Adam was the first to arrive home that evening.  He couldn’t help but smile at the scene that greeted him when he walked into the apartment.  Gabby and Justin were seated around the living room coffee table deep into a game of Candy land.

“I win!” Gabby exclaimed, moving her piece to the finish line.

Justin could only chuckle and shake his head. 

“Yup.  You win again Gabby!”

“Again?” Gabby asked hopefully.

Justin smiled.  “Umm…I think I need a Candy land break.  How about you and I clean up then you can watch a little TV while I talk to your uncle.”

“Ok.”

Once the game had been put away and Gabby was settled in front of the television Justin went to find Adam.  He was in the kitchen, rummaging through a drawer in search of Take-Out menus. 

“Thanks for picking up Gabby today.” Adam said as Justin entered the kitchen.

Justin cracked a nervous smile.  He didn’t really want to have this conversation but he knew he needed to.  Adam needed to know about Eddy, just as Chloe did, but he was hoping that telling Adam first would make telling Chloe easier.

“No problem…I was happy to help but…”

Adam heard the hesitation in Justin’s voice.  The take-out menus temporarily forgotten; Adam shifted his attention to Justin.  He could tell by the look in Justin’s eyes that something wasn’t right.

“But?” Adam repeated.

“Uh…well…when we got back to the apartment this afternoon Eddy was here waiting.”

Adam nearly swallowed his tongue.

“Excuse me?!”

“Eddy was here, waiting on the steps.”

“Did you call the cops?”

Justin shook his head.

“Umm…no…I thought about it, I know I probably should have, but I really didn’t want Gabby to see that.”

Adam nodded quietly.  Justin did make a valid point.  Watching her dad be taken away in handcuffs really wasn’t something Gabby should witness.

“I get it. I probably would have done the same. Did he talk to you?”

Justin nodded slowly.  He was trying to keep an eye out on the living room to make sure that Gabby didn’t overhear the conversation.

“A little.  First, he tried to be Macho and play the “I’m her father, not you” card.  Then he gave me shit about being with Chloe and then he did a complete 180 and told me I was the “silver lining” of the accident.  That he felt better about going to jail knowing that Chloe and Gabby were being treated the way they deserved to be treated.  He knows he’s going to jail for a LONG time and he wants to say “goodbye.”

Adam sighed heavily then sunk down onto one of the benches in front of the island counter.

“No punches?’

Justin smirked a little.  “I contemplated it briefly, but no, I didn’t want a fight and I really don’t think he did either.  I think he just wanted to be heard.”

Adam nodded solemnly.

“Are you going to tell Chloe?”

“Yeah, as much as she won’t like it, she needs to know.”

At this, Adam cracked the tiniest of smiles.  Although he was still trying to wrap his head around the idea, Adam realized that Justin was just the type of man that his little sister needed.  Eddy had been right about that.

“Good answer.”

“Thanks.”

“Do you want some back-up?” Adam offered.

Justin smirked a bit and nodded.  “That would be appreciated, yes, thank you.”

About 30 minutes later Chloe arrived home.  Gabby was still in the living room watching cartoons and Justin and Adam were still in the kitchen.

“Hi Mommy!” Gabby exclaimed jumping up to hug her mother.

Chloe smiled and wrapped her arms around her daughter.  Having her daughter greet her with a smile and a hug was one of the best feelings in the world.

“Hey Gabby Bug, how was school today?”

Gabby pulled back a bit and beamed up at her mother.  Chloe had to bite her bottom lip to keep from giving herself away.  She knew that Gabby was excited to talk about her day.

“Awesome! Justin came to Career Day!  He totally surprised my teacher and he sang a song from Trolls that made all the moms cry and Daddy came to see me.”

Chloe’s jaw dropped.  The way that last bit had just come out caught her completely by surprise.  Her mind was reeling, a thousand different questions flying through her brain but she was trying to keep her emotions in check.  Gabby didn’t know anything about what was really happening.  Chloe had made sure of that but it was becoming increasingly obvious that she was going to have to tell Gabby something, and soon.

“Where? At school?” Chloe choked out.

Gabby shook her head and looked up at her mother. She didn’t want her mom to be mad, but the look in Chloe’s eyes reminded her of the night she’d kicked her father out of the house.

“Please don’t be mad Mommy!” Gabby pleaded.

Chloe looked down at her daughter and immediately sucked in a breath.  Moments before Gabby had been so happy, now she looked scared and sad.

Letting her breath out slowly and quietly Chloe sank to her knees and took her daughter’s hands in hers. 

“Oh baby, I’m not mad.  I promise! I’m just worried.  Your dad isn’t supposed to come around…not without permission… and right now, he doesn’t have permission.”

“Because he yells and screams and throws things?” Gabby asked, her eyes wide.

Chloe nodded slowly.  She wasn’t ready for this conversation but apparently it was coming whether she was ready or not.

“That’s part of it.”

“What’s the other part?”

Chloe took a deep, steadying breath.  “Why don’t you go grab your monkey, let me put my stuff down and go say “hi” to Justin and your uncle …then you and I can talk while Adam and Justin handle dinner.”

“What’s for dinner?”

“What do you want?” Chloe replied.

Truthfully, Chloe was anticipating the forthcoming conversation.  She had a feeling that she and Gabby would both need some cheering up when it was over. 

Gabby scrunched her face up in thought. 

“Tacos.”

Chloe cracked the tiniest of smiles and nodded.  “Tacos it is.  Go find your monkey and I’ll be there in a minute.”

“Ok.”

Once Gabby was out of sight Chloe started for the kitchen.  Adam was leaned up the cabinets sipping on a beer.  Justin was seated at the counter with a beer in his hand as well.  She gave both of them a pointed look then forced herself to speak.

“You two are in charge of dinner.  Gabby wants tacos.  I’m going to go have a chat with her about her father…”

“She told you?” Adam asked shaking his head.

Chloe made a face.  “She’s 5, she has no filter, of course she told me.”

“What are you going to say?” Adam continued.

Chloe sighed.  “I have NO clue…the truth…”

“ALL of it?” Justin asked, his eyes wide.

“No. Not all of it, but I have to tell her something.”

Both men nodded.   Neither knew what to say.  It was a sticky situation for sure.  How did one tell a five-year-old that her father was going to prison for nearly killing her mother and the man her mother was now dating?

“What can we do to help?” Adam asked seriously.

Chloe gave them another pointed look.  “Take care of dinner and get me a drink.  Wine, margaritas…I don’t care…hot tea isn’t going to cut it…not this time.”

Inhaling deeply Chloe proceeded down the hallway to her daughter’s room.  Gabby was already curled up on the bed clutching her stuffed monkey AND her Branch doll, one under each arm.

Forcing a smile, Chloe took a seat next to her daughter on the bed and turned to face her.  Gabby’s hazel eyes were staring back at her, wide with worry.  She was too smart to not know something was up.

“Something happened…with Daddy…didn’t it?”

And there it was.  The question Chloe had been dreading.  Truthfully, Chloe had been trying to mentally prepare herself for this moment since she found out the truth but she still wasn’t ready. 

Chloe let out the breath she’d been holding rather loudly.   The air just rushed out of her.  It caught her by surprise.

“Yeah, Bug, it did.”

“What happened?”

Chloe took a much quieter steadying breath. 

“Your Daddy was in a car accident.  Actually, your daddy caused the accident.  People got hurt, pretty badly and your daddy should have stayed to help but he didn’t, he left.  He left the scene of an accident which is bad.”

“Is he in trouble? Is he going to jail?”

“Yes.”

Gabby’s eyes were tear filled now and her bottom lip trembling and Chloe could feel her heart breaking in her chest as she watched her daughter struggle with this new information.

“Daddy’s going to jail? For how long?”

Chloe took another deep breath.  She needed to just to keep her own composure.  She could feel her resolve cracking.  She couldn’t let it break.  She needed to be strong for Gabby.  Right then, Gabby was all that mattered.

“A long time sweetie.  A really long time.”

“How long?”

“I don’t know for sure.”

“But what if he said he was sorry?  What if he apologized to the people he hurt?”

Chloe looked down at her daughter and tried with all her might to keep her emotions in check.  The tears were now streaming down Gabby’s face.  Instinctively, Chloe pulled Gabby into her lap and began to brush away her tears and stroke her hair softly.

“Oh baby, when you’re a grown up it’s not always that simple.  When you are a kid and you do something bad you get grounded or you get things taken away.  When you are an adult and you do something bad you go to jail.  Leaving the accident, not staying to help the people who were hurt that was really bad.”

“Are the people Daddy hurt ok?”

Chloe cracked the tiniest of smiles at the thought of Justin and nodded. 

“Yeah, baby, everyone is ok.”

“When?” Gabby blurted.

“When what?”

“When is Daddy going to jail?”

Chloe made a face then turned Gabby so she was facing her.  The tears were still falling in a steady stream down Gabby’s face but now that this conversation was happening, she wasn’t going to stop it until she was finished.  Gabby needed to know the truth, or as much of the truth as a five-year-old brain could handle.  She was going to leave some of the more finite details out of it, for everyone’s sake.

“Well, baby, I’m not sure. There are some things that need to happen first.”

“What things?”

“Well, first there is going to be a trial.  Then, when the trial is all over the jury will decide how long your daddy has to go to jail for.”

“When is the trial?”

“We don’t know yet.  Probably not until February or March.”

“What about my birthday?  Daddy has to come to my birthday!”

“Oh sweetie…”

“Mommy …PLEASE…he has to….”

Gabby was sobbing now.  Chloe could feel her daughter’s tears soaking into her shirt as Gabby clung to her, burying her face in her chest.  In that moment, with her daughter’s arms wrapped around her waist, her tear-stained shirt clinging to her and the sound of Gabby’s cries echoing around her Chloe’s sense of control broke. 

As angry as she was with Eddy for putting them in this situation Chloe knew that closure was needed.  Gabby needed to be able to say “goodbye.”

“Ok baby…ok…I will see what I can do.” Chloe whispered.

Gabby pulled away from her mother and looked up into Chloe’s tear-filled eyes.

“Really?”

Chloe sniffed, nodded and brushed away a few tears before speaking.  “I can’t make any promises.  Daddy still hasn’t done what he needs to do to be able to come see you but I will see if I can talk to the judge.”

Gabby nodded, then wrapped her mother in another tight hug.

“Ok.”

For a long time both girls just sat there, on Gabby’s bed, holding each other while Gabby continued to cry softly.  Chloe was crying too but tried not to let Gabby hear her.

After what seemed like an eternity Gabby’s cries began to subside.  Her sobs were now sniffles and her grip wasn’t as tight anymore.

“Can we still have tacos?” Gabby whimpered.

Chloe smiled through her tears and nodded.  “Absolutely, and since Justin and your uncle Adam are both here maybe we can talk about what you want to do for your birthday.”

Gabby nodded and pushed away her tears.

“Ok.”

Hand in hand Gabby and Chloe walked back towards the kitchen.  Justin and Adam were busy setting up the food but stopped as soon as Gabby and Chloe entered.  The fact that both girls had been crying was not lost on either man. 

“May I sit by Justin?” Gabby blurted out.

Chloe smiled.  “Sure.  If it is ok with him.”

Justin smiled and nodded.  He knew that right then, Gabby needed to know that no one else was going to leave her.  Not even him.

“Absolutely Gabby Bug!”

With a deep sigh of relief Chloe took her seat across from Justin and mouthed the words “thank you” to him so Gabby wouldn’t see.  Justin could only smile and nod.  He knew they needed to talk about what happened, but not now, not here with Gabby listening.  Gabby needed a break, so did Chloe.

It wasn’t until they’d all been seated and eaten for a while that anyone spoke.  Emotions and hunger were running high.  It made perfect sense that it was quiet.  However, with a five-year-old at the table the silence wasn’t going to last forever.

“I want a Trolls birthday party.” Gabby exclaimed.

Justin couldn’t help but chuckle.  Neither could Adam.

“Oh yeah?” Chloe asked smiling and shaking her head.

“Yes. I want a Trolls birthday party with cupcakes and a pinata and I want to invite Mr. Chris and Mrs. Karly and Nash, and Mr. Lance and Mr. Michael and Mr. JC.”

“Oh, yes please.” Adam smirked.

Chloe gave her brother a look then turned her attention back to her daughter.

“What about Mr. Joey and Justin?”

Gabby nodded emphatically.  “Yes, them too but I understand if Justin can’t come…I know he’s on…”

“Oh no! No, Pretty girl! Let me just stop you right there.  If you want me at your birthday party, I will be there…I promise.  I wouldn’t miss your birthday for anything.”

“Really?!” Gabby asked, her eyes sparkling.

“Absolutely!”

Gabby beamed.  “Ok!  Then I want a Trolls birthday party with cupcakes and Pinata.  I want to invite Mr. Chris, Mrs. Karly and Nash, Mr. Lance and Mr. Michael, Mr. JC and Mr. Joey, Justin, a couple of kids from my class, Grandma and Grandpa and…Daddy.”

Justin and Adam’s eyes both went wide but they stayed quiet.  The look in Chloe’s eyes said enough.

Chloe sighed and forced a smile.  “I can’t make any promises about your Daddy coming to your party…but I will try…I can promise you that.”

“Thank you, Mommy.”

After dinner and after Gabby had been tucked into bed Chloe returned to the living room.  Justin and Adam were waiting with Margaritas.

Without saying a word Chloe sat on the couch next to Justin and took a long sip from her drink.

“What happened today?” Chloe managed to get out.

Justin took a breath then turned to look at Chloe.  As much as he had been dreading this conversation, he was determined to be truthful, because it was what Chloe deserved.

“Eddy was waiting for us when Gabby and I got here after school.  He was sitting on the steps with a copy of the newspaper in his hand.  He was upset.  He wanted to see Gabby.  At first, I thought he was going to start a fight, but he didn’t.”

“Why didn’t you call the cops? Why didn’t you call me?”

“I didn’t call the cops because I didn’t want Gabby to see that.  I didn’t want to be the one responsible for putting the image of her dad in handcuffs in her brain and I didn’t call you because what could you have done?  You said it yourself, you couldn’t get away.  That was the whole reason you called me to pick Gabby up in the first place, and if you had called the cops…again, how would have that looked to Gabby?”

Chloe sighed and dropped her head.  Justin was right.  Even if she wanted to, she couldn’t have called the cops on Eddy.  Not with Gabby there. 

“What did he say to you?”

“That he wanted to see Gabby. That he wanted to say “goodbye.”  That he knew that he was going to jail for a long time.  That he knew there was NO WAY a jury wasn’t going to give him the maximum sentence given that he’d nearly killed the mother of his child and Justin Timberlake.  That you and I were the only good thing to come out of the accident.  That it made him feel better about going to jail knowing that you and Gabby would be taken care of, the way you deserved to be.”

Chloe’s eyes went wide as saucers and her jaw dropped.  Of all the things she’d expected to come from Eddy’s mouth none of what he’d actually said were among them.

“He said all that?”

Justin nodded.

“So …what now?  What did you tell Gabby?” Adam chimed in.

“I told her the truth.  I told her that her Daddy caused an accident and that people got hurt and that because her Daddy didn’t stay and help, because he ran away, he was going to go to jail.  I just left names out of it.  She doesn’t need to know that part.  It doesn’t change the outcome.”

“And the party? Are you really going to invite him?” Adam continued.

Chloe nodded.  “This is the last birthday he is going to get with her for a LONG time.  Gabby has done nothing wrong, it’s not right for me to punish her for her father’s mistakes.  She deserves to get to say “goodbye.”

“What about the restraining order?”

Chloe looked to her brother and Justin, her eyes filled with sadness and her tone somber as she spoke.

“He’s already violated the restraining order twice and no one has called the cops yet, because of Gabby.  I think we can all agree to let it go…one last time …for the same reason.”

“I don’t know Chloe…” Adam hesitated.

“Don’t do it for him…I couldn’t ask you do that…do it for Gabby.”

Adam nodded.  “For Gabby.”

Justin nodded in agreement.  “Just for her.”

‘Thank you.” Chloe replied, her voice wavering.

“Now…what do you need?  What can we do?” Justin asked.

Chloe cracked a smile.  “Can you help me with a Trolls party?”

Justin chuckled and nodded.  “I think I can handle that.”

Adam took that as his cue.  He checked his watch briefly then cleared his throat before standing from his chair.

“Well…I’ll leave you two to the party planning.  I have a date.”

“A date? With whom?” Chloe asked grinning.

Adam blushed.  It surprised Chloe.  She’d never seen Adam blush like this.

Justin caught the blush too and couldn’t help himself.

“I know JC isn’t in town.”

Adam smirked.  “Ha ha, funny Timberlake. Funny!”

Chloe just giggled and shook her head.  “Seriously, who do you have a date with?”

“Derek.”

Chloe’s jaw dropped.  “Derek?! Do you mean Derek the Assistant D.A.?  Derek, the Assistant D.A. who is the prosecuting attorney in the case against Eddy?”

“He’s only 2nd chair.”

“Isn’t that a conflict of interest?”

“Again, he’s only 2nd chair and he’s not going a date with you.”

“Obviously!”

“It’s no worse than you dating the other defendant in the case.  If I was representing you, or defending Eddy, or even testifying it might be different…”

“Wait?! You’re not testifying? Why am I just hearing this now?”

“I don’t need to.  I was merely a character witness, someone to testify to the type of man Eddy was.   They have a strong enough case without me.  They have street cam footage of the accident, they have you and Justin as well as the 911 dispatcher, the EMTs, the E.R. Resident who treated you and the detectives who interviewed you after the accident.  Not to mention Eddy’s confession.  It’s an open and shut case. “

Chloe nodded.  Adam made valid points.  Also, much like her, Adam had experienced his fair share of heartache over the past year.  He deserved to be happy just as she did.  Chloe needed to be supportive of him, just as he had been to her.

“I am happy if you are.  Go! Have fun!  You deserve it.”

Adam grinned then leaned over a placed a gentle kiss on the top of his sister’s head. 

“Thank you.”

Once Adam left it was just Chloe and Justin. 

“I hope you’re not upset with me.” Justin whispered quietly.

He’d made a judgement call that he knew wasn’t entirely his to make and now he was praying that it didn’t come back to haunt him.

Chloe took his hands in hers, looked up at him and cracked a smile as she shook her head.

“No. I’m not.  I get it.  You were trying to protect Gabby and I appreciate that.”

“Good because the thought of you being mad at me…”

Chloe shook her head again then quieted him with a finger.

“Shh! Don’t!  I will never be angry with you for trying to keep my daughter safe.”

“Good, but now what?  What can I do?”

Chloe smiled.  “Well, I know you have to leave early…that you have a plane to catch but I’d love it if…”

Justin grinned.  He knew what she was about to say before the words ever left her lips.

“Chloe, are you going to ask me to stay?”

Chloe nodded, her cheeks flushing.  “Please.  I don’t want to be alone tonight.”

Justin popped a kiss on her lips and nodded.  “Of course, I would have insisted on staying even if you hadn’t asked.  I don’t want you to be alone tonight either.”

“Thank you.”

Justin gave her another pop kiss then stood from his spot, pulling her up with him.

“You’re welcome.  Now c’mon, let’s go get comfortable.”

Once in bed together Justin wrapped his arms around Chloe and pulled her close, nestling his chin in her hair and allowing himself to relax.  His eyes fluttered closed and his breathing slowed, the sound of Chloe’s heartbeat and her steady breathing lulling him to sleep quickly.  He really was going to miss waking up next to her while he was on tour.  It made him think about what came next, after the tour. 

He had a lot to think about.