too much Mommy.  I’ll be good. Promise.”

Chloe giggled slightly.  “You better.”

“I’ve got this.  Go relax.” Justin replied.

 As soon as Justin and Gabby were gone Chloe flopped down onto the couch and began to cry.  Her emotions were all over the place.  Her tears a mix of joy and pain.  It warmed her heart that Justin had taken to Gabby but it also killed her that Gabby’s father couldn’t do the same.     Not to mention her feelings towards Justin.  She was in love with him.  No doubt about that, but he was leaving.  He would be gone for months. 

Their relationship was still new, still changing.  They were still learning about each other.  How did a relationship like that survive such a pause?  Sure, there were phone calls, text messages, Facetime, but it wasn’t the same as being in the same room, or even the same city. 

For a long time, she just sat there and cried.  Not moving.  Not thinking.  Just letting her emotions come out.  That was her.  She held her emotions in until she couldn’t anymore, until she broke, but she never let anyone see.  She always kept it together until she was alone.  Her breakdown in front of Justin and Adam had been the exception.  She would not allow it to be the rule. She had to stay strong for Gabby.  She had to stay strong for herself.  If she allowed herself to break down, to crack, to let herself feel her grief and anger for too long there would be no coming back. 

Shaking herself back into reality Chloe stood from the couch.  Upon entering the kitchen her eyes shifted from the wine fridge to the cupboard, and back again.  Wine or hot tea?

Why not both?!  No one was there to judge or give her the side eye.  She was a grown woman and she could do as she pleased.  Smiling at the thought she poured herself a glass of wine then pulled a mug from the cupboard to make a cup of tea.  With a drink in each hand Chloe proceeded down the hallway to the master bedroom and then to master bathroom.  One of the many things she’d loved about this place was the tub.  The master bathroom had a shower and a tub for soaking, and the tub got plenty of use.  On days with back-to-back surgeries, she often soaked in the tub late at night or early in the morning when she got home.  The hot water did wonders for her tired, sore muscles and Justin had said to relax.

Smiling to herself at the thought of him she began to peel off her clothes.  She could see his dirty blonde hair, with just a hint of a curl and his deep blue eyes.  The picture of him in her mind paired with the hot water caused shivers to race down her spine.  She was going to miss him.  A LOT.

Only once she FINALLY settled down in the tub did Chloe allow herself to relax.  She closed her eyes, leaned her head back, then slumped down so that the only part of her body above water was her head.  For a long time, she just sat there, soaking in the water and occasionally reaching out to take a sip from her wine or her tea.  Truthfully, she didn’t know just how long she’d been in the tub but it wasn’t terribly long before there was a soft knock on the door.

“Chloe, are you in there?”

It was Adam.

“Yeah.”

“I just came home to drop off my briefcase and change.”

Chloe cracked a smile.  Adam had been at work all day but had promised to make himself scarce so that she and Justin could have some alone time after Gabby went to bed.

“No problem.”

“Are you ok?” Adam continued.

Chloe smirked.  If he only knew.  “I’m fine.”

Adam wasn’t convinced but knew well enough to not press the issue.

“Umm…ok…where is Gabby? I didn’t see her in the living room and she’s not in her room.”

At this Chloe couldn’t help but blush.  She could only imagine what Adam’s reaction would be.

“She went out.” Chloe replied bluntly.

Adam made a face at his sister through the bathroom door.

“Out?”

Chloe had to bite her lip to control her giggles.  She didn’t really know why she was enjoying this so much but she was.

“Yeah.  Apparently, she had a date tonight.”

“A date?! Wait?! What?!  I’m confused.  It’s been a long day.  My head hurts.”

Chloe giggled and shook her head.  She could picture Adam rubbing the bridge of his nose as he tried to make sense of what she was saying.

“Justin took Gabby out for dinner.”

Adam’s jaw nearly hit the floor.  It was not the answer he’d EVER expected.  Justin was many, many things but a true softie and a complete romantic were not at all what Adam had expected from the superstar.

“Wow! Damn! Yeah, WOW!  I’m impressed! That’s …well…that’s just…WOW!”

Chloe giggled more.

“I know, right?!”

Meanwhile, not too far away, at a somewhat upscale Japanese steakhouse in Manhattan Gabby and Justin were just sitting down to dinner.

Truthfully, Justin had chosen this particular restaurant because he knew the proprietors well enough that he was able to make a reservation on short notice.  They’d also arranged for a chef’s table so that Gabby and Justin could eat without being disturbed.  The restart of Justin’s tour was just days away and he was trying his best to keep a low profile until then. 

“Wow!” Gabby mused as they took their seats.

Justin could only grin.

“Pretty cool, huh?”

Gabby nodded, her eyes dancing around the kitchen as she tried to take it all in.  There was so much to see, so much going on.  She didn’t know where to look first but as Justin watched her, he could only smile.  She looked happy, truly happy and truthfully that was all he wanted, for Gabby and for Chloe.

Within moments a waiter appeared at the table and handed menus off to both Gabby and Justin. 

“May I get you and the lovely lady something to drink?”

“Just water, please.” Justin replied.

The waiter looked to Gabby next. 

“Water for me too, please.”

Once the waiter was gone Justin turned his attention back to Gabby.  She was looking at the menu, her expression serious.  He could tell she was trying to read it on her own.  It was incredibly cute.

“If you need help just let me know.”

Gabby looked up at him and grinned as she shook her head.  “I am one of the top readers in my class, besides, I already know what I want.”

“Oh yeah?” Justin chuckled.

Gabby nodded; her smile almost mischievous.  It made him grin more and shake his head.  Gabby definitely had a strong personality.  He loved it.

“I’ll have the 4 oz Filet Mignon; 1 California roll and the Miso soup.”

“Well, ok then!  Are you going to be able to eat all that?”

Gabby nodded emphatically.

Once they’d ordered and the food was delivered, they ate quietly for a bit before picking up a conversation.

“How is the food?” Justin asked.

“Delicious!” Gabby replied grinning.

“I’m glad.”

Then, in the next moment Gabby did a complete 180 on him.

“Mr. Justin how come you’ve never taken my Mommy out on a date like this?”

Justin chuckled nervously.  It was true.  He and Chloe had been seeing each other for a couple of months now and they had done things together but he hadn’t really taken her out on a proper date. Then again, he’d been trying to lay low ever since his surgery and the accident.  He’d also been trying to protect Chloe, and Gabby.  He knew that if it got out that Chloe had been the one that saved his life the press would have a field day.  He didn’t want that for either of them, and now that the trial was about to begin, he wanted to protect Chloe and Gabby even more.

Unfortunately, all those things didn’t make it any easier to explain to Gabby.

“Umm…well…you know what I do, right?”

Gabby nodded.  “You’re a singer and an actor.”

Justin chuckled nervously and nodded.  “Mostly, yes.  And you know that I’m pretty popular, right?”

Gabby grinned and nodded.  “Yeah, my teacher loves *NSYNC and you…she even has a poster in the classroom that says you can’t interrupt her while she is teaching unless you are sick, hurt, you are in danger, you brought her coffee or if Justin Timberlake walks into the room.”

Water nearly shot out Justin’s nose at this revelation and it took a bit for him to regain his composure but after a few moments he was able to speak again.  However, Gabby wasn’t done yet.

“I told her I knew you, that you and my mommy were friends but she didn’t believe me. She just patted me on the head and said, “that’s nice Gabby.”

Justin laughed a little and nodded.  “Hmm, well, we might have to see what we can do to fix that, but, yes, lots of people know who I am and the last thing I want is for anyone to bother you or your mommy or say anything mean to either of you because you know me.”

Gabby nodded.  His reasoning made sense. 

“BUUUT…you’re right, I haven’t taken your mommy on a proper date, but I do plan to fix that before I leave, I promise.”

Gabby’s face fell at his words.

“You’re leaving us?”

Immediately, a lump began to form in Justin’s throat.  The look on Gabby’s face was heart-wrenching.  She was only five, of course she didn’t know his schedule and apparently Chloe hadn’t told her yet about the tour.

Justin nodded slowly then cleared his throat. 

“When your mommy and I met…when I…”

“When you got hurt.”

Justin nodded.  This was harder than he’d anticipated.

“When I got hurt and your mommy helped me, I was taking a break from work, from singing and acting because before the accident I injured my vocal-chords and I had to have surgery.  Afterward I had to rest my voice.  I wasn’t allowed to sing so I had to put the rest of my tour on hold…”

“And now you have to go back.” Gabby finished solemnly.

Justin nodded.

There was a long pause as Gabby digested this new information.  It made her sad to think that Justin wouldn’t be around to do fun things like this together but even her young mind understood that he couldn’t stay “on hold” forever.

“I’ll miss you.”

Justin cracked a smile.  “I’ll miss you too Gabs…for sure, but we can FaceTime and I’ll call every day…and I will definitely come visit when I have long breaks.”

“When is the tour over?”

Justin sighed quietly.  The longer this conversation went on the worse he felt. 

“April.”

Gabby counted on her fingers then looked up at him.  “Four months…that’s four months…that’s a LONG time.”

“It is.”

“When do you have to leave?”

“January 2nd.”

“What is the date today?”

“December 29th.”

Again, Gabby began to count on her fingers quietly to herself.  Justin sucked in a breath when her little fingers stopped counting at four.  Four days.  That was it.  Suddenly his chest felt tight and he was having a hard time finding his voice.

Gabby was still holding up four fingers when she looked at him. 

“Oh.”

Gabby was trying really hard not to cry in front of Justin.  She wanted to be a “big girl” and be brave but the idea of Justin being gone for almost four months was hitting her hard. 

Justin had wanted this to be fun for Gabby, and here he was making her sad.  It was time to switch gears before they both lost control of their emotions.

“How about some dessert?” Justin asked cracking a smile.

Gabby shook her head and looked down at her near empty plate.  There was only a tiny bit of steak left. 

“I don’t know…I’m kind of full.”

Justin nodded as the smile on his lips began to grow a bit.  She’d definitely impressed the hell out of him with how much she’d eaten.

“We could share it.”

Gabby cracked a smile.  “Yeah?!”

Justin grinned more.  “Yeah.  C’mon.  Let me pay the bill and then we will go.  I know this place not far from here that has the BEST dessert!”

Once the bill was paid Justin stood, helped Gabby to stand, offering his hand and then with her tiny hand tucked into the crook of his elbow he escorted her to the door where his chauffeured car was waiting.

Within minutes they were settled at a cute little pizza joint in Manhattan.  The place was decorated with paraphernalia from 50’s and 60’s and black white TVs hung from the ceiling, playing movies from the era.  The menus were old album covers and the waiters and waitresses were wearing shirts with phrases like “Can U Dig It” or “Wanna Pizza Me?” It was a much more “kid friendly” place than the steakhouse and even though they were dressed up no one seemed to care

“What is this place?’ Gabby asked taking it all in.

Justin smiled.  He could tell that Gabby felt much more at ease in this place.  Then again, so did he. 

“This place is called “Oreganos.” It’s a pizza joint but they serve pasta too.”

Gabby nodded, the smile still present on her face.  “Mommy would like this place; you should bring her here.”

“You think?”

Gabby nodded emphatically.  “Oh, absolutely!  Steak and sushi aren’t her favorite but she loves pasta and pizza.”

Justin chuckled and nodded.  “She does, doesn’t she?”

Just thinking about Chloe put Justin in a better mood.  She really was great and he loved spending time with both her and Gabby.

Gabby saw the far off look in Justin’s eyes.  He was thinking about something.  She knew that much.  Her mom often got that look, especially lately. 

“So, what is this dessert?”

Justin immediately snapped from his thoughts. 

“Oh! It’s the best!  It’s a barely baked cookie dough, baked in a deep-dish pizza pan with three scoops of vanilla ice cream on top.”

Gabby’s eyes went wide.  It sounded delicious!

“Oh, yes! That sounds AMAZING!”

“Done! One chocolate chip pizza cookie coming up!”

When the pizza cookie arrived at the table Gabby’s eyes went wide as saucers, and the look of excitement on her face was evident.  Justin had known all along that this would be her reaction.

“This is so good!” Gabby said, her mouth full of chocolate and ice cream.

Justin laughed then nodded and handed her a napkin.  “It is, but maybe don’t talk with your mouth full.  Your mom will kill me if I bring you home and your dress is all messy.”

Gabby immediately took the napkin and wiped her mouth and chin. 

“I’m sorry.”

Justin stifled his laugh and grinned at her.  “No need to apologize.  Believe me, I get it.  I just don’t want to get in trouble with your mom.”

“Me either.” Gabby replied.

Once the dessert was gone it was already after 7 p.m., meaning it was time to get Gabby home if he was going to make “curfew” and get her home before her bedtime. 

“Are you full yet?” Justin asked grinning at Gabby.

Gabby grinned and nodded then patted her belly.

“I’m stuffed.”

“Yeah, let’s get you home before your mom sends out a search party.”

A full belly and the lull of the tires on the road must have been quite soothing because Gabby was slumped against Justin’s shoulder, asleep before they reached their destination.  Justin just smiled and brushed the hair from her face as he looked down at her.  Gabby looked peaceful as he watched the gentle rise and fall of her chest.  He found himself wondering what she dreamed about.

Once they reached Chloe and Gabby’s place Justin gently shook Gabby, trying to wake her.

“Gabby.  Hey, Gabby, we’re home…time to get up.”

Gabby stirred but didn’t wake up.  Chuckling softly, he undid his seatbelt first before stepping out of the vehicle and jogging to the other side.  Carefully, he reached across Gabby, unbuckled the seatbelt then gently scooped Gabby up into his arms. 

He carried her up the steps with ease to where Chloe was waiting with the door open.  Chloe gave Justin a smile as he carried Gabby through the door and down the hall towards Gabby’s bedroom.  Chloe followed.  Once inside the room Justin placed Gabby down on the bed.  She didn’t move or stir. 

“Let me get her changed.  I’ll be out in a minute.” Chloe whispered.

It was then that Gabby began to stir.  “No, mommy I want Mr. Justin to sing to me tonight.”

Chloe looked to Justin.  Her eyes searching his for an answer.  She didn’t want to assume he would sing but a part of her wanted him to.

Smiling at Chloe he nodded.

“Ok baby, let’s get you changed then Justin can sing to you.”

Still half-asleep Gabby allowed her mother to change her into a pair of pajama bottoms and a t-shirt while Justin waited patiently in the hall.  Once she was in her jammies and tucked under the covers Justin stepped back into the room. 

Smiling wistfully Justin settled himself on the edge of the bed next to Gabby and softly began to sing to her.  Once again, when he finished Chloe was near tears.  There was something just so beautiful and sweet about watching Justin sing to Gabby.

“You know your ruining this for me.” Chloe teased as Justin stepped out into the hall.

“What do you mean?” Justin asked curiously.

Chloe blushed. “You’re spoiling her.  She’s going to expect it to be you that sings to her all the time.  She’s not going to want to hear me.”

Justin blushed and shook his head.  “You’re her mother, of course she will.”

“I would want it to be you every-time too if I was her.”

Justin grinned.  “Oh?!”

Chloe blushed more.  “You know how I feel about you.”  

Justin chuckled a bit awkwardly.  “Do I?”

Things were suddenly taking a more serious tone and he was close, very close.  It made Chloe’s heart start to pound in her chest.

“I told you…I love you.” Chloe managed to whisper.

Justin nodded then stepped closer, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her into him a bit more. 

“You say that but…” Justin answered quietly.

Chloe took a step back and looked up at him.  His blue eyes were filled with emotion, a mix of love and trepidation.  He was scared and she had a feeling she knew why.

“You’re worried about the distance?!  You’re worried that our relationship is too fresh?! You’re scared that four months is a long time to be away and that we won’t survive everything that lies ahead of us?! The tour, the trial…”

Justin nodded but stayed silent.  It still amazed him how incredibly intuitive she could be.  It felt at times as if she saw straight through the deepest parts of his soul.  This was one of those times.

Chloe cracked the slightest of smiles and pulled him close again.

“I get it. I’m scared too…honestly, I’m terrified, but…I am willing to try to make it work if you are.”

Justin stepped back again, looking down at her, once again, his eyes searching hers for an answer.

“You are?’ He managed to reply.

Chloe nodded.  ‘If you are.”

“It won’t be easy.” Justin stammered.

Chloe smiled sadly and nodded.  “No, it won’t.  Our schedules aren’t the easiest to navigate, even when we are in the same city but I am willing to make the effort if you are.  We can call or text or FaceTime …”

“But what if you’re in surgery?” Justin asked quietly.

He was trying desperately not to show how much this conversation was affecting him.  He didn’t want Chloe to see the fact that the idea of leaving her and Gabby, for any of amount of time was tearing him apart. 

Chloe took a deep, shaky breath.  It was a valid question, because of her specialty surgeries were always last minute.  She could never predict how things were going to go once she was within the hospital walls.  There was no way she could commit to a set schedule for calls and FaceTime chats. 

“I’ll tell you what, on the days when I work the day shift, I will always call and leave a message before my shift starts, and again as soon as I am headed home.  I will try to text between surgeries too and on the days, I am off or don’t work at night Gabby and I will try to call or FaceTime before you take the stage.”

Justin nodded.  It wasn’t the perfect solution but it was something. 

“I’ll try to come visit as much as I can on the days I have off too.”

Chloe smiled.  “That sounds perfect.”

“Or I could fly you out on your days off to come visit me.”

Chloe giggled.  “What about Gabby?”

“Bring her along.”

Chloe laughed more at this.  “We’ll see…I don’t really want her missing a bunch of school either.”

“True.  Then again, her teacher might let an absence or two slide if I was to just show up at the school one day.” Justin replied with a smirk.

“What?!”

Justin chuckled at the memory of what Gabby had said at dinner.

“Gabby told me that her teacher has a poster up in the classroom that says you can’t interrupt her unless you are hurt, sick, in danger, brought coffee or Justin Timberlake walks into the room.”

Chloe snorted loudly at this. 

“Why am I not surprised?!”

“She also said that she tried to tell her teacher that she knew me and her teacher just patted her on the head and said, “that’s nice Gabby.” That she didn’t believe her.  I don’t think I can let that one slide.”

“Well, she doesn’t go back to school until the 7th…”

Justin smiled.  “I’ll figure something out.”

Chloe just giggled and shook her head. 

“C’mon, let’s go get settled on the couch and pick a movie.”

“And after?” Justin asked, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

Chloe giggled more and took his hand. 

“We’ll see…”

“Yes, yes we will Dr. Hunter.”