She hadn’t seen him since that fateful night and now here she was waiting for him. He too was surprised when she called asking to see him. From what he had heard things were working just fine with her husband which made him happy and well sad. If it wasn’t for her love for her husband, maybe they could’ve had something. But he’d settle with friendship if that’s what she was offering. Boy if he only knew what she was really offering. That particular day he couldn’t find a babysitter for Armand and since Paris was off well in Paris with her girlfriend Nicole so he came along for the visit. Kristina watched Nick approach the small coffee house behind her maroon colored glasses.
"Hey Kris."
"Hi Nick, hi Armand!" she smiled.
"Hi Kris" he waved. His son was so precious, just two and a half years younger than Justina. Possibly a future boyfriend? Ok thinking way a head of herself.
"Please have a seat." Nick pulled a seat up, along with a high chair for Armand. He ordered himself an expresso and an orange juice for Armand since caffeine was a no no. "How have you been?"
"So far alright, well more than alright."
"Yeah I heard you and Justin got back together. I’m happy for you, really I am."
"Thanks" she smiled. Ok now how do you drop the bomb on this one? "That along with adopting Alesha, the little girl I was telling you about."
"That’s great, I’m glad that things are working out for you."
"So am I but I didn’t call you to meet me here to talk about all the positive things in my life."
"Could there be anything negative that you’d like to talk about?"
"Somewhat." Kristina took a sip of her mocha frappacino before telling him. She kind of figured telling Nick wouldn’t be as bad as telling Justin but then again she had never seen his bad side. "Nick there’s something I have to tell you, but I need to trust that you will not go completely postal in public."
"I’ll do my best." Well here goes…
"I’m pregnant." The news hadn’t settled in because Nick just assumed she was telling him about a pregnancy between her and Justin.
"Wow that’s gre--"
"And it might be yours." Now there was the reaction she was waiting for. Like Justin all the color drained from his face. Maybe they had more in touch with each other than they wanted to admit. It might be his? A child? Another kid? With a married woman? Married to Justin Timberlake? …..uh…he wasn’t sure how to feel.
"Wow" was all he could say.
"Wow" she repeated. Nick looked over to Armand who was having a good time with his puddle of orange juice. Armand was his pride and joy. Even though he didn’t like the circumstances surrounding quite possibly his second child, he wouldn’t turn his back on her or this child. Nick took Kristina’s hand and ran his thumb across the back of her hand.
"I’m surprised but maybe this is a blessing in disguise."
"Maybe but there is still a possibility that its Justin’s as well." Reality back again, they were married of course. So he also had to keep that in mind.
~*~
"An amnio can be performed but I would rather not do so instead waiting for this child to be born first were we can take blood and administer a test." Could you feel more uncomfortable than sitting in between a nsyncer and a backstreet boy? Let alone either one of them possibly being the father of your child? Kristina would rather walk down Sunset Blvd. With no clothes on. "We’ve established that she’s very early in the pregnancy, just by a few weeks close to one month."
"So we’ll know in 8 months?" Nick asked.
"Yes we will."
"So what are we supposed to do from then on?" Justin asked.
"Wait it out."
"Wait it out" Kristina repeated. Yeah that so simple! Just wait it out! About as simple as a man giving birth to triplets. Silently all three walked out of Dr. Meadows office after coming to agreement that they’d just have to wait. "So…."
"So…." Nick and Justin stood across from each other with their hands in their pockets. Looking at both of them, they didn’t look alike in facial features but they were alike in ways. The blond hair, the blue eyes, the height….at least her kid wouldn’t be ugly regardless of either father. Oh that is a bad way of thinking! Of course she wanted Justin to be the father, that was her husband!
"So…um, we’ll um, see you later?"
"Yeah sure."
"Hey maybe you could come over for dinner? Bring your son, meet the kids." That was a shocker. Kristina looked over to Justin in surprise, extending the olive branch was beyond description.
"Uh yeah sure, that’d be great…great" Nick replied. "I’ll call you all later?"
"Yeah sure."
"Alright, see ya around."
"Alright man." Justin and Kristina watched Nick leave out of the corridor.
"Justin--you don’t have to do this. I understand you want to do the right thing but that’s not necessary."
"Its no getting around the fact that he’s going to be in our life for some time, plus it’s the right thing."
"Justin--"
"Just….let’s just go ok?"
~*~
"I appreciate it, I really do but you guys are working things out now. Me being around will only hinder what you two have been building back up. I don’t want to do that."
Nick’s words replayed in her mind as the car pulled up to her mother in laws in Tennessee. Nick was trying everything he could to help the couple as they were mending. She felt horrible that if this was his child he wasn’t there but he felt as if it was helping. Kristina rubbed her tummy which was filling out by now. She was approaching her 4th month, which was close to ultrasound time. No one else knew of this baby’s questionable paternity besides their inner circle. She didn’t want to go to Lynn’s with the knowledge of it all but Justin reassured her that Lynn’s feelings for her had not changed. As soon was the petite blond came to the door Justina and J ran straight to her. Alesha, who had yet to meet her grandmother stayed beside Kristina’s side.
"Its ok honey that’s your grandma." Lynn held out her arms for the little girl to come to her. Lynn was proud of Justin and Kristina for adopting the little girl.
"Hi baby, I’m ya grandmother but you can call me Grammie like little Tina and Justin ok?"
"Ok."
"Grandma makes yummy cookies" Justina smiled.
"That I do and I’ve made you all some, lets go get some ok?"
"Ok!" Lynn lead the children to the kitchen to get some of her homemade white chocolate chip cookies for the little ones. Just smelling those cookies brought back memories from Justin’s birth when she was eating those cookies as if she needed them to survive. She could have one now, but she wasn’t too sure about going into the kitchen. Both Paul and Lynn noticed Kristina’s shift in mood. And they knew why. They didn’t love her any less because of everything that was happening but she still felt that way.
"I’m a little tired, so I’m gonna go upstairs" Kristina whispered in Justin’s ear.
"Are you ok?"
"Yeah I’m fine, just a little exhausted."
"Uh ok." Kristina lifted her body up from the kitchen table and made her way to their bedroom. She wasn’t exactly tired she was just wanted to get out of that room. Laying her head on the soft pillow beneath her she closed her eyes and drifted away to a world where paternity test, TV shows, boy band members and pregnancy didn’t exist. Well at least she thought it didn’t exist.
"IT’S MY BABY!!" Nick screamed taking the child out of Justin’s arms.
"NO IT’S MY BABY!!" Justin shouted back, removing it from Nick’s grasp.
"IT’S MINE!!"
"NO IT’S MINE!!!" Both men went on and one snatching the small infant away from each other.
"Stop it you guys! You’re going to hurt….it!!" At the moment she didn’t know what sex it was so it’d be a little unfair to call it he or she. But still they were getting out of control, going back and forth, back and forth. Still they didn’t listen to one word she said, just steadily seizing the infant.
"IT’S MINE!!!"
"NOT IT’S MINE!!"
"STOP IT!!!"
"Uh….ok, but first I gotta know what I’m stopping." Kristina looked up at Jonathon who was sitting beside her. He had grown so fast over the years. She remembered the day she met the 7 year old when she first came to Tennessee. Now here he was, a preteen looking at her like a weirdo. But then again anyone who was tossing and turning screaming out stop it was a weirdo.
"Hey Jonathon."
"Hey sis, I would ask how’s it hanging but I’m a little frightened to."
"Was it the screaming or the tossing and turning ala movie style?"
"A little bit of both."
"Ah" Kristina sat up in the bed beside her brother in law. For him to be so young he was pretty cool person to hang around with. He was the little brother she always wished for. Despite having a younger brother she had never met before. But Jonathon and Steven were more concrete. They kept the child in her alive with their goofy antics. Jonathon reminded her of Justin more than Stephen. He was silly but serious all in the tender age of 12. He was pretty easy to talk to as well. "So what’s up little brother?"
"Shouldn’t I be asking you that?"
"Do explain."
"Well I know about the whole talk show material going on in your life. And I’ve noticed that you’re pretty much shunned us by coming up here being by your lonesome. What gives?"
"I didn’t shun anyone, I just wanted to lie down. That’s what happens when you’re pregnant. You eat and sleep, sleep and eat, sleep, eat, throw up, sleep and eat."
"Confirming that I am happy to be male."
"So what do you want squirt?"
"I just wanted to let you know that you don’t have to hide from everyone. You’re still a pretty cool chick you know. You couldn’t help what happened you know, so don’t beat yourself up about. No one else is." Aw! Jonathon was such a sweetie pie. It was his words that made her realize even with the funky that was over her, people still cared.
"Jonny, you’re an old soul trapped in a 12 year’s old body. Thank you for telling me that…..but I know you’re telling me all of this because I’m the only person who’ll play Frogger with you."
"Amongst other things."
"Come on" Kristina got up off the bed and walked out of the room with her arm around Jonathon. "Jonny have I told you that I loved you lately?"
"You could tell me now."
"Jonny, I love you" she smiled giving him a kiss on the cheek.
"The kiss was unneeded."
"Shut up."
~*~
"I’m worried about her ma, I mean usually she’s so happy and joyful when she’s pregnant. More than ever. You know how she was when she was pregnant with J, even Justina. Now its just she’s so sad…all the time. I understand why she could be sad with everything going on but I just hate seeing her this way."
"With everything going on Justin, her feelings are justified but I hate seeing her this way too. She’s barely said anything to me and she won’t even look me in the eyes."
"I just don’t know what to do."
"We have to reassure her that no one holds her accountable for this mix up. And that if it just so happens this isn’t your child, she’ll still be loved."
"I’ve tried doing that but she doesn’t understand."
"She doesn’t understand because you’re part of the party. Maybe if she hears it from me or Paul…"
"I don’t know mom…" Little did they know Paul was just getting ready to talk to her about that. She had finally gotten up from the bed to beat Jonathon again in Frogger. They had moved outside to talk about how middle school was going when he got a call from a girl. He was never going to live that one down. So she stayed outside alone, drinking a glass of milk looking out at the sunset.
"Can I sit with ya?" Paul asked.
"Uh yeah sure." You could barely hear her voice when she replied.
"Kristina, there’s a reason why I’m out here."
"Ok…."
"Why won’t you look at me or the missus for that matter?"
"Uh…"
"If its because of the whole baby thing then throw it the wind." Still Kristina hadn’t looked at him so he took two fingers and lifted her head up to face him. "Krissy pie let me tell you something, I understand that you are a bit ashamed of everything that is happening. And because of that you are scared that we don’t love you or respect you anymore but know this, we love you. Do you understand me? WE LOVE YOU. There’s nothing you can do to make us hate you. This is a complicated situation but we don’t love you any less. We all hated to hear that you and Justin separated because you are just so perfect for each other but even if it hadn’t worked out you were always welcome in our home. Just like right now. Now please we don’t get to see you all that much, why don’t you grace us with your presence ok?" Kristina smiled wiping the tears that began to fall away. She just didn’t want to disappoint them. Their love meant so much to them. Paul and Lynn were like the parents she never had. If they could accept her with everything then very well.
"Ok" she smiled.
"Now come on we have plenty of those cookies you like when you’re preggers, you know you want some."
"Yeah I’ve been like dying for some every since I walked in." Paul took Kristina’s hand and walked with her back into the house where Justin and Lynn were just finishing up with their conversation about her.
"Well there you are sleepy head" Lynn smiled, "I got some of those cookies you like so much."
"Bring ‘em on mama Lynn."
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