The Four Letter Word
Justin sighed as he set the phone back in its cradle. So far the plans were going great. But that’s what he was afraid of. Whenever he tried to do something for his wife, there was always something bound to go wrong. Their two years of marriage was constantly like that. Missed dates, broken promises and nights on the sofa in the living room were some of the highlights the two of them had shared over the past twenty-four months. Talk about wedded bliss shot to hell.
He and Katherine had met five years ago at a Christmas party thrown by his company. She was the boss’s daughter. Smart, intelligent, pretty and quite sophisticated, Katherine caught his attention the minute he laid eyes on her. She was a year younger than him and was quickly making her way to the top of her television company, something he couldn’t help but marvel at.
He himself, at the time, was the new architect in the company, still green and inexperienced. He felt out of place in the world of powerful men, until the boss, Katherine’s dad, Joseph Ballister, took him under his wing. It was then that he began to flourish. And when he and Katherine began their relationship of close friendship.
It was a year before he got up the courage to ask her on a date, but when he did, she admitted that she was surprised he hadn’t asked her sooner. He told her that he was shy. She had just laughed, for he was steadily becoming one of the top guys in the company and was making enough money to buy him courage. That was her philosophy.
And it was her one fault. She believed that money could buy happiness, a concept that Justin, from birth, had been taught was wrong. His parents had raised him in a loving household, teaching him the sacred values of love and happiness. Katherine, on the other hand, had been raised solely by her father, her parents having divorced when she had been three years old.
Despite their major differences, however, it was only six months later that they got engaged and were married. Joseph Ballister readily agreed to the marriage, and even though his parents protested, Justin went through with it. He and Katherine were married at an extravagant ceremony in the early summer and quickly bought a large apartment together. They had no idea all the hardships they would soon be facing.
It was barely two months after their honeymoon that Katherine had cheated on him the first time. He had been completely blind for an entire month until he found out, and when he confronted her, she had simply told him that it wasn’t her fault. Not knowing how to respond, he just resolved to turn a blind eye to her many indiscretions. He never let on how much it hurt.
Justin sighed again as he lounged in his desk chair. He had another hour before he was done for the day, and he was absolutely bored out of his mind. They had few customers coming in during the month of February, especially when that day happened to be Valentines Day. Justin gave a small laugh.
He made all these plans for him and his wife, and for all he knew, she could be fucking somebody else’s brains out right now in their bedroom. The things he did for this woman. He hated the fact that he loved her, but he couldn’t change it. If only she loved him back.
But he doubted that she ever did. Her father had told her that she needed to get married, and to satisfy him, she had married Justin. Justin was her father’s little prodigy, so marrying him would keep her father out of her life. It worked fine, except that it was a living hell for Justin. A hell that he desperately wanted out of but knew he couldn’t escape from.
A knock on the office door interrupted Justin’s musings, and he quickly pulled out his planner in an effort to look busy. No need to get busted for being a lazy ass because he was bored with the work. He was surprised to find Joseph Ballister standing in the doorway.
“Hello Justin, do you mind if we have a little talk?” the older man questioned as he closed the door.
“Not at all, have a seat,” Justin responded, indicating a chair across from his desk, “What can I do for you Joe?”
“Actually, this has nothing to do with work,” Joseph confessed as he settled his frame into the plush armchair.
“Oh?”
“This is about you and Katherine,” the older man stated.
“Me and Katherine?” Justin asked, puzzled. He had no idea why Joseph could be interested in that. He hadn’t really mentioned the topic ever since the two had been married two years ago.
“Yeah. I know that I was a horrible father,” Joseph confided in the younger man, “I was never any good at raising kids. But I couldn’t let Katherine go when my ex-wife said she didn’t want to care for her. I couldn’t let my baby be raised by some strangers.”
Justin sat quietly as the man talked. It was rare that Joseph ever talked personally with him. They were close as business partners, but Joseph was not the emotional type of man, so this was a surprise. But he didn’t dare interrupt.
“I guess what I’m trying to say, is that I was too lenient with her. I know everything that she’s done while you two have been married,” the elder abruptly stated, looking Justin in the eye, “I know that it hurts you every time she makes a stupid decision. I know you’re in love with her.”
Justin wanted desperately to protest. He wanted to yell and scream and throw things in anger. He wanted to say that Katherine Ballister meant nothing to him. But he was not a liar. He couldn’t lie to Joseph Ballister, much less lie to himself.
“Honestly Justin, I’m thinking about having Katherine see a therapist,” Joseph concluded with a sigh, “I can’t allow her to keep making all these mistakes and trample over your heart. You’ve become like a son to me, and I don’t want to lose that.”
“Joe, I don’t think that would help,” Justin protested with a frown, “The only thing that would probably do is push her farther and farther away from both of us.”
“She can’t keep going through life hurting everybody in the process,” Joseph stated, “One of these times she’s going to get herself in so much trouble that neither you or I are going to be able to help her out.”
“You may be right Joe, but I think we should wait just a little while longer before doing anything. I’ve got some plans for tonight, so we’ll see what happens,” Justin suggest, adjusting his tie.
“Alright, if that’s what you want to do, then it’s fine by me,” Joseph agreed with a small smile, “I’m not going to tell you how to…”
A loud knock on the door interrupted the end of Joseph’s sentence. The two men looked in surprise as Justin’s secretary sent a worried and harried glance into the room. She looked shaken.
“Mr. Timberlake, something’s happened to your wife,” the secretary began. Justin was on his feet in an instant. “The police are on the phone.”
“What the hell?” Justin cried, immediately picking up the extension in his office, “This is Justin Timberlake.”
“Mr. Timberlake, this is Detective Collins with the San Francisco Police Department,” a gruff voice returned, “There’s been an accident with your wife on the set of her television show.”
“What kind of accident? Is she okay?” Justin demanded. He didn’t notice Joseph pacing the floor in front of his desk.
“She got into an argument with one of the women on the show. Something about how your wife slept with her husband and now they’re getting a divorce and the husband refuses to pay child support,” the detective explained; Justin scowled, “The woman pulled a gun and tried to shoot your wife.”
“Damn it, is she okay?” the young man barked, impatient.
“She’s fine. The woman is in police custody right now” Detective Collins replied, “You’re wife is just a little shaken up. We don’t think she should drive, and she told us that you could probably come pick her up.”
Justin swore. Katherine had really gotten herself into a predicament this time. Funny thing was, that’s the only time she ever seemed to need Justin to be there for her. Other than that, she never gave a flying fuck what he did with his time.
“Tell her I’ll be there to get her in about half an hour,” Justin ground out, refraining from the explicits he wanted to yell.
“Sure thing, Mr. Timberlake,” the detective concluded. Justin quickly hung up the phone and turned to his father-in-law. Joseph looked worried.
“What happened? What’s going on? Is Katherine okay?” Joseph worriedly questioned as Justin got his things together to leave.
“Your daughter is fine. She just had a run-in with the wife of one of the many men she’s slept with. The woman tried to shoot her cause the husband is divorcing her and refusing to pay child support,” Justin spat with one breath, shrugging into his coat, “Katherine’s fine. I’m going to pick her up right now.”
“Do you want me to come with you?” Joseph asked in a soft voice, noticing the anger radiating from his son-in-law’s body.
“No. Thanks anyway Joe, but I need to take care of this myself,” Justin snapped as he grabbed his car keys, “It’s time that Katherine and I talked. I’ve had enough of being her rebound and pillow to fall on.”
Without waiting for a reply, Justin strode out of the room and headed to the elevator. He was done putting up with all the shit Katherine had put him through these past five years he had known her. It was time for him to stop being her bitch and become the man he was before she came along.
Twenty minutes later found Justin pulling into the station and parking his expensive sports car. He quickly jumped out and prepared to give his wife a piece of his mind.
Walking into the police station, he spotted her in an instant. She was hard to miss. With her blond good looks and tall, shapely figure, Katherine Timberlake was easily the envy of any woman. Justin used to wonder how he had gotten so lucky marrying her. That was until he got to see the other side of her.
“J, I’m so glad you came!” she cried as she flung herself into his arms, “I was so upset. I can’t believe all this happened.” Justin felt her shaking, but refused to succumb to her charms.
“Katherine, how could you be so stupid?!?” he erupted, pushing her from his arms, “Are you really trying to pass yourself off as that idiotic? I know you’re not. Jesus Christ Kat, you could have been killed!”
“J, baby, just calm down. I’m fine. No harm done,” Katherine soothed, trying to step back into her husband’s arms. He would have none of it, and merely sidestepped her.
“Nothing happened this time. But what about next time?” he demanded, glaring at her, “Kat, I’ve overlooked the many times you’ve cheated on me. I’ve overlooked the fact that you don’t love me. But I can’t overlook it anymore. I can’t put myself through another day like this. It’s over. I want a divorce.”
Katherine stood there in shock. She knew that Justin would be upset; hell, she thought that she’d have to do a little groveling to get back in his good graces. But never did she imagine that he would ask for divorce. But that’s what she wanted, right? That way, she could be free to do whatever the hell she wanted and not feel guilty about it.
Of course that’s what she wanted. She didn’t love Justin. Did she? No, what was she thinking? Of course she didn’t. He was just so…so… Katherine looked at him and felt her heart melt, her previous thoughts forgotten.
He looked so appealing in his dress pants, dress shirt, and tie, his brownish-blond curls mussed from the wind, his coat thrown haphazardly over his arms, and his blue eyes emitting icy fire. Icy fire? What was she thinking? This was the dull architect that she married to make her father happy, wasn’t he?
“Let’s get out of here Kat. We can discuss everything more when we get home,” Justin stated in a calmer tone as he watched the myriad of emotions pass across her green eyes.
“Justin Timberlake?” a buff-looking police officer questioned as he came forward, “I’m Detective Collins. We spoke on the phone.”
“Nice to meet you,” the young man replied, shaking hands with the detective, “Is there anything I need to do, or can I take my wife home?”
“I just wanted to know if you would like to press charges against the woman,” Collins asked, looking skeptically at Katherine, “Your wife said it would be up to you.” Typical of Katherine; shirking the responsibilities so that everything was on his shoulders. He refrained from rolling his eyes.
“Katherine, I can’t make this decision for you,” Justin told her, his voice like steel, “I wasn’t there. I don’t know what you went through. It’s your choice.”
“But Justin…” she began, then noticed his glare and sighed, “No, I don’t want to press charges. That woman was right in attacking me. I shouldn’t have fooled around with her husband.”
“Alright, if that’s what you want,” the detective said, surprised, “Mr. Timberlake, I suggest you take her to see a therapist, she might need it.”
“Thanks again detective,” Justin replied, shaking the man’s hand once more before he guided Katherine out of the building and to the waiting vehicle. He was surprised at his wife’s response, but then again, she could be quite a good actress when she wanted.
It was a little while before Katherine spoke into the impeding silence. Justin was surprised that she wanted to talk at all. But he guessed it would be about the divorce. Hell, he was still shocked that he had told her that. But he knew it was for the best. He couldn’t deal with living this kind of life anymore.
“Justin, I’m sorry for the times I’ve hurt you,” Katherine began, tears welling up in her eyes, “I don’t want a divorce.”
“Katherine, it’s for the best. I can’t keep pretending that what you do to me doesn’t hurt,” Justin replied, keeping his eyes on the road, “Jesus Christ Kat, our whole marriage has been a sham. You’ve never even once told me you loved me. That hurts really deep. More than you could ever know.”
“What, do you think I’m above feeling things?” Katherine cried, openly crying, “Well Mr. Big Shot, I didn’t exactly have what you would call a great childhood. I was bounced from nanny to nanny, never seeing my dad and growing up without a mother. I’m messed up, I know that. Can’t you give me a second chance?”
“Katherine, you’ve had second, third, fourth and who knows how many chances,” Justin spat at her, frowning, “Frankly, I’ve had enough. I’m not your fucking puppet. It’s best if we get a divorce.”
“Justin! Please don’t do this to me. Don’t hurt me this bad!” Katherine pleaded, sobbing.
“Don’t hurt you as bad as you’ve hurt me?” Justin questioned with a sarcastic laugh, “Now you know how it feels Katherine. Get used to it.”
The rest of the ride home was silent. There was nothing more for them to say anyway. It was a done deal as far as Justin was concerned, and Katherine knew there was nothing she could do to change his mind.
4 Months Later
Katherine sighed as she stared out the window at the rainy day. It matched her mood, the same one she had been in since the day Justin left her.
Justin had moved out almost immediately and was living across town in his own apartment. He never visited and she never tried to pick up the phone and call him. She still hurt too much. He was still just as angry as when he had first confronted her at the police station.
She didn’t know if she was in love with Justin Timberlake. If she was honest with herself, she didn’t know what love was. Well, she loved her father, but that was a different thing entirely. She didn’t know how to love a man. That’s why she couldn’t take her marriage. She didn’t know how to stay attached to one man, especially when that man was the one her father wanted her to marry above all others.
She really had liked him when they first met. He had been a little shy at the beginning, but as they got to know each other better, she saw in him strength, determination, and above all love. She had loved his curls and the deep blue eyes. She had loved his sarcastic humor. But that had seemed to disappear the moment they started to date. It was just at the police station that she had seen that part of him reappear. And damn him because it made her feel like a school girl with her first crush.
Katherine sighed a second time and picked up the phone. She quickly dialed a familiar number and waited. A few seconds later, a female voice came on the line.
“Hi mom, it’s me again,” the young woman stated.
“Hey sweetie, how are you doing today?” Christine Thompson questioned, not surprised to be hearing from her daughter, “Feeling any better?”
“Not really…”
Joseph Ballister had no idea that his daughter talked with and had even met up with his ex-wife. He had no idea of the bond that was quickly growing between mother and daughter while he spent the long hours in his office, mourning the loss of his son-in-law. Katherine had done it all of her own accord.
She had needed a female’s perspective and seeing as though she didn’t have many friends, she went on a search for the mother she had not seen since childhood. It hadn’t been that hard. The attack had occurred on national television, gotten a load of newspaper coverage and was the talk for at least a week. She wasn’t surprised to get a call from her mom.
At first, Katherine had been pissed. The mother who had abandoned her when she was a child; given her up to be raised by her father, was trying to befriend her. Who did she think she was?
But Katherine needed a friend. And her mother had provided it without asking questions and without trying to defend her own mistakes. She really admired Christine for that.
“Mom, can you do me a big favor?” Katherine said in a small voice.
“Anything sweetheart. I’m your mother, it’s time I start acting like it,” the older woman replied.
“Would you come with me to court? I know daddy would flip out, but I don’t care. He’s been holing himself in his office and acting like I’m a horrible person for making him lose his son-in-law,” Katherine stated.
“Of course I will. God knows that you need all the support you can get right now,” Christine agreed, “When is it?”
“Thursday afternoon, 1pm to be exact,” Katherine revealed, clutching the phone tighter to keep her emotions in, “Where do you want to meet?”
“I’ll come pick you up. I don’t want you driving if you’re upset,” Christine replied, fully playing out her motherly duties, “Is that alright with you?”
“Yes, that’s fine,” Katherine agreed, “And one more thing mom.”
“What is it sweetie?”
“Don’t hate Justin. He really is a great guy.”
Justin straightened his tie in front of the mirror as he prepared for the upcoming court trial. It was close to noon, and it would take at least a half hour to get there. He wanted to be early, unlike Katherine, who would probably show up her usual half hour late.
Sighing, Justin shrugged into his coat and buttoned it tight. Maybe if he buttoned it tight enough, his emotions would stay bottled up down the chasm he had forced them down. Who was he kidding? It had been about four months and he still wasn’t ready for this.
Driving to the courthouse, his mind was numb. He wanted to be ready. He wanted to have something worthwhile to say to Katherine as last parting words. But he was wound as tight as a spring in a watch. His nerves were frayed at the ends and he was not at all ready for this.
Justin suddenly realized that he was there. But he just sat there. He couldn’t seem to exit the car. It was like his brain was no longer connected to the rest of his body. Which was silly because he was still breathing.
Taking a deep breath of courage, he exited the vehicle and walked into the building. He walked down the hall to the assigned room, and was surprised to run right into Katherine and an older version of herself, preparing to go in as well. He groaned. He hadn’t wanted to confront her, but he obviously had no choice.
“Hi Justin,” Katherine said in a soft voice, “This is my mother, Christine Thompson. Mom, this is Justin.”
“Go on in sweetie, I’d like to talk to Justin for a moment, okay?” Christine replied before Justin could get a word in edgewise.
“Sure mom.”
“It’s nice to meet you,” Justin said as soon as Katherine disappeared inside and Christine had led him to a bench against the wall.
“I must say, I wanted to hate you,” Christine replied as she shook his hand, “But my daughter was right. You are a good man.”
“She said that?” Justin questioned, surprised.
“She’s said a great deal about you these past four months,” Christine revealed with a small smile, “She’s really changed since I got to know her. But I’m not going to lecture you. This is your choice to make, and I know you’ve already made up your mind.”
“Christine? Is that you?” Joseph Ballister questioned as he approached the pair. He looked shocked.
“Hello Joseph. Excuse me Justin, I have some unfinished business that I need to take care of,” Christine said and quickly walked over to her ex-husband’s side. Justin rolled his eyes, not believing what he had just seen.
Christine’s comments were running around in his head as he entered the courtroom and sat on the opposite side from Katherine. He couldn’t look at her. He was afraid that if he did, he would crumble and take her back. He couldn’t do that. He needed to be strong.
Twenty minutes later, the trial began. It went smoothly as Katherine was giving up without much of a fight. She didn’t really seem to care about the materialistic things. That was, until they got to the bed. For some reason, she didn’t seem to want to give it up.
Finally, the judge ordered a ten minute recess where he urged the two parties to discuss this further. He didn’t exactly know how to rule on the matter of a king-sized bed. He’d never had to do something like that before.
“Why do you want the damn bed so much?” Justin demanded in a heated whisper as soon as they were out of the courtroom, “Because you have so many memories of fucking other guys in it?” Katherine looked like she was going to cry.
“The only person I’ve ever slept with in that bed is you,” she quietly told him, much to his surprise. He sighed.
“Fine, you can have it then,” he wearily told her, just wanting to get the rest of the trial over with, “Let’s get back. I’m sure the judge wants to finish up as soon as possible.” Katherine nodded.
As they made their way back into the courtroom, Justin felt Katherine slip something into his hand. It felt like a piece of paper, and he quickly slipped it into his pocket, not wanting to look at it. But curiosity got the better of him. He opened it as he sat there.
It simply read I LOVE YOU. Justin was shocked. Was she kidding? Was she just pulling his strings in an attempt to get him to change his mind? He quickly looked over at his wife but couldn’t quite catch her eye. She seemed genuinely upset, and if Justin thought about it, he’d never seen her so tired-looking or out without any make-up.
What the hell? What was he supposed to do? They were seconds away from getting a divorce and now he had to deal with this. He sighed. He had to find out the truth; it was the only things he could do.
“Stop,” he finally called as he stood up. The judge looked at him in surprise.
“What do you mean stop? I’m just about to rule,” the judge protested.
“Give me a minute,” the young man stated in a business-like tone. The judge quickly shut-up as Justin made his way to Katherine. She looked up at him in surprise.
“Say it,” he abruptly told her. Her eyes widened.
“But...” she began.
“Just say it. I want to know if you mean it,” he continued, pulling her to her feet, “I want to know that you aren’t just playing with my heart.” Katherine began to cry.
“I’m not,” she whimpered, wiping haphazardly at the tears that were falling, “I love you Justin. I honestly love you. Please don’t do this. Please give me another chance.”
Justin stood there in shock. He knew Katherine very well. He knew when she was putting on an act; knew when she was lying. This was not one of those times. The emotion was clear in her eyes.
“Are you going to cheat on me again?” he softly questioned into her ear, “Because if you are, don’t think that I won’t do this all again.”
“Justin, I promise to god that I won’t do it ever again. I’ve changed. I guess…I dunno…I guess I realized what a horrible person I’ve become. I never meant for any of this to happen,” she cried in a soft tone, “I felt like I was trapped by our marriage. Hell, my father practically forced us into it. But I’ve seen a therapist, and I’ve talked to my mother. I don’t want to be that person anymore. I don’t want to be the one that hurts you.” At that, Katherine broke down and openly began to weep.
“Kat, shh baby, it’s alright,” Justin soothed as he took her in his arms, “I forgive you. On one condition.”
“What’s that?” she questioned, looking up into his eyes.
“Tell me you love me,” he simply told her, “Marriage is based on love. If we’re going to survive then I need to hear you say that you love me. Just as I’m going to tell you that I love you.”
“You do?” she asked, surprised, “Even despite everything I’ve put you through? You still love me?”
“Kat, I’ve never stopped loving you,” he revealed with a smile.
“I love you Justin,” she softly whispered.
“Okay kids, what’s it going to be?” the judge suddenly interrupted, reminding the couple they were not alone, “I don’t have all day here.”
“Sorry,” Justin told the judge with an apologetic tone, “It’s off. The divorce is off.” The judge’s mouth dropped open in shock.
“Stupid young people,” the judge mumbled to himself as he got up and left for his chambers.
“Justin, Katherine, what’s going on?” Joseph Ballister questioned as he approached the couple.
“You’re changing your mind?” Justin’s mom, Lynn added as she and her husband joined the group.
“Katherine and I are going to give this whole marriage thing another try,” Justin said as he put his arm around his wife’s shoulders. She smiled up at him through her tears.
One Year Later
“Are you sure that I look okay?” Christine asked her daughter as she twirled in front of her.
“Mom, you look gorgeous,” Katherine replied, beaming at her mother who was beautiful in a peach linen skirt and matching jacket.
“Hold on, there’s one thing missing,” Justin’s mom, Lynn said as she walked towards her in-law, “You can’t get married without wearing something borrowed.” Lynn quickly slipped a pearl necklace that she had worn to her own wedding around Christine’s neck.
“Lynn, it’s beautiful, thank you,” Christine replied as she hugged the other woman.
Christine and Joseph were getting remarried. Somehow, over the last year, they had become close once again and fallen back in love. Katherine thought it was funny. But she was incredibly happy.
She and Justin had the perfect relationship. They had moved to a small town in southern California where Justin still worked as an architect and Katherine was an anchorman for the news. It had been good for them.
Katherine had continued to see her therapist, with Justin’s supported, and had never once strayed from her husband again. She found that she had fallen too deeply in love to even consider cheating on him. Honestly, that person she used to be seemed to have vanished completely.
A knock sounded on the door and Christine took a deep breath. It was time. Lynn and Katherine, her two bridesmaids, quickly finished helping her get ready before they opened the door to let Justin in.
Katherine’s breath caught in her throat as she admired her husband. He was incredibly handsome in his black suit, blue tie accentuating his eyes; a picture of perfection to her. She smiled lovingly up at him and was rewarded with a dazzling smile before he swept her up in his arms and kissed her.
“You look beautiful,” he murmured into her hair, “You’re going to make the bride jealous.”
“Like I care,” Christine told her son in law with a grin.
“Come on Kat, we need to get going,” Lynn told her daughter in law as she pulled the couple apart, “Justin, sweetie, you look very handsome.”
“Thank you mom,” he replied as he gave her a hug. A few seconds later, she and his wife were gone from the room.
“Are you ready Ms. Christine?” Justin lazily drawled as he held out his arm; he would be giving her away, “Wouldn’t want to keep your future husband waiting.”
“Do I look okay?” Christine questioned, nervous.
“You look wonderful,” he replied, bending over her hand and kissing it, “You’re going to sweep Joseph off his feet.” Christine blushed.
A few seconds later, the bridal march began and Christine took one last breath before she linked her arm with Justin’s. He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze before they left the room and began their march down the isle.
“Justin, sweetie, um, there’s something I have to tell you,” Katherine whispered in her husband’s ear as they danced at the wedding reception. Justin looked down at her.
“What is it baby? What’s wrong?” he questioned, noticing her look of apprehension, “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” she told him, taking a deep breath, “It’s just that…”. She couldn’t finish. She buried her face in Justin’s chest. Justin put a finger to her chin and forced her to look up at him.
“What is it baby? Whatever it is, I’m here for you and you can talk to me,” he told her, stroking her cheek in a loving manner, “It can’t be that bad.”
“I’m pregnant,” she shyly whispered before burying her face in his chest once again. Justin felt his jaw drop in shock.
“You’re what?” he questioned, wanting to be sure he heard her right.
“I’m pregnant,” she said into his chest. She quickly looked up, worried about what his reaction would be.
They had talked about having children, but Justin had told her that he wanted to wait for a little while. He had reasoned that he wanted her all to himself for a time, now that they had gotten their marriage back on track. She was afraid that he would be angry.
“Kat, that’s wonderful,” he gushed, his blue eyes alight as he hugged her close, “Oh my god, I’m going to be a father!”
“You’re not upset?” she questioned, a little surprised, “I thought you didn’t want to have children yet.”
“Katherine, this is wonderful news, of course I’m not upset,” he told her then grinned, “Come with me.”
“Justin, where are we going?” Katherine questioned as he pulled her across the crowded dance floor.
“You’ll see,” he told her as they got to the steps leading up to the stage where the band was playing.
“Justin…” she warned, but got no further.
“Hey everybody, sorry for the interruption,” Justin said into the microphone as the music abruptly died, “I just got the most wonderful news and I wanted to share it with the entire world.”
Katherine felt like she was going to die. She had been so nervous telling Justin the news, and now he wanted to announce it to the three hundred or so guests that were at the reception. Was he crazy? At least he hadn’t been upset or angry.
“I’m going to be a father,” Justin proudly announced as he pulled Katherine to his side, “We’re going to have a baby.”
There was a bunch of cheering and congratulations heard round the room. Katherine’s eyes searched the crowd, and when they landed on her parents, she smiled. Her father was grinning like an idiot and her mother was openly crying. She looked at her mother and father-in-law and found happy smiles being sent in her direction. She breathed a deep sigh of relief.
“Katherine, I love you,” Justin whispered in her ear as he pulled her into his embrace, “Will you dance with me?”
“Of course I will,” she agreed as he led her to a place right in front of the stage. Celine Dion’s ‘Have You Ever Been In Love’ came through the speakers as they danced close together.
Have you ever been in love
You could touch the moonlight
When your heart's shooting stars
You're holding heaven in your arms
Have you ever been so in love
Have you ever walked on air
Ever felt like you were dreamin'
When you never thought it could
But it really feels that good
Have you ever been so in love
Have you ever been in love
You could touch the moonlight
When your heart's shooting star
You're holding heaven in your arms
Have you ever been in love, have you...
The time I spent
Waiting for something that was heaven-sent
When you find it don't let go,
I know
Have you ever said a prayer
And found that it was answered
All my hope has been restored
And I ain't looking anymore
Have you ever been so in love, have you...
Some place that you ain’t leavin’
Somewhere you're gonna stay
When you finally found the meanin'
Have you ever felt this way
The time I spent
Waiting for something that was heaven-sent
When you find it, don't let go,
I know...
Coz have you ever been so in love, so in love
You could touch the moonlight
You can even reach the stars
Doesn't matter near or far
Have you ever been so in love
Have you ever been in love
Have you ever been in love
So in love...
“I love you Katherine Timberlake,” Justin whispered into his wife’s ear as they danced close, bodies and hearts intertwined.
“I love you too.”
The two of them danced around the floor, oblivious to the fact that they were the only ones on it and that everybody was watching them. They only had eyes for each other.
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