She walked downstairs, the smell of coffee and food filling the house.  She had braided her hair off to the side, wearing another flowy maxi dress and sandals for comfort from summer and pregnancy.  

“Go ahead and sit outside, breakfast is waiting out there.  I’m gonna throw a shirt on and be ready to eat.”

“Do you have to put a shirt on?” she teased.  “It’s just us, you have pants on…”

“If that’s what wifey wants, then that’s what wifey gets,” Justin smiled, holding the door to the back patio open for her.

There was apple juice along with coffee for Justin and tea for Mikayla, with veggie omelets and toast on the side.

“Can we talk about earlier?” Justin asked before taking a sip of his coffee.

“Which part?”

“The shower.”

“Not the part I thought you’d want to discuss…”

“You wouldn’t have wanted him to comfort you that way?”

She sighed.  “No.  I am upset with him for his part, but he also seems like he tried to make it not happen.  He’s just as much a victim, being basically forced to leave the board, but without being there to stick up for myself, I don’t know how hard he tried.  For all we know this has been going on for a week and he tried for 5 minutes before the vote.  Might I have wanted that later today, at some point, from him?  Maybe.  I know we’ll need to talk, the two of us, when I’m back in LA.  I have a lot to figure out once I get back, but I really want to try and forget about it until then.”

“Are you MAD at him, or just upset?”

“Just upset.  I was starting to think of what to do once Silas was here, I knew I couldn’t stay at the school forever.”

“Maybe you could teach…”

“Not now.  This is supposed to be to get away from everything, not somewhere to bring everything with us.  Let’s start building our home away from home, surrounded by nature and away from everything holding us back.”

“I just don’t want this eating at you the next few days.  I know you’re prone to worry, then I worry about you worrying…”

“If I want to talk about it, I will, how about that?  Can we go back to talking about the shower?”

“Which part?” Justin smiled.

“I think you know.  You know just what I need, you read me so well.  That was perfect, even though I didn’t know I needed it beforehand.”

“That’s why I kept asking if you really wanted it.  I know I wanted to, but I know you had said it was just a shower.  If you’d said no, I would have respected that.”

“I know.  It wasn’t until I felt you get hard behind me and touching my breasts that I realized I needed something more.  You were being so gentle with me that I knew if it went anywhere, you would keep that tone.”

“You know I support you, no matter what you choose to do.  If you want to find another job so you have purpose, something outside of being a wife and mom, I get it.  If you just want to be home with the kids, I’m ok with that too.”

“I know.  You’re an incredible and supportive husband and father, Justin.  Celebrity or not, I’m incredibly blessed to have you in my life as my husband and partner in life.  Josh being added into that has thrown things off a bit, but you both are incredible in how you treat me and our children.”

“I had very good models of what marriage should look like, and having the right woman makes it easy even on hard days.  I’ve never doubted your love for me, Kay.”

“Pretty sure you have, especially with Josh back in the picture.  YOU are the one that I’ve never had to doubt, once I opened myself up to it.  I’ve never been jealous of any woman you’ve done a movie with, or music videos. Was I super happy with the idea for Tunnel Vision? No.”

“But I went home that night and showed you just how deep my tunnel vision was, only wanting you.”

“Now all I’m doing is making you doubt how I feel about you, about us.”

“You’re not.  Ok, maybe the situation is making me doubt, but you haven’t done much to make me think that.  It’s just insecurity after everything we’ve been through, and him being back in our lives, knowing how you feel about him.”

“I love him, but I love you, too.  You gave me an out and I said no.  You could walk away if this was too much for you.  We are still together, having a baby, still as committed to our marriage as we ever were.”

“I just need that reminder sometimes.  Sex isn’t always a promise of feeling anything stronger, I’ve been hurt before by people I really cared about.”

“I’m not them, and you know it.  You know I wouldn’t be physical with you if there weren’t feelings.  I still remember our first time, waiting for our wedding night to prove how serious I was about us being together.  I know it didn’t stop us from being physical in other ways, but it meant something when we finally did.”

“I also wanted there to be a bit of what you’d wanted, waiting until you found the right person.  Things went fast, but I knew I’d been waiting for you before I even met you.  From the moment I laid eyes on you, I knew that was it.  Then I got to know you, and it made it even clearer.  I have no doubt in my mind that I could be happy with you, in love with you, for the rest of my life.”

“As complicated as I know Josh being around is, I feel the same way.  That’s why I married you, Justin.  I would’ve considered a different arrangement if I wasn’t sure of my feelings for you.  I’d gotten to know you over the years, learning more about my teenage celebrity crush.  I was afraid of being alone, sure, but I also knew I was in good hands with you.  You’ve done nothing but make me feel safe, loved, cared for.  You’re everything I wanted in a husband.  I have no regrets on how things turned out.  As much as I wonder what things might be like with Josh, I wouldn’t trade a second of what we have for any of it.”

Justin took her hand in his.  “I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

“Let’s eat and then get ready for our meeting for the house.”

“I’m excited to see our options, make a home together.”

…

They sat in an office with various blueprints and design options in front of them.  Mikayla almost felt overwhelmed, trying to figure out how to narrow down exactly what they wanted.  Every option based on what they discussed in general looked good, making it hard to choose which to go with as a final choice.  They wanted something more modern, but that also somewhat blended into the landscape.  Then interior was more of what they had a better idea on, loving a lot of the things the condo they were in had to offer.  

They finally settled on something with a stonework border, being more modern for the rest of the exterior.  They wanted a lot of natural light, opting for larger windows in key rooms they planned to spend most of their time in.  They opted for a full basement, ready to make that a theater and game room so they had room for the kids and other things they wanted lots of room for.  Each of the kids would get their own room, with bunks for added space for having extended family come.  They would have a larger playroom for them, making the bedrooms more of a place to sleep or relax and keep tidier.  

They made sure there would be space for a grand piano, near a large window for ample light.  It would have a fairly open floor plan between areas, being able to see upstairs without having to go upstairs.  They went over cabinet and counter options for the kitchen as well as the bathrooms.

The master suite would be at the right angle to get morning sun but put the bed out of direct sunlight in the morning.  It would have a balcony to watch sunrises or sunsets.  The en-suite bathroom would have a large jetted tub with a view of the backyard, and a large shower stall with a bench and two rain shower heads, along with a Jack and Jill sink with a vanity and drawers for Mikayla.

Mikayla smiled, feeling like this would be a real home for them, even though she knew they’d always call LA home.  For somewhere they wouldn't spend even half the year in, she felt it bringing them closer together and being something that was really the two of them combined. There was a  lot they agreed on, not needing to com[promise too much.  She smiled at his request for a walk in closet, knowing they likely wouldn’t be staying long enough to really warrant the need, but it would give them somewhere to hide Christmas gifts if nothing else.  

Once their initial meeting and signing of documents was finished, they went back to the condo.  Mikayla changed into her bikini, having no shame since she was only around Justin.  She knew she should embrace her bump, but also being a celebrity wife, she worried at times that it made her look frumpy somehow.

“You’re beautiful, babe,” he smiled, already in the pool.  “You could come in naked and I wouldn’t complain.”

“I’m sure you wouldn’t,” she smirked.  “If you play your cards right, maybe once I get in the pool.  Not gonna just go walking around naked.”

“That’s a shame, cuz you are HOT when you’re pregnant.  Well, more than usual.”

Mikayla got in the pool, treading water with Justin.  “The meeting went well, I have a good feeling about the house.  Lots of memories to be made there.”

“I’m glad you’re excited.  I was worried this was just something else I was pushing on you.”

“Pushing on me?”

“You weren’t exactly too keen on the idea of being with me, getting married…”

“At first, no. It was more the shock that you would want to put yourself in that position.  You were barely in your 30s, still lots of life ahead of you, and you wanted to get tied down to someone you’d never been in a relationship with, one that automatically came with kids. I know you’d had feelings for me for a long time, but to suggest that, it was a shock, especially on the heels of a breakup.  If there had been a little more time and distance, us spending time together, I’d have been more agreeable at first.  I mean, it didn't exactly take me long to get on board, to realize what I felt for you wasn’t just some stupid teenage fangirl crush.   I thought we talked about this earlier, that once I agreed to marry you, that I knew what I was getting myself into, and really wanted to be with you.  If I’d felt nothing more than friendship, I wouldn’t have agreed.  Is Josh being back just going to make you question our marriage for the rest of our lives?”

“I’d like to say no, but…”

“Justin, I could easily walk away and pick back up with him.  A fully clean slate, get a divorce, marry him, everything.  But I’m not.  I’m staying, we’re building a fucking house in Monatana together, and having a baby in a few months.  That really can’t mean nothing to you, can it?  Mostly the baby, but yeah.  Justin, I love you, and I never want you to doubt that.”

“I know, and yet I can’t seem to get it out of my head.  I’ve had dreams where you leave, and am so relieved waking up to you next to me knowing it didn’t happen.”

“You said you’d know though by things missing.  Pretty sure I’d tell you, too.  Not just leave in the middle of the night.  We need to talk with Tessa about things once we’re back.”

“There’s not a whole lot of time before I’m off on my promo thing, but I can call tomorrow and see what’s available.”

“Is that what’s bothering you?  That I’ll have a chunk of time with him and the kids, and things will suddenly change?”

“I dunno.  I know I was nervous about the twins being with him while we’re here.  That they’d bond with him, since he’s their real dad.”

“Is there anything wrong with that?  You know they adore you, it wouldn’t be like they stop loving you after a few days with Josh.”

“Chop it up to abandonment issues, I guess.”

“I’m not going anywhere, the kids will always love you.  No one is leaving.”

Mikayla swam over to the edge of the pool, her eyes focused on Justin.  iIs eyes darkened as he saw her untie her bikini top, putting it on the ground behind her, then doing the same with her bottoms.  Justin quietly and slowly swam towards her.

“All this and you decide to give me what I want?”

“I want it, too, so have no reservations about what happens next…”

…

"Mommy! Daddy!  We missed you!” Barb shouted, running towards Mikayla and Justin as they entered JC’s house.

Justin scooped her up into his arms, a smile on his face at her eagerness to see him.

“What did you guys do?” Joshy asked, walking in with JC.

“We, uh, well…” Mikayla stammered, not sure how much to say.

“We had a lot of pizza,” Justin said, squeezing her hand as he used their code word. 

“You gonna want more?” JC asked. “You might be sick of it for a while.”

“I think I could go for pizza,” Mikayla said with a smirk, JC’s mouth stretching into a smile. 

“It’s movie night, of COURSE there’s pizza!” Joshy cheered, not getting the inside joke.  “Daddy said we’re staying here with you this weekend, it’s gonna be lots of fun.”…”

“What were you doing before we got here?” Mikayla asked.

“They wanted to watch Sesame Street.  They’ve been a bit of a kick the last few days,” JC answered.  “It’s been kinda fun, brought back memories, for sure.”

“Have they gotten to the episode with you guys?  I mean, I know I’ve shown it to them before, but on purpose, not just casually watching,” Mikayla wondered.

“Not yet.  No clue if we’ll even get to that episode, it had been on for like 20 years by then…”

“To be honest, I wouldn’t even know which episode it was until you come on, they repeat so many of those older videos that I’d get my hopes up and be wrong,” Mikayla said.

They walked into his living room, the twins playing on the floor while Sesame Street played on the TV.  

“Are you free on Tuesday?  We scheduled a session with Tessa, I think it might help to have you be part of it,” Justin said quietly.

“I’ll make it work.  Will the twins be there, too?”

“No, just us.  Jackie will take them.  Shit…”

“What?” JC asked.

“I just realized, I don’t have a job.  We came from the airport, but on Monday, I have nothing to do in the morning.”

“As in my birthday?” JC chuckled.

“Pretty sure you’ll have lots to do on Monday…” Justin laughed in response.

“The kids will be with us, so probably not as much as you think,” Mikayla replied.

“So I’m really alone in the house for the next few days?” Justin asked.

“We’ll be home tomorrow afternoon and Sunday, his birthday and his party aren’t until Monday.”

“I think you should be with him Sunday night, I can bring the twins over in the morning at a decent time.”

“Justin…”

“You had a lot of time with me recently, and it’s his birthday weekend.  Think back to your birthday, how the night before went.”

“We’re not doing that for HIS birthday, are we?” Mikayla giggled quietly.

“Please no,” JC laughed.

“No, just you two.  I need no part of that.”

“Daddy!” Joshy shouted, breaking them out of their conversation.  “Look!”  He pointed to the TV, and to their amazement, the episode they were on in 2000 was on, the group walking onto the screen.

“Is it bad I ran home from school to watch this the day it came out?  High schooler running home to watch Sesame Street…”

“I look ridiculous in that hat…” Justin sighed.

“Better than Joey with that hair,” JC laughed.

“You look damn good in bucket hats, Justin.  You should wear them more often…”

Mikayla smiled at the part of the first verse where Justin stopped singing and looked at JC.  “You are such a fanboy for your best friend,” she whispered to Justin.

“Yeah, well, I guess some things never change…”

Chris’s verse started, Joshy starting to sing along with the words.  They all smiled, and then something happened they didn’t expect.

“Is he… harmonizing?” Mikayla asked.

“Yeah,” Justin said.  “Ummm, wow…”

“I see your mouth moving on screen, but I can’t hear the notes… For him to be harmonizing with Chris…”

“That’s our boy, for sure,” JC smiled.