“Ok Mikayla, run me through your proposal,” the man across from her said.

“Ok.”  She took a deep breath.  “Well…  This is a project I really believe in…”

“Mikayla, this sounds like it’s going to be an essay a 5th grader wrote.  Be confident.  Pretend you don’t know me, unless it’s easier that you do.  Tell me what you plan to tell them.”

Mikayla straightened up.  “This music school would offer an after school program to teach music in LA Unified Schools.  As outlined in the budget in front of you, we would have a certain percentage set aside to purchase their instrument of choice so they get to keep the instrument and practice at home at night and over weekends.  We would hold performances twice a year, one winter concert and one end of school year concert, and offer a summer program as well.  We want to aim for the lowest academically performing schools first, to see for ourselves if the studies that show access to music programs does indeed increase academic success.”

“I would leave that part out, at least the ‘see for ourselves’ bit.  Just say to aim for schools with lower academic performance and leave it at that.  You’ve included some research in your proposal, they can view that themselves.  Continue.”

She went on with her proposal, laying out where money would go, and how much they would need per student to run the program.  He smiled as he watched her make the pitch, seeing how passionate she was and well she knew the material.  She was hitting every selling point for the program, feeling more confident in what she had been working so hard on.

She finished her presentation, the man in front of her sitting quietly for a moment.  “Mikayla, this is very well put together.  I looked over the budgets and financial things beforehand, and you’ve really done your homework here.  This is a flawless report and these people would be idiots to not offer you what you are asking.  If anything, you might be lowballing.”

“I don’t want to seem too presumptuous.”

“You’re looking to have music programs in all of LA Unified…  It’s the largest school district in the state.  Don’t be afraid to dig deeper.  Honestly, you could ask for double this.  Have you given them a number yet?”

“No.  You really think I could get that much?”

“Probably more.  If not, that’s what the fundraisers are for.  When is the presentation?”

“Next Friday, 10AM.  Think of me if you can.  I’ll be relieved when this is all behind me, we have the birthday party for the twins on that Saturday…”

“I can’t believe they’ll be five.”

“That makes two of us.  Well, four if you include Justin and Josh.”

“You’ll do great, Mikayla.  Thank you for asking Justin for an extra set of eyes and ears. It was good to see you again.”

“Thanks, Johnny.  Give my best to the kids.  Yours are getting up there, too.  Johnny Jr is turning 15…”

“Don’t even remind me,” he chuckled.  “Mikayla, you’ve got this.  You’re ready for that pitch.  Relax, spend time with Justin and the kids, it’ll be really helpful.”

“Thanks, but I’ve got stuff at the school to deal with, finalizing details for the twins’ party, meeting with my planner for the vow renewal…”

“Slow down, Mikayla.  You’re a wife and mom, not a pop star with a crazy schedule forced on you.  I know you want to give everything your all, but slow it down a bit.”

“You sound like Justin,” Mikayla smiled.

“I mean it, it was great to see you.  You have a solid presentation here.  They’d be crazy to say no.”

…

“You’re sure this is what you want?  It seems so… simple.”

“It’s a vow renewal.  I don’t need it to be a showstopper.  Not this time.  He’ll appreciate the simplicity,” Mikayla replied.

“Where’s the wedding again?”

“We’re building a house in Montana.  It’s almost done, actually.  We’ll be up there for a week with the kids before the big day to move in, get things sorted in the house before the ceremony.  It’s just going to be family, so it doesn’t need to be this big flashy thing.”

“Going boho chic, I think they call it?” the woman laughed.  “Are you going to have one of those cakes with almost no frosting?  Those are all the rage right now…”

“No.  Again, something simple but elegant.  Our colors are cream and a dusty rose, so it’ll be the cream color with white lace and the pink roses interspersed.  Two layers, nothing big.  Maybe 25 of us, total.”

“The sketch you made was lovely, Mikayla.  But seeing it on you, even a preliminary version…”

“I love the overlay on the skirt.  It’s soft and feminine, perfect against the more natural ruggedness of the Montana landscape.”

“And the rugged handsomeness of your husband.”

Mikayla smiled,thinking of Justin, but also JC.  She knew he didn't need anything big and fancy.  They were spending a good deal of the event, to be sure, but it was a perfect compromise between her vision and his.  Now they just had to play it off that it was all for Mikayla and Justin, and not her and JC.

“And you want the bridesmaid dresses in a similar style, in the dusty rose?”

“Yes. I love the neckline, it’ll pull everything together and look consistent.  There’s no overlay on theirs, so I’ll still stand out, and mine being the white and all,” she laughed.  

“Ok.  I’ll start on those.  Let’s schedule their first fittings in April, shall we?  Schedule yours, too.  This was just to confirm the design before moving forward with the final pieces of everything.  If this is what you want, I’ll make it happen for you.  It’ll feel like your first wedding, all over again, I’m sure.”

Mikayla thought back to her REAL first wedding, the small ceremony in their Memphis home, the simple dress she had that pretended not to be a wedding dress.  She knew this ceremony would need to be just as secret, even down to the reception, just in case.  The guest list was super restricted, and they had already made plans for everything to be brought in, and all staff to leave as soon as possible.  

“Yeah,” Mikayla sighed, full of bittersweet feeling.  “All over again.”

She left the bridal shop, a weight on her heart.  She drove home in silence, lost in thought about her weddings, past and present.  Everything had a layer of falsehood to it.  The first wedding had to not look like a wedding because she and JC had just barely split.  The wedding she and Justin gave to the world wasn’t their real wedding, just a big party and ceremony for their celebrity friends. Correction, HIS celebrity friends.  Now she was planning a vow renewal instead of just a ceremony for her and JC.  She knew that portion would happen, but they would have no photographer beyond family.  Jonathan’s girlfriend had a talent for photography, so she would take pictures.  That would at least give them a chance to be themselves at the house, but once they got to the reception, their guard would need to be up, just in case.

She was tired of hiding, but also knew the world couldn’t handle the reality of their relationship.  Men could have secret girlfriends, even wives, but one woman with two men, especially men that were practically brothers that were varying levels of celebrity.  She knew most women within the fandom had dreamed of something like her reality, but to actually have it?  That might ruffle a few feathers.  

She got home, starting on laundry while the kids were still at school.  She had taken the day off to focus on the wedding planning, so there was plenty of time to do something she had been overlooking.  Justin was in his studio, so she’d have uninterrupted time to get laundry done and clear her head a bit.  She put the first load in before going into their home gym.  She knew it would make extra laundry for herself, but she needed to release some tension with a workout while waiting for laundry.  She could watch TV as she walked on the treadmill, or look through ideas from her planner on floral arrangements and centerpieces.

She stopped her workout to switch things to the dryer before continuing on.  Before she knew it, laundry was done, for now, and she grabbed the clothes.  This batch was of their clothes, so she took the basket into their bedroom, leaving it on the floor near the walk-in closet.  She peeled off her sweaty clothes, putting them in the now empty hamper.  She showered, giving her more time to relax and clear her head.

She finished her shower, drying off before walking naked to the basket of clothes.  She picked it up, carrying it into the closet.  She started singing quietly to herself as she put away the freshly cleaned clothes.  She felt hands on her hips, causing her to jump.

“Justin, you scared me…”

“Pretty sure I live here,” he smiled, leaning in to kiss her neck.  “I saw your car was in the garage, and I wanted to see you before getting back into the studio.”

“You weren’t there earlier?”

“I was, but I went over to JC’s for lunch, talk some things out, just the two of us.  I’m glad I came back in time.  Found myself a little treat.”

“Justin…”

He pulled her against his body, Mikayla feeling his firmness pressing against her.  His hands roamed her body, kneading her breasts as he kissed her neck.  He rolled his hips, pressing firmer against her body.  He groaned lightly at feeling her naked skin against his fingers.  It had been a while since they’d had something during the day, something unplanned and spontaneous. Her schedule now meant that even sex had to be scheduled in, often too tired at night during the week or needing to be up early the next day.  

He wasn’t sure this was going to go anywhere, there were still clothes in the laundry basket to be put away.  He was surprised when she turned around to kiss him, her arms wrapping around him.  His hands rested on her ass, gripping her firmly as his tongue slid between her lips.  Things were still hot between them during their “scheduled” moments, but the heat in this moment was palpable.  It had been unexpected for both of them, so the opportunity to act on their attraction to each other in an immediate way was sexy as hell.  

“I should do laundry more often,” she laughed against his lips.

“At least put it away naked,” Justin replied.  “God, I want you so bad…”

“The kids aren’t here, neither is Jackie, and you know this is all soundproofed even if they were.”

Justin grabbed below her ass, pulling her thighs to put her on the dresser in the closet.  He pulled his pants and underwear down.  “Shit,” he sighed.  “I need to go grab a-”

“I’m on birth control, remember? I know you’ve been playing it super safe, but we’re good, Justin.”

“Oh thank god, I need you now…” he said, his lips crashing against hers as he pressed into her.  It was heated, his need for her almost overpowering, being able to have her like the old days; before kids and schedules, before life happened.  He needed her now like he had needed her when they were first together, marveling at how perfectly they fit together.  He kissed her deeply, holding their bodies close as his hips slammed into her over and over.  He could hear her gasping for breath between kisses, breaking away to hear her sounds just for him.

“Justin, oh god.  This is so hot.  I love you, baby.”

“I love you, too.  Hold on, I’m so fucking close…”

He pressed a finger against her, rubbing to add more friction, sending her into a spiral as he released.  They caught their breath together, gazing into each other’s eyes.  He saw love and admiration in her eyes.

“I really should do laundry more often,” Mikayla smiled against his chest.

“If I do laundry, can I get the same reward?” Justin chuckled.

“Abso-fucking-lutely,” she replied.

“But only our laundry.  The kids don’t need to see this.  Please put away their clothes fully clothed, for their sakes.”

“Deal,” she giggled.  “I’m sorry I’ve been so focused on stuff for work lately.  Johnny said my presentation is great, so I can relax on that a bit.  Now it’s just getting things for the school taken care of.”

“They aren’t even paying you for any of what you’re doing, are they?”

“They are.  I’m not stupid to do all this work for free.  They broke it down into weekly numbers.  I’m getting paid weekly so that once I’m done, that’s it.  That was at my insistence, not theirs.”

“Why?”

“That way if I finish at the beginning of a month, they haven’t paid me for a full month’s worth of time of work.  It’s a school, it’s not your typical business.”

“It’s a private school.  I could see if this was a public school, waiting on government funding, but it’s a private school paid for by people like us.”

“People like YOU.  Even at what they offered me, I wouldn’t be anyone’s idea of rich around here.  Not that I care.  I mean, I was willing to take what they were giving me when I first started out.”

“You were living in a studio apartment…”

“At least I was on my own.  It was something I could afford on my own, not having to live with my parents because I couldn’t afford anywhere else.  I would’ve been perfectly happy there if Josh had never come along.”

“We both know that isn’t true.  You’d be happy, but not as happy as you are now.”

“I’ll grant you that.  But It was more the person, the people,” she said, her hand cupping his face, “that I fell in love with, not the money and all that comes with it.  If Josh had been just another guy working for the school, not a celebrity, I’d have been just as happy in my studio apartment with him.”

“Did you guys ever bang at your place?  When you were ready to, anyway?”

She stopped and thought.  “I honestly don’t remember.  I know the first time was at the hotel, then we went to his place, then it was Christmas and New Year’s, and then I agreed to move in with him.  Maybe once we got back from New York, before I moved out of there?  I mean, we sure fooled around plenty, but what does it matter?”

“Just curious if you kept that stuff to do at his place or not.”

“Definitely not.  Though if I did, it would have been because I would’ve felt like he was slumming it there, not because I was after his celebrity.  I remember feeling awkward the first few times we were at my place, especially before we were together, having this idea of him as this celebrity.  I figured he’d rather be dead than be seen in a studio apartment with some no name woman.  I was in this for the man I got to know, not the man I thought I knew.  I never imagined I’d be here, so that’s why I’m still wanting to prove to myself that I’m capable of being mopre than a trophy wife or a gold digger.”

“Anyone that knows you would never say such things about you.  You’re not some Hollywood celebrity housewife.  You don’t gossip about people and just mooch off my career.  You’ve always been a self made woman, always working and bettering yourself.  Being with either of us has just given you opportunities you wouldn’t have had otherwise to achieve bigger things for yourself.  Things you might have wanted years ago, but are able to do now because of our connections.  That’s not always a bad thing.”

She looked down at their bodies, realizing they’d had a full conversation while still completely naked and him still inside her as she sat on the dresser, her legs wrapped around him.  “I almost completely forgot we just had sex,” she laughed.  

“That bad, huh?”

She playfully swatted his arm.  “With you?  Never.”

He kissed her sweetly.  “Let’s get dressed before I want a round two.”

“You say that like it’s a bad thing,” she smirked.