That evening, upon returning to Chloe’s apartment there was a small celebration waiting.  Unbeknownst to Chloe, Justin had texted ahead to let Adam know that Chloe had indeed said “yes” to his proposal.  Adam then took it upon himself to invite his parents and Derek over.

Chloe couldn’t seem to wipe the smile from her face as she looked around her.  She hadn’t felt this happy in a really long time.  Her eyes caught her mother’s gaze and the smile on her lips grew.  She continued to smile as her mother wrapped her arms around her.

“Congratulations sweetie.”

“Thanks mom.”

“It’s good to see you happy again.”

Chloe smiled and hugged her mother a bit tighter.  “It feels good to be happy again.”

After the party dissipated everyone went home.

Gabby was passed out on the couch.  Chloe smiled as she looked down at her daughter.  She looked so peaceful. Happy.  Chloe didn’t want to wake her.  She wanted to let her sleep, to allow her to dream, because that’s what this was, a dream, right?!

From behind, Chloe felt a pair of arms wrap around her, pulling her back, into him.  She felt his breath on her neck and his chin on her shoulder.

“We should get her in bed.”

Chloe sighed and leaned into him, letting his arms tighten around her.  Just that word on his lips made her melt.  We.

“Justin…”

“You’re not dreaming…”

Chloe smiled then let a deep, content sigh escape her lips.

“You sure?”

Justin chuckled and nodded.  His laughter rumbling in his chest sending a warmth spreading throughout her.

“If you are, then I am.”

Justin pulled away gently then crossed the room to the couch.  Carefully, he swept Gabby into his arms and started down the hall to the bedroom.  Once inside the room he laid her on the bed then gently pulled the blankets over her, tucking her in.

Gabby stirred, rolling to one side, facing him, her eyes still closed, her voice barely a whisper.

“Is it ok if I call you Dad now?”

Justin bit his lip, trying to keep his smile and all the other emotions he was feeling in check.  He reached for her, brushing the hair from her brow as the smile broke free.

“Absolutely sweet girl.  Now get some rest.”

Gabby smiled, snuggling into her pillow and clutching her stuffed monkey tightly to her, the rest of her body relaxing as she drifted back in to sleep.

After tucking Gabby in for the night the couple retreated to Chloe’s bedroom.  Adam had gone to spend the night with Derek so it was just the two of them. 

Chloe shut the door, locking it behind her then turned to face Justin.  He was standing close.  Very close.  Chloe swallowed hard. Engaged or not, he could still take her breath away.  Smiling softly, she took a step forward, closing the gap between them.

“Are you ok?”

Justin reached out, his hands rubbing up and down her arms.  His eyes searching hers.  He could tell she was still trying to process.

Chloe smiled and nodded. 

“I’m good, just trying to take it all in.”

“You’re not…having second thoughts, are you?”

Chloe’s eyes widened.  He was nervous too.

“No, no! Not at all.  I just…I never thought I would be in this place…again.  It feels different this time.  Better.”

“It feels perfect.”

“I’m glad…but…I umm…I do have questions.”

Justin raised an eyebrow.  Given her history it didn’t surprise him.  He was more than willing to answer any question she wanted to ask.  Not to mention the face she was making right then was absolutely adorable.

“Let’s get comfortable then I promise, I will answer all your questions.”

Chloe nodded then proceeded to the walk-in closet to change.  When she came out Justin was already in the bed, his legs covered by the blankets but his torso was exposed.  He was leaning on his elbow, his hand propping his head as he watched Chloe walk back into the room. 

She was wearing her “Man of the Woods” shirt and he couldn’t help but grin.

“I will NEVER regret giving you that shirt.”

Chloe giggled shaking her head as she slipped into the bed beside him.  “I’m glad you approve.”

Justin reached for her, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her to him.  Her head was on the pillow now, as was his.  They were facing each other, just inches from one another.  Justin closed his eyes and inhaled.  He was breathing her in.  The smell of her, the feel of her in his arms, the sound of her heart beating.

His eyes fluttered open and he looked at her, a smile stretching across his face as he opened his mouth to speak.

“Do you know how happy I am right now?”

Chloe blushed and nodded.  Seeing him like this was more than she could have ever dreamed of.  She knew exactly how he felt.

“I think I have an idea.”

Justin smiled then closed the small gap between them, his mouth finding hers easily.  They kissed for a while, rather intensely, and when Justin finally pulled away both were gasping for air but smiling as well.

After a few moments Justin managed to find his voice.

“You said you had questions.”

Chloe nodded.

“I do.”

“Ask away.”

Chloe took a breath.  She had so many thoughts swirling through her head.  She didn’t even know where to begin.  Logically, it made sense to start with the beginning so that was what she was going to do.

“When? I mean when do you want to get married?”

Justin grinned.  He’d actually put a fair amount of thought into the finer details.  However, he didn’t want to freak her out, and, he didn’t want to make any decisions without her, not ever again.

“I was thinking June…once Gabby is out of school.”

Chloe’s eyes widened.  It was not at all what she expected him to say.

“June?! This June?!”

Justin laughed at her expression.  She was flustered.  It was obvious and it was cute.

“Are you laughing at me?!” Chloe snapped, pretending to pout.

Justin chuckled more and shook his head then popped a quick kiss on her nose.

“No, I am not laughing at you.  I would never laugh at you.  I am laughing at the adorable face you are making right now.  You always make the cutest faces when you are flustered.”

“I’m not making a face.”

Justin took that as his cue.  He leaned forward, capturing her lips in a gentle kiss then pulled away slowly,

“You are. It’s adorable. I love it.  And yes, this June.”

Chloe bit her lip, chewing on it for a moment as she counted in her head.

“That’s in three months.”

“It is…and I hope that’s ok because I don’t think I can wait much longer to spend the rest of my life with you.”

Chloe nodded and returned the pop kiss from moments before.

“I think that’s doable.”

“Good. Next question.”

Chloe giggled.  Right then she found everything he was doing to be incredibly sweet and adorable.  It just made her giddy.  He made her giddy.  It was a feeling she didn’t think she’d ever get over but she wasn’t going to complain one bit. 

“Ummm…ok…where?  Where are we getting married?”

Justin smiled.  Details were important to her.  He knew that and therefore her questions made sense but he also knew that this particular question was probably one of the more important ones.

“I was thinking here…in New York.  Three months isn’t a ton of time to plan a wedding…I know that…and I’m going to be gone for a lot of it.  I want to make this as easy as possible for you…for both of us…and well, your family is here.”

Chloe sighed happily and smiled at him.  He really was one of the most considerate men she’d ever met.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.  Was that it?”

Chloe shook her head.  If the question about where they were going to have the wedding was ONE of the more important ones than this one was definitely the most important.  This was the one question that Chloe was the most nervous about asking, mostly because this was the question that regardless of his answer, she knew she wasn’t going to be ready for.

Obviously, Justin could see the trepidation in her eyes.  He knew what her next question was going to be.  He’d known this question would come even before he’d asked her to marry him.  In truth, he’d been thinking about this question for weeks. 

“You want to know where we are going to live once we are married?”

Chloe nodded but didn’t speak.  It still amazed her that he could read her, know her thoughts without her having to say a single word.

Instinctively, Justin reached out, lifting her chin to meet his gaze then allowing his fingers to brush the hair from her face, tucking a few strands behind her ear.  He smiled at her.  It was a reassuring smile and Chloe felt herself relax, just a little.

“You have family here. A support system. I get that.  You have a career here. I get that too. Whereas I can work from anywhere and have the means to travel as needed.   In other words, I could never ask you to leave New York.  As to WHERE in New York we would live, well, I’ve been thinking about that too…”

Chloe smiled and shook her head.  The fact that he’d already put this much thought into this question warmed her heart.  He’d made it a priority because it was a priority to her.

“Ok?”

Justin chuckled.  The look of curiosity and anticipation on her face was beautiful and funny all at once.

“Umm…well…I know you own your place and that Adam helps you pay the mortgage so I would never ask you to sell it completely.  I couldn’t and wouldn’t do that to Adam…”

“He can’t afford it…not on his own…”

Justin nodded.  “I know…like I said…I wouldn’t do that to him…if you wanted to continue to pay your portion that is fine with me.”

“So, we would move in with you?”

Justin chuckled and shook his head.  This conversation wasn’t going exactly as he’d hoped but given the topic, he wasn’t completely shocked by that. 

“Yes and no.”

“What does that mean?”

Justin was trying very hard to maintain his composure, but the face she was making at him right then was making it difficult.  She was an independent woman.  He understood that completely but that didn’t change his desire to take care of his new “family” in every sense of the word.

“It means that my place is just that…my place.  I don’t want a place that is mine…or yours…I want a place that is “ours.” Yours, mine and Gabby’s.”

Chloe immediately blushed.  “Oh.”

“I was thinking five, maybe six bedrooms …maybe an office or studio space for me.”

“It’s just the three of us.”

Justin grinned.  “Yeah…it is …BUT…it would be nice to have extra room for guests…you know…like if JC comes to town…and…well…maybe it won’t be just the three of us forever.”

Chloe’s jaw dropped.  Justin had rendered her completely speechless.  There had been occasions, when Gabby was younger that she’d thought about having another child, but back then she was finishing up her Residency.  Juggling her career and family was hard enough with one child.  Then there was Eddy.  Eddy was so unstable.  She wasn’t going to bring another child into that environment. 

Now things were different!  Justin wasn’t Eddy and she wasn’t a Resident anymore.  She was the Head of her department.  Her schedule was a bit more flexible. 

Chloe looked at Justin, her eyes still wide and tried to gauge his expression.  He was being serious.  She could tell.  Slowly, she closed her mouth and forced the lump back down her throat.  Then, by some miracle she managed to find her voice. 

“You want kids?!”

Justin smiled softly and nodded. 

“I do! I LOVE Gabby! I absolutely adore her and I was completely serious when I said I wanted to adopt her, but I won’t lie and say the thought of a baby…with you… hasn’t crossed my mind.  I’ve thought about it a lot actually.  What can I say…I think Lance has given me a bit of baby fever.”

Chloe laughed at this.  She couldn’t help herself.  His admission was both hilarious and adorable. 

“Baby fever?! From Lance?!”

“Now you’re laughing at me?” Justin asked, pretending to pout.

Chloe laughed more at his pout and shook her head.

“No. No, I’m not.  It’s just…if you could hear that they way I heard it.  How is that going for them by the way?”

Justin smiled.  He knew that her question was a thinly veiled attempt to change the subject but he also knew that she genuinely cared as well.  It was for that reason that he was going to humor her, but he also wasn’t going to let her off the hook, not completely.

“Not well, but they are trying to stay optimistic…but…I thought we were talking about us right now.”

Chloe smiled and nodded.  He deserved a genuine response. She wasn’t going to deny him that.

“With Eddy…one child was enough…but with you…I’m open to the possibility.  Just maybe not right away.”

Justin grinned and nodded then leaned forward, placing his lips gently against hers.  He gave her a very feathery light kiss then whispered to her as he pulled away.

“I can accept that answer.”

Chloe smiled and kissed him back.

“Thank you.”

“Any other questions you want me to answer?”

Chloe giggled and shook her head.  One of the many things she loved about Justin was that he wasn’t afraid to talk to her.   They could actually have an adult conversation.  It wasn’t always like that with Eddy.

“I think I am good for right now.  I mean, three months isn’t that long so we should probably start discussing the wedding, but not tonight.  Tonight, I just want to relax and enjoy being your fiancé.”

Justin grinned, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her to him.  His lips falling on her neck.

“Mmm! I like the sound of that…my fiancé…not as much as my wife…but it will do…for now.”

The next morning Justin was the first one awake, or so he thought.  He opened his eyes and rolled over in the bed.  Chloe was still asleep.  She looked peaceful, happy, and he didn’t have the heart to wake her.  Yesterday had been and emotionally charged day for everyone, especially her.  She deserved to rest. 

Smiling to himself Justin got out of bed, pulled a pair of jeans and a t-shirt on and shuffled out to the kitchen.

A huge smile spread across his lips as he stepped from the hallway into the kitchen.  Gabby was sitting on one of the stools at the kitchen island, a bowl of Lucky Charms in front of her, dressed in her school uniform and watching cartoons on the kitchen television.

Justin chuckled and shook his head. 

“Did you get up, get dressed and get breakfast all by yourself?” Justin asked.

Gabby turned her attention away from the television and smiled. 

“I’m a big girl now.  I’m six.  I don’t need my mom to get me up and get me dressed.”

Justin had to bite his bottom lip to keep from laughing.  Gabby was definitely her mother’s daughter, independent and sassy when she wanted to be.

“Good point.”

Justin looked down at his watch.  It was almost 7:40 a.m.  He was pretty sure Gabby needed to be at school by 8:00 a.m.    He looked back up at Gabby.  She was finishing her cereal.  Without a word she put her spoon in the empty bowl, hopped down from her seat and carried the bowl to the sink.  Then, she turned the TV off, slung her backpack over her shoulder and looked up at Justin.

“Do you want to walk me to school?”

Justin grinned.

“I’d love to, just let me go get my shoes and my phone.”

Tiptoeing quietly into the bedroom Justin tried to retrieve his phone and his shoes without disturbing Chloe but she started to stir just as he was reaching for his phone on the bedside table.

She rolled onto her side, facing Justin and sighed heavily. 

“I’m awake.” Chloe grumbled.

Justin chuckled then leaned in and popped a kiss on her forehead.

“Not really.  Relax.  I will take Gabby to school.”

Chloe smiled and snuggled into the pillow a bit more.

“Thank you.”

“Coffee?”

Chloe grinned and nodded. 

“Please!”

“Do you work today?”

“No.  It’s Wednesday.  I’m off today.”

Justin grinned and licked his lips.  He had an idea as to what he wanted to do for the day, or at least a large portion of it.

“You stay there.  Don’t move.  I will take Gabby to school and pick up coffee and breakfast.”

“Coffee and breakfast?!  You spoil me.”

“Better get used to it.  I don’t plan on stopping…ever!”

Chloe giggled and nodded.  “Go! Before you make Gabby late.”

Justin got Gabby to school in record time.  After giving her a quick hug, Gabby bounded up the steps leading in to the school.  Then, just before she reached the door she turned and waved at Justin, the smile on her face at least a mile wide.

It was the best feeling.

Justin could not wipe the smile from his face as he started back towards Chloe’s apartment.  As promised, he stopped for coffee and breakfast on the way.  About 45 minutes later Justin walked through Chloe’s front door carrying a drink tray and a to- go bag. 

He stopped in the kitchen and quickly found a tray and some plates to arrange the food on.  Then, he proceeded back to the bedroom. 

Chloe was sitting up in bed, her laptop in her lap, chewing on her bottom lip as she looked at the screen.

“I said not to move.” Justin teased.

Chloe looked up and smiled.  He looked pretty cute trying to carefully balance the tray loaded with food and their coffee.

“I couldn’t help it, I got antsy waiting, and this kept me from thinking about being hungry.”

Justin set the tray on the foot of the bed then walked around to sit next to her, kicking his shoes off then leaning in to see what she was working on.  He smiled when he saw what she was looking at but she closed it quickly before he could get a good look.

“You’re not supposed to see that…it’s bad luck.” Chloe squealed, half giggling.

“It’s only bad luck if the groom sees the bride in the dress before the wedding and you aren’t wearing a dress currently, nor do I see you wearing any of those that were on the screen just now.”

Chloe laughed a bit and nodded.  He made a valid point.

“Truth?!” Chloe asked.

“Always!”

“I know you are Justin Timberlake…and with that comes certain…expectations… but a big wedding isn’t really my scene.  Don’t get me wrong I still want the basics; a dress, the ceremony, a party after just maybe not all the Hollywood mixed in.”

Justin smiled and handed her a cup of coffee before taking a sip of his own.  He let the warm liquid warm his throat before responding.

“I wasn’t thinking anything too big.  Maybe 75 guests at the most.  Something intimate but still elegant and classy.”

Chloe grinned and nodded before lifting her cup to her lips.  It was nice, and reassuring knowing that they were on the same page.

“I mean…I know there are certain people you will want to invite…the rest of *NSYNC, Jimmy Fallon…but aside from my family there are only a few people I would even want to invite.”

“Nothing wrong with that.”

Justin pulled the tray closer and opened up the bag and started pulling things from inside.  He pulled out two sandwiches and two pastries, placing one of each on the two plates.

“What is this?” Chloe asked eyeing the wrapped packages.

“Just some place I keep walking by and have been meaning to try.”

Chloe took one of the wrapped items and slowly began to unwrap it not sure what to expect. 

“What’s it called?”

“Umm…Paris Baguette or something like that.”

Chloe took the sandwich in her hand and bit into it, her eyes growing wide and her mouth smiling as she chewed.  Egg and Cheese on a brioche bun.  It was delicious!

“OH MY GOD!” Chloe said between bites.

Justin grinned and nodded, licking his lips between bites.

“It is good.  I wasn’t expecting it to be this good.”

After polishing off the sandwich Chloe dove for the pastry.  Fresh strawberries and some sort of vanilla cream in a warm, flaky croissant. 

“I think you’re going to have to take me to this place.”

Justin grinned and nodded.  “No arguments here.”

After finishing breakfast Justin cleaned up then returned to the bedroom.  Chloe was sitting up in bed, sipping at her coffee.  She smiled up at Justin when he entered the room. 

“You told me not to move, so what exactly did you have in mind for today?”

Justin grinned devilishly. 

“This!”

“This?!  I’m confused.  We are in the bedroom, not doing anything.”

Justin just grinned more and bit his lip.

“Exactly!”

“You want to stay in bed and do nothing all day?”

Justin laughed and crawled across the bed, then made himself comfortable next to her.

“Well…maybe not nothing.  I can think of a few things …but maybe…since you have your laptop out, we could talk about a wedding for a bit.”

Chloe smiled and looked over at him.  He looked excited.  It made her smile more.  The fact that he was excited about planning a wedding made her more excited.

“You really are excited about this, aren’t you?”

Justin nodded. 

“I am!  I’m excited about planning the first day of forever with you.”

Chloe’s jaw dropped.  How he could be so damn romantic without even trying she would never understand.  However, she wasn’t going to complain about either.  It was a vast improvement over Eddy.  She was going to enjoy it thoroughly.

“Wow! Well…umm…since you put it that way…”

Justin chuckled and then popped a kiss on her lips.  That was another thing she would never complain about; his pop kisses. 

“In all seriousness Chloe…I am excited.  I am really excited.  I know…you’ve done this before so for you…it’s different but I haven’t so…”

Chloe looked at Justin, her eyes wide.  He really had no idea, but how could he? It was time to set the records straight.

“Woah…woah…let me just stop you right there.  Yes, I’ve done this before but not the way you think.  I was just starting my Residency when Eddy and I got married.  He had just started a new job.  We barely had enough money to afford our place.  We were living paycheck to paycheck with our families helping here and there.  We got married at the courthouse.  It was just our immediate families.  Our reception was dinner at restaurant afterwards.  I wore my mother’s dress.  I was “on call” the night before…”

“Oh?!” Justin chuckled awkwardly.

There was a moment of silence that followed but it was brief and before Chloe could say anything Justin was looking at her, his eyes sparkling and his lips curved into a gentle smile.

“Whatever you want, ok?”

Chloe smiled back at him and nodded. 

“Elegant and classy, is that what you said?!”

Justin bit his lip and nodded.  “It is.”

“I like that.  Nothing huge but still nice.”

“Sounds good to me.”

Chloe looked at Justin again.  He still had that charming smile on his face.   The one that she couldn’t resist.  The one that sent her butterflies into overdrive and in that moment all the things she’d been thinking about a wedding, everything she’d ever wanted just came tumbling out.

“I want a dress! A real dress! My own dress, not my mother’s!  AND…I don’t want a huge wedding party…just one person.  Adam! I want Adam to be my Man of Honor.  He’s my best friend.  I want a sweetheart table at the reception and Tiramisu flavored cake.  AND…I want your friends to sing the first song we dance to.”

Justin grinned and nodded.  She was absolutely beautiful and adorable when she was excited.

“Done! I just have one request?!”

Chloe screwed her face up causing Justin to chuckle.

“What is it?”

Justin smiled.  “I want Gabby as my Best Girl.  The guys can be ushers and sing at the reception but if you’re going to have Adam up there Gabby needs to be there too.”

Chloe beamed and nodded as she tried to not cry happy tears.  She really couldn’t have asked for a more perfect guy. 

“Absolutely!”

“And …she can wear whatever she wants…a dress…a suit…I don’t care…and I am paying for it…”

Chloe opened her mouth to respond but Justin wasn’t finished.

“ALL of it.”

“But…the Bride’s family usually pays for the wedding.”

Justin just grinned and shook his head.  “Usually, not always. I can afford it, and more importantly, I want to.  I want to give you whatever you want because that’s what you deserve.  You deserve the fairy tale Chloe.”

“Stop! You’re gonna make me cry.”

Justin just smiled.  “I’m not trying to make you cry.”

“I know.” Chole said smiling though her eyes were already brimming.

“Anything else?”

Chloe shook her head and brushed a few stray tears away all while giggling and smiling up at Justin. 

“Nope.  I think I’m good.”

Justin grinned.  “Oh, you’re better than good.”

Chloe laughed.  “Are you flirting Mr. Timberlake?”

“Absolutely Dr. De Luca!”