Life as a single mother is hard. Long days working, not a lot of time for fun and not to mention the lonely nights. So, when Zenia and her friends won tickets to the Man of the Woods show that was stopping in town, she made sure she was not going to miss it. She desperately needed a night out with people her age. Add in Justin Timberlake singing and dancing, and she was sold. 


"Mom, I really appreciate you watching Grace tonight." Zenia said, hugging my mother, Tanya.



"Its no problem, Zenia. I want you to have a good time tonight. Don't worry about Gracie. She will be fine." She reassured her daughter. Zenia often longed for time to go out and have fun, but would also feel the mom guilt sometimes of leaving her daughter with her mother. 


Besides when Grace was at school, Zenia and her mother were the only other people who took care of six year old Grace. Grace's father, Michael, was never in the picture. He and Zenia dated briefly her senior year in college. When she found out she was pregnant, Michael wanted nothing to do with the baby, or Zenia anymore either. It was a hard pill to swallow, suddenly becoming single and a mother. Zenia's mother had always been there to help support her daughter, helping her finish college and raise Grace.


"I'll try, Mom." Zenia bent down to kiss Grace on the forehead. "I'll see you tomorrow, Gracie bug."


"Okay, Mommy. I love you." Grace smiled lovingly at her mother.


"I love you too."


Zenia got in her car, and waved at Grace and Tanya standing on the porch of Tanya's home, before heading back to her own apartment to get ready for the night.


--


"WE REALLY HAVE FRONT ROW SEATS TO JUSTIN FUCKIN' TIMBERLAKE!" Marie screamed as the three girls made their way to their seats. Marie was Zenia's best friend since elementary school and she was loud, energetic and a lot to handle at times. Nora was another friend of Zenia's who was more on the quiet and reserved side. Zenia was a healthy mixture of the two. 


All three girls were fans of Justin Timberlake and had tried for weeks to win tickets from the local radio station. Marie had been the lucky one who happened to call in and win the tickets. 


Zenia and Marie had started drinking prior to arriving at the arena, with Nora being the designated driver of course. Zenia had a nice buzz and felt loosened up and ready for the night. 


The lights started to dim and the opening act was announced. The girls danced along with the music even though they weren’t familiar with the artist. Marie went and bought two more drinks for herself and Zenia. 


Zenia decided she was having a good time. Her friends never failed to make sure of that. She looked down at her outfit for the night which was very atypical of what she would usually wear on an everyday basis. She wore a black sheer top with a lacy bra underneath it, accentuating her healthy breasts, a pair of high waisted light wash jeans and a pair of black strappy heels donned her manicured feet. Her shoulder length black curly hair fell to her shoulders framing her beautiful mocha face. She felt extremely confident and hoped that she would see some cute guys tonight. Surely, men came to Justin Timberlake shows too?


—


Justin Timberlake stood in his dressing room doing one final vocal warm up before he took the stage. The tour was far from over, but he was glad to be back in LA, one of his home cities. The Man of the Woods tour had been highly successful and Justin was extremely grateful that even after having five years between his last album and the current, his fans never missed a beat. 


A knock on the door halted his thoughts and vocal routine. “Come in!” He yelled towards the door, expecting either the tour manager or his bodyguard to be on the other side of the door. His bodyguard, Lonnie, poked his head in.


“J, I’m just warning you now.. there’s some fine ass ladies in the front row tonight.” Lonnie spoke up, a mischievous grin on his face.


Justin rolled his eyes at his friend/bodyguard. “Lon, I’m not looking for anything like that tonight. You know I just got out of a relationship.”


“All the more reason to look. Right?” Lonnie laughed.


“Whatever man.” Justin shook his head and took a seat on the couch situated in the corner of the room. 


“Look, man. I’m tired of seeing you sulking about that chick. How about I pick out a couple of ladies and see if they want to go out with us tonight after the show? I’ll let them hang in VIP and you can either talk to one of them or not. Your choice. At least there were will be something for you to look at.” Lonnie proposed.


Wanting to continue with his pre-show warmup, Justin decided to just pacify his friend and told him, “Okay, man, but I doubt I will be interested in any of them.”


Lonnie chuckled. “Yeah, we’ll see about that.”


— 


Zenia, Marie and Nora were having a blast. The show was amazing. Justin Timberlake sounded and looked incredible. Zenia thought she and Justin made eye contact a time or two and despite the butterflies it gave her, she convinced herself it was just his stage presence and probably something he did with all fans in the front row of his shows. 


During the second to last song, a tall, muscular man who Zenia assumed was security moved closer to her and her friends. She felt his eyes on her, but continued to watch the show until he leaned closer and spoke to her.


“Mr. Timberlake is having an after party tonight at The Sound Club. Would you and your friends like to join us in VIP?” As soon as he asked, he quickly assumed his original position observing the concert goers.


Zenia’s eyes widened and she looked over at her friends who were oblivious to what had just happened. She nudged them both getting their attention. “That security guy just asked me if we wanted to be in VIP at the after party!” She screamed.


Marie jumped up and down. “Hell yes, we do! What did you tell him?”


“I didn’t tell him anything. Should we go? Nora, what do you think?” Zenia asked her more level-headed friend.


“Sure! Let’s go. I knew I saw JT eyeing you.” Nora smiled.


Zenia guffawed. “Eyeing me? You’re crazy.” Zenia quickly dismissed the idea. 


She discreetly got Lonnie's attention and nodded her head 'yes'. He slightly nodded back and continued to observe the crowd making Zenia wonder if he even saw her. She quickly put it out of her mind for the time being, and continued to enjoy the show.


As the last song was coming to an end, Lonnie passed Zenia a small card and said "See you ladies tonight."


Zenia placed the card in her clutch, to avoid drawing attention to herself and her friends. Once the girls were safely out of the arena, Zenia pulled the card out.


It had a random code of numbers and letters. Nothing more, nothing less. Zenia began to wonder if this was even legit.


"Seriously all we have to do is show his vague card and they'll let us in? I feel like this isn't going to work." She expressed, somewhat disappointed.


"It's worth a try, right?" Marie asked. "If we don't get in VIP, at least we will be in the same club as him."


"True." Nora added. "Let's give it a try."


"Fine." Zenia agreed, still not convinced.


--


Justin sat in a booth in VIP, having just finished his first drink. There were several people milling about, drinking, chatting amongst themselves. He was beginning to regret coming out tonight. There was no one he really wanted to converse with and he frankly wasn't in the mood.


"So these are the fine ladies you were referring to?" He questioned Lonnie as he walked towards him.


"No." Lonnie chuckled. "I guess they decided not to come. Maybe they're stuck in that long ass line outside. You know what? I'm going to go check." He started towards the VIP exit.


"Whatever." Justin shrugged, waving over the bar girl for another drink.


--


"Do you think I'm an idiot? Of course, you're here for Justin Timberlake's VIP!" The bouncer at the VIP entrance yelled sarcastically at Zenia, shooing her away.


Zenia didn't even get to show him the card that Lonnie gave her before the bouncer dismissed them, looking them up and down and waving them away as if they weren't rich enough, famous enough or beautiful enough to be with the likes of those in VIP.


Zenia and her friends began to walk away dejectedly when she heard a deep voice booming behind her. "HEY! Where are you going?" Lonnie asked coming towards them quickly.


Zenia whipped her head around to see the large man coming out of the VIP area. "This guy wouldn't let us in." She pointed to the bouncer.


"Sir, she didn't have proof that she was permitted to be in this area." The bouncer quickly answered.


"ACTUALLY, this guy didn't even let us show him anything before he tossed us aside like trash!” Marie spoke up, angrily.


Lonnie looked amused at Marie’s outburst, before addressing the bouncer seriously. “These girls are with me and Mr. Timberlake. I would appreciate it if you could apologize to them for your treatment of them.”


“Yes, sir. Sorry about this misunderstanding ladies. Have a great night.” The bouncer moved aside as the three women walked past him into the VIP area. Lonnie followed close behind.


Marie made a beeline for the bar ready to order another round of drinks when she stopped dead in her tracks. Justin was standing by the bar chatting with some people.


“Oh my gosh, girls! That’s really him.” Nora said excitedly. 


Zenia shushed her, not wanting either of them to make a scene. “Did you expect him to not be at his own party?” She rolled her eyes and led them the rest of the way to the bar, feeling a pair of eyes on her she tried her best to ignore.


“Excuse me? Can I get 2 Long Island Iced Teas?” Zenia asked the bartender as they settled at the bar. 


“Sure ma’am.” The bartender winked at her. He was a tall, slender guy with short brown hair. He’s cute. Zenia thought as she looked him up and down.


“Make that three.” A soft, yet masculine voice spoke up beside her. 


Zenia looked over to see Justin standing there with a confident grin on his face.


“Um, yes sir.” The cute bartender guy scurried off to make the drinks, clearly feeling as though Justin had just stole his shine.


“Hi. I’m Justin.” He extended his hand to Zenia.


She hesitated briefly before shaking his hand, feeling a rush of butterflies run through her body.


“Zenia. I’m Zenia.”

Zenia and her friends were having a good time. Being in VIP was starkly different than being in others parts of the club. For one, the seemingly endless flow of free alcohol was one example. 


Zenia found herself confined to the bar with Justin after his introduction. Her friends lingered for a while before excusing themselves after noticing how focused Zenia and Justin were on each other.


Zenia felt she had learned everything there was to know about Justin. Being a fan, she knew the basics, but now she felt as though she was beginning to know the REAL Justin. Justin also learned Zenia was a pediatric nurse practitioner, 29 years old and had lived in LA her whole life. She didn't delve too much into her personal life that night as she felt this was a one time thing and she probably would never see or talk to Justin again after tonight.


A couple of drinks later, Zenia decided she was done drinking for the night when she noticed how unsteady she was when she began to sit up. Justin reached out grabbing her arm and steadying her. Zenia immediately felt embarrassed.


“Oh my gosh, you probably think I can’t handle my liquor.” Zenia sighed.


Justin chuckled. “No, I think you just stood up too fast. Where are you going in such a hurry?”


“Just to the bathroom. Do you happen know where that is?” Zenia asked, looking around trying to locate the bathroom.


“I do. I’ll show you where it is.” He offered hesitantly, not wanting Zenia to get the wrong idea about him.


 “Sure.” She replied just as hesitantly, following him away from the bar. 


Justin stopped at a booth were Lonnie was sitting, keeping a watchful eye on everything. "Lon, I'm showing her where the bathroom is. I'll be back."


Lonnie nodded and smirked. "Yeah. Just don't get any wild ideas, J. Hurry back before I have to come after your ass."


Justin rolled his eyes and grabbed Zenia's hand and guided her down a hallway towards a private bathroom area for those in the VIP area. 


"Here you go. I'll wait here for you." He offered standing by the door.


Zenia smiled and excused herself to the bathroom, closing the door behind her and leaning against the door briefly. She couldn't believe how this night was going. She was really hanging out with Justin Timberlake AND he seemed somewhat interested in her. She shook her head and went to relieve herself.


She opened the door quickly, losing her balance and falling forward to Justin's chest eliciting a soft grunt from him. She felt the warmth rush to her cheeks in embarrassment. Knowing she was significantly a couple years younger than Justin, she feared that she came off as the younger girl who couldn't hold her liquor.


"Woah, tiger." Justin laughed, his hands softly gripping her biceps.


"I promise you I'm not as drunk as I seem." Zenia said, looking up at him. His ocean blue eyes sparkling as they stared at her. He licked his lips, still staring at her. Zenia quickly broke from his grasp suddenly nervous. Justin sensed it.


"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you uneasy." 


"It's ok," Zenia smiled. She allowed Justin to lead them back to the VIP area. She saw Marie and Nora coming their way. 


"It's getting pretty late, Z. Are you ready to go?" Nora asked. 


Zenia looked at Justin, who looked down as his feet. She knew she was not ready to end this night with Justin, but didn't want her friends to feel like they had to hang around. She decided she was a big girl and that she could handle herself out alone. She just hoped that Justin was wanting to spend more time with her too. 


"Actually, I'm not ready to go home yet, but you girls can head out. I'm sure Justin can help me get home." She confidently said, looking at Justin for approval. He looked up quickly, meeting her gaze and nodding his head eagerly. He was pleasantly surprised that Zenia wanted to spend more time with him. 


"Yes, of course."


Marie smirked. "Okay. Y'all have fun. Zenia, call me tomorrow."


"I will."


The girls hugged each other before Marie and Nora exited the club. 


"Wanna dance?" Justin asked, taking his hand in hers and leading them to the dance floor before she could answer. 


--


Some time later, Lonnie led Justin and Zenia out of a back entrance of the club where a SUV was waiting. They hopped in the back, while Lonnie got in the passenger seat.


"So, I can have the driver take you home if you're ready, or you can come back to my house with me.." Justin trailed off, not wanting to be forward but presenting Zenia with the options for the rest of the night.


"I'd love to see your home." Zenia said, scooting closer to him. It had been years since she had a boyfriend or any guy that she was interested in, however, things with Justin felt comfortable and she just did and said what came to her. 


"Okay. I'd love that too." Justin put an arm around her shoulder. He told the driver were to go and soon they were in transit. 


Justin was feeling great. He had an amazing show tonight then met an equally amazing girl. He had no expectations of anything happening tonight. He was just enjoying Zenia's company. He made a mental note to thank Lonnie later for inviting Zenia and her friends out that night. 

The SUV rolled to a stop in front of Justin’s home. He hopped out, then extended his hand to help Zenia out.  

“I’ll see you tomorrow, J. Nice meeting you, Zenia,” Lonnie waved out of his window.

“Bye Lon. Thanks,” Justin waved. A second later, the SUV pulled away and started down the driveway.

Justin still holding Zenia’s hand, led her to the door. He punched in a code quickly and they stepped inside. He flipped a switch and softly dimmed lights illuminated the foyer.
Zenia looked around in awe. She had never been in a mansion before and it was quite surreal that she was standing in Justin’s.

“So, what do you want to do?” He asked, breaking her thoughts.

What do I want to do? Oh no, he probably is expecting us to have sex. Zenia thought.

For a brief second, Zenia entertained the idea. I mean, this was Justin Timberlake we’re talking about here. It would be a great story to tell to her girlfriends, but truthfully, it wasn’t her character to jump into bed with a guy she just met. Celebrity or not. She just thought it’d be nice to come back to his place and talk some more.

“Um.. I don’t know. What do you want to do?” She asked back.
Justin had no intention of sleeping with Zenia that night. He was a man, yes, and the thought had crossed his mind, but he was also just wanting some company.

“We could watch a movie,” Justin pointed in the direction of his large living room. “Head in there and pick something out. I’ll grab us some snacks.”

“Okay. What are you feeling? A comedy? Scary movie?”

“You pick. I trust your judgment,” he smiled. Little did he know, that smile made those butterflies Zenia had been feeling go crazy.

She started towards the living room area, feeling around to switch on the light. What she didn’t expect to see, was a brunette sitting on one of the sofas staring back at her.

“Who are you?” The woman asked, clearly perturbed. Zenia recognized the woman almost immediately. It was Justin’s ex, Jessica Biel.

Zenia blinked slowly and looked behind her hoping Justin would be there to address this situation. To her dismay, he was still in the kitchen rummaging through the cabinets, totally oblivious that there were two women standing in his living room.

“I’m-,” Zenia started to answer that, then thought it better that Jessica did not know her name right now, or anything else about her either for that matter. “Justin, um, can you come here?”

Justin was rounding the corner at the moment, several bags of chips and candy in tow. “Yeah, what’s up-“

He glanced back and forth between the two women, seemingly in disbelief himself. The disbelief quickly turned to irritation.

“Jess, what are you doing here?” He asked.

“I knew you were in town for the show, so I thought I would surprise you. I was hoping we could talk and patch things up.” She stood up, walking towards him. He backed away.

“There’s nothing to patch up, Jess. You cheated on me. We’re done.” He replied, his voice cold.

Zenia stood quietly, feeling that she shouldn’t be present for this conversation. She was starting to believe coming back here was a mistake.

“Justin. We can never be done . You know that.”

Zenia pulled out her phone and began to text Nora, praying that she was still awake. She had to get out of here.

“I’m just going to see if my friend can pick me up. I’ll wait outside. Justin, it was nice meeting you.” She started towards the door. Justin grabbed her hand.

“Please. Don’t leave. Jessica was just about to leave. Zenia, please stay.” He pleaded.

“Are you fuckin’ kidding me, Justin? You’re going to kick me out for some girl you met hours ago.” Jessica yelled. She really thought she could come here and he’d be thrilled that she wanted to give them another try, but in actuality, as heartbroken as he was, he didn’t want to be with Jessica anymore.

“Jess, don’t be a bitch. You don’t even know her. Plus, none of this is your business. You need to leave,” he demanded, yelling back just as loudly.

Zenia wriggled out of his grasp and walked out of the front door. Justin followed close behind. Jess yelled some more obscenities but Zenia ignored them, focusing on leaving this situation as quickly as possible.

“Zenia. Please listen to me,” Justin jogged trying to catch up to her.

“Justin, you don’t owe me any explanation. She’s right. You just met me. You were probably just going to have sex with me and then I’d never see you again. I’m saving us both the embarrassment,” she rambled, disappointment evident in her voice.

“Did you really think I brought you here just to have sex with you?” He asked, seemingly taken aback.

“Well, did you?”

“No. I didn’t, Zenia. I just wanted to spend some more time with you. Outside of the club,” he explained, reaching out to hold her hands.

“Whatever, Justin. I’m just going to have Nora come get me.”

“I’ll take you home. Please let me do that at least,” He offered.

“Okay.” Zenia said, giving in. “What about her? Are you just going to leave her here?”

“Yeah and hope like hell that she’s gone when I get back. If she knows what’s good for her, she’ll leave,” he said, the irritation rearing its head again at the mention of Jessica.

“Wait here. I’m going to get my keys and I’ll take you home.” He disappeared back into the house. Zenia heard some more shouting from Jessica, some from Justin threatening her to leave, and then he returned outside with his keys.

They got into one of his several cars in the driveway and drove away from the house, punching Zenia’s address into the GPS. They were both silent for the majority of the ride, both not knowing what to say.

Zenia sat quietly in the passenger seat, just wanting to get home and for this night to be over.  Justin stole a couple of glances her way, feeling so angry that Jess had ruined their night. He didn’t want this to be the last time he saw Zenia.

“Zenia, I’m really sorry about all of that.” He spoke, pulling up to her apartment complex.

“Justin, it’s fine… really,” She avoided his gaze, fearing he would see just how upset she was.

He parked the car, and placed a hand on her thigh, willing her to look his way.

“I want to see you again. I want to call you.”

“I’m not sure if that’s a good idea.” She whispered, her voice started to waver.

“I disagree. I know that I like you and it feels like you like me too. I promise I’m done with Jessica. I literally had no clue she would be there.”

“It’s okay, Justin. I told you that you don’t owe me an explanation. Thanks for a good time tonight.” She fought the urge to want to kiss him as he stared her with his piercing blue eyes. She knew he was sincere. Her heart skipped a beat at the thought of there being any kind of relationship between them, but the rational part of her brain was telling her she didn’t have any idea what she’d be getting herself into if she got involved with Justin. For now, she had to listen to her brain.

Justin sighed, running a hand over his short hair.

“Don’t thank me for that. I had a great time too. Goodnight, Zenia.”

“Goodbye, Justin.” Zenia gave a half-hearted smile before opening the car door.

Justin watched her walk up to her apartment door and disappear inside.

On his way back home, he silently prayed that Jessica was nowhere near his property. He was in no mood to deal with her again.

Thankfully, when he got back Jessica was gone. He went inside and went straight to his bedroom, collapsing on the bed. His exhaustion from tonight’s events hitting him suddenly. He pictured Zenia’s beautiful big brown eyes, her pouty, glossy lips, her dark curly hair that he wanted to run his fingers through. He fell asleep with a smile on his face.

The sun shown in through the curtains in Zenia’s apartment and she started to open her eyes. Considering last night was the first time in a while she had been out drinking, she was surprised to discover that she only had a slight hangover. She rolled over onto her back and stared at the ceiling, smiling to herself when she recalled the amazing concert, the fun, flirty times in the club with Justin. Up until that point, everything about the night was perfect. 

She cursed herself for thinking that she had a chance with Justin. Being blindsided by his ex at his house when they arrived was both embarrassing and disappointing. 
Justin seemed genuine when he told Jessica that they were over. Even the fact that he ran after Zenia was making her mind go into overdrive. 

After Justin dropped her off, she forced herself to come to terms with the fact that she may never see or hear from him again. They didn’t exchange contact info but he did know where she lived and she figured the chances of him ever showing up were slim to none.

It was best to just put him out of her mind. Easier said than done.

She willed herself out of bed and headed to the shower. She had a few more hours before her mother would be dropping Gracie off and wanted to enjoy her alone time instead of sleeping the day away.

When she stepped out of the shower, she heard her phone vibrating on her bed. As predicted, it was Marie wanting all the details of her night.

“Z, please tell me you slept with him,” Marie practically screamed through the phone.

Zenia chuckled lightly. It was amusing to her that her friends were so concerned about her sex life - or lack thereof.

“No, Marie. Actually I didn’t.” 

Marie snorted. “Don’t lie to me! Why else would you go to his house?”

“We really just went to hang out,” Zenia paused. “But didn’t even get to do that.”

“Why?” Marie questioned.

“You’ll never believe what happened..”

—

Justin awoke to the sound of birds chirping outside, his room completely dark from his blackout curtains. He had no idea what time it was, but he was sure it was after noon. 

He groaned when he thought of last night’s events. He couldn’t believe the nerve of Jess to just pop up at his home without any warning. He had always thought she was crazy but after last night he was convinced the girl was certifiably insane. And to think she thought he would just run back to her after all of the hurt and embarrassment she put him through? Crazy bitch.

He was almost positive that Zenia would never talk to him again. Why would she want to deal with this shit show that is Justin Timberlake’s life?

Little did she know, he had sneakily put his number and name in her phone at the bar. Then called his phone, and saved her number as well.

He was going to give her a couple of days to cool off, then he was going to try his luck and give her a call.

They didn’t call him smooth for nothing!

—

“Mommy!” Grace ran through the front door, her brown curls bouncing all around her face. She ran to Zenia’s open arms as they embraced.

“Hi, Gracie bug. I missed you.” Zenia exclaimed, running a hand through her daughters hair. 

“I missed you too.” The little girl smiled, beaming at her mother.

Zenia’s mother, Tanya watched the exchange, smiling at the relationship her daughter and granddaughter had. It always made her emotional to see the love they shared.

“How was your night, Zenia? Did you have fun?” Tanya asked, taking a seat on the loveseat.

“Yeah, mom it was great. The concert was amazing. You’ll never guess who I met and hung out with at the after party..” Zenia and her mother had a very close relationship and it was very typical for them to gossip just like girlfriends. She couldn’t wait to tell her mom that she had actually met Justin.

“I don’t know. Who?” Tanya questioned.

“Justin Timberlake himself,” Zenia beamed.

“Oh stop playing, Z.”

“I’m serious, Mom. Marie, Nora and I hung out with him in VIP. And I even went back to his house..” Zenia trailed off.

“Zenia! Please tell me you didn’t sleep with that man. Who knows how many women he’s been with.” Tanya warned. A look of disgust flashed across her face. 

“Mom, relax. We were just going to hang out, but his ex showed up and he brought me home.” Zenia explained, a hint of disappointment in her voice.

“Sounds like trouble.”

“Yeah, no kidding,” Zenia looked to Grace who was engrossed in some show on her iPad. “So, I hope this little one was a good girl for Grandma last night.”

“She was an angel, as always.” Tanya assured her. 

The two women continued to talk and catch up until dinner time approached. Zenia didn’t mention Justin anymore. She thought it best to leave it alone. But it didn’t stop her from thinking about him.

Justin nervously bounced his leg up and down as he fiddled with his phone. He had finally gotten the courage to call Zenia. He was in Portland, Oregon on his MOTW tour and had nothing to do for a couple of hours prior to soundcheck. It had taken him days to finally get to this point. He carefully thought of what he wanted to say and hoped that Zenia was open to at least a friendship.


The phone rang twice before he heard her small, soft voice. 


“Justin?” She asked, curiously. 


He chuckled. She must have saw his name pop up on her phone and been absolutely confused.


“Yes, it’s me. Zenia?” He asked, confirming what he already knew.


“What- How did you get my number and why is yours programmed in my phone?”


“Let’s just say, you should probably be more careful with your phone when you’re at the bar,” he joked. 


“I had no idea,” she exclaimed.


“Oh, had you know would you have called me sooner?” He asked.


“Uh, I don’t know,” she stammered. He was a little disappointed in her answer, but totally understood why she would be uncertain.


“Fair enough. How are you?”


“I’m fine. Just taking a break at work. How are you?” She questioned.


“Fine. In Portland, currently. I have a show tonight.” 


“That’s good. I’ve never been to Portland, or much less anywhere else,” she recalled.


“That’s a shame, Zenia. We have to get you out of LA to explore the world.”


“We?” She asked, a playfulness in her voice


“Yeah, as in me and you,” Justin said confidently.


“I like the sound of that, but not sure when I will be able to take time off anytime soon."


"I’m going to be in Paris next week. You should come out. I’ll pay for everything. I have a few days off, I could show you around,” Justin offered.


Zenia’s heart jumped at the thought of spending time with Justin in Paris of all places. Then she thought about what happened at his house several nights ago and immediately her guard went back up.


“I’m not so sure about that, Justin. I wouldn’t want people to get the wrong idea about us.”


Justin suddenly felt like an asshole but calling her and not apologizing or addressing the situation with Jess. 


“Look Zenia, I’m really sorry about the other night. I was just as blindsided as you were that my ex was there. I'm sorry that I put you in that situation. I’m hoping that we can continue to be friends.”


The truth was that Justin liked Zenia a little more than a friend would, but with his current schedule and fact that he recently got out of a long term relationship, he wasn’t sure that he could be anything more to her at the moment. All he knew was that he wanted her in his life, and if a friend was all that she could be then he was happy with that.


“I’d like that. I’d love to be friends.” She agreed. 


"Great. Just promise me you’ll take me up on that trip to Paris one day,” He responded.


“I promise.”


—


One month later


Things were going well for Zenia. Her friendship with Justin was budding. They talked or FaceTimed on the phone at least once every few days. She knew that his tour was coming to a close soon and that he would be back in LA for an extended amount of time. They had already made plans to hang out and she couldn’t help to be practically giddy about the idea. 


She had still not found a way to explain to Justin that she was a single mother. There were several times that she felt the need to bring it up, but didn’t want to interrupt the flow of conversation. She also wasn’t sure how he would react, but she decided she needed to tell him soon.


Grace was out of school for the summer and Zenia was enjoying the extra time she was spending with her daughter. 


It was a rainy day and both Zenia and Grace had agreed to stay in and binge watch movies all day. Grace had picked Trolls for the first movie and Zenia couldn’t help but laugh to herself at the realization that she was watching one of Justin’s movies - someone she had grown a friendship with.


“Mommy, I love this part of the movie,” Grace beamed while she looked at the television. The trolls on the film were beginning to sing another song that Grace began to sing along to.


Zenia smiled and hugged her daughter closer, listening to her sweet little voice as she sang along. 


Days like this just couldn’t get any better.


—


Justin had been back in LA for a day and once he felt somewhat rested from his last show and the late flight home, he concocted a plan to surprise Zenia. She knew he would be back in town soon, but wasn’t sure of the exact date. He purposely didn’t tell her so that he could surprise her. He was very excited about seeing her again, considering the last time they saw each other things went south. He was determined to put that behind them for good.


He had woken up that day with the intention of surprising Zenia and asking her to go on a hike with him. However, it was pouring rain and he knew that idea was not going to happen. He quickly devised another plan that included movies and snacks. After making a couple of stops to obtain those items, Justin found himself at Zenia’s apartment door with movies, snacks, drinks and a small bouquet of flowers in tow.


—


Zenia heard a knock at the door, diverting her attention from the movie. She left grace on the couch as she went to answer it, figuring it was Marie or Nora who often stopped by unannounced.


Thinking it was one of her friends, Zenia opened the door without looking through the peephole. She was met face to face with Justin, who wore an enormous grin on his face, which quickly turned to confusion as he noticed his movie was playing on her TV and a small child was sprawled out on the couch.


Zenia just stared at him dumbfounded, knowing this was not how she wanted to tell Justin about Grace nor was she ready for them to meet just yet. 


"Um, hey." She spoke up, moving to the side to allow Justin to come in out of the rain.


"Hi, Z. Thought I would surprise you. I brought you some movies and snacks, "  He said nervously. "And these flowers are for you."


Zenia took the small bouquet of daisies and smiled warmly at Justin. This small gesture made her heart flutter. She couldn't remember the last time she received flowers from someone. 


"Thank you, Justin. They're beautiful." 


"I see you're watching my movie," He chuckled, pointing in the direction of the TV.


Zenia felt her cheeks warm. She couldn't tell if he was flattered or surprised. 


Just then, Graced popped up from the couch and looked to see who her mother was talking to. "Mommy, who is that?"


Zenia looked at Justin and back at Grace, trying to decide the best way to introduce the two. 


"Um, Justin, I have someone I want you to meet. This is my daughter, Grace."

"Hi, Grace. I'm Justin. It's nice to meet you," Justin waved, a look of bewilderment on his face. Zenia immediately felt bad that Justin's plan had been derailed.


Grace made her way over to the two, looking up at Justin. "Are you my mommy's boyfriend?"


Zenia interrupted before Justin could answer. "No, honey. We're just friends. Why don't you go watch the movie? I'm going to talk to Justin really quickly in the kitchen."


Graced nodded before hesitantly going back to the couch and it didn't take long before she tuned them out.


Zenia led Justin into the kitchen and they both took a seat on either side of the small dining table. Justin was eerily quiet, which was unlike him lately. 


"So, I'm sorry I didn't mention that I had a kid," Zenia started nervously wringing her hands. "I just didn't know how to bring it up. I actually haven't had any men around her ever so this is all new to me. I wasn't sure if you'd even want to continue to talk to me if you knew. There's just so much unknown when it comes to this. I understand if you want to leave. I'm sorry I ruined your surprise."


"Zenia, stop." Justin reached his hand out to touch hers. "First, I wish you would've told me. I am a little surprised, but it doesn't change anything for me. I still really like you. Secondly, I would love to have a movie day with the both of you, that is if you're okay with  it."


Zenia blinked and looked at him in confusion. "You're not mad at me?"


"No, I'm not."


Zenia looked down at his large hands that were still enclosed around her smaller ones, noting how good it looked and felt.


"Thank you for being understanding. Wanna join us and watch your own movie?" She laughed, nervously.


"I'd love to. So, who's going to tell her Branch is sitting in her kitchen right now?" Justin joked.


"I think you're going to get major brownie points with Gracie for that."


"That's my plan, then hope to get a couple points with you too," he winked.


--


It took a little time, but Gracie warmed up to Justin. Once they told her that Justin was Branch in the movie, she was sold on Justin. She asked him to sing some of “Can’t Stop the Feeling” to prove it, and he sung a line or two to appease her. Her little brown eyes were wide with amazement.


They all spent the rest of the day watching kid friendly movies and snacking on chips and popcorn. Justin caught himself looking at Zenia and Grace and envisioning what it would be like if this was his own little family. He quickly shook those thoughts out of his head, convincing himself that all he and Zenia were both looking for was a platonic relationship.


After pizza for dinner, and in the middle of The Lion King, Grace fell asleep in Zenia’s lap. She pushed the soft brown curls away from Grace’s face and kissed her forehead and sighed. Justin looked over at the scene admirably.


“You’re such a good mom, Zenia,” he said softly.


Zenia locked eyes with him and smiled, “Thank you, Justin. That means a lot.”


After a bit of a struggle, she managed to get up holding Grace and carried her to her room where she tucked her in. When she returned to the living room, Justin patted the seat beside him, inviting her to sit.


“Today was fun. Thank you for staying,” Zenia said looking up at him.


“Don’t thank me. I wanted to stay.”


 He looked at the woman before him who was dressed comfortably in a pair of sweats and a tank top, her messy curls atop her head in a bun, and not a stitch of makeup on, and he thought she looked more beautiful than the night they met when she was all dressed up. He could tell that she was much more comfortable in this attire, and that alone made her more attractive in his eyes.


“So, now that we’re alone, what do you want to do? Do you want to pop in one of the movies you brought?” She asked. Zenia had a great time as a trio but was looking forward to having some one on one time with Justin, and she hoped that he wasn’t leaving anytime soon. 


“Sure. You pick,” he replied.


She picked the latest Spider-Man movie and popped it in, then reclaimed her spot beside Justin. He looked at her surprisingly, “You like Spider-Man?”


“Yep. There’s a lot of things you don’t know about me, Timberlake.” She grinned.


He placed an arm around her shoulders, “I’m looking forward to finding them out.”


Zenia placed a blanket on top of them as the movie started. Fifteen minutes later, she felt Justin's head lean against hers and soft snoring coming from him. She hated to wake him, but knew he couldn't spend the night there. 


"Justin, I hate to wake you, but you're going to be pretty sore if you fall asleep on this couch," She nudged him.


He jokingly replied with, "Well, I'm sure your bed is more comfortable."


She tapped him harder and laughed, knowing he was not being serious. "It is, but you're not going to find out."


He opened his eyes and made a pouty face. "You're hurting my heart here, Z."


She ruffled his short brown hair that was beginning to curl. She knew she was joking. She had possibly fanaticized about Justin being in her bed, especially after those late night calls with him while he was he away. However, she wouldn't let him know that just yet. Plus, they agreed to be friends. Friends of the opposite sex don't share beds... right?


Justin stood up and stretched his arms, trying to wake himself to prepare for his drive home. He really didn't want to leave yet, but the exhaustion from his months of touring had caught up to him tonight.


"I'm sorry for falling asleep on you. In my defense, I'm getting old and I just finished a tour that my old bones had no business doing," He chuckled.


"I'll let it slide this time, old man." Zenia joked, leading him to the door. 


Justin opened his arms and Zenia easily stepped into them as he enclosed his arms around her, resting his head on top of hers. It happened so naturally and felt so right. 


"Zenia, I want to do something that I have thought about since the moment I met you," His hands came up both sides of her arms, caressing them gently. She was lost in this moment, reveling in the feeling of having his warm hands on her. 


"Hmm?" She asked looking up at him.


No other words were exchanged as he leaned in and softly kissed her lips. Zenia eased into the kiss and let out a slight moan, which he took as an invitation to further the kiss. His tongue eased its way into her mouth, noting the salty taste of potato chips that they consumed earlier, but he didn't care. It tasted like heaven to him and he wanted more of it. Placing his hand on her cheek, he deepened the kiss feeling the heat of her face radiating under his touch. 


Zenia pulled away first, a dazed look on her face. "Wow."


Justin ran his thumb across Zenia's soft, swollen lips fighting the urge to kiss her again. 


"Goodnight, Z."


And then he was gone.

The next day Zenia awoke with a smile on her face. The same smile that Justin was responsible for putting there the night before. She was still in a daze and caught herself touching her hand to lips as if she couldn't believe that it actually happened. She got up and popped her head in Grace's room, seeing her small form was still cuddled under her blanket sleeping soundly. 


Zenia was an early riser. After years of working early shifts, her body was trained to wake up early. She made her way to the kitchen and brewed a pot of coffee. She wondered if Justin was awake and had the urge to text him. 



Good morning :)


She sat down at her dining table, coffee mug in one hand, her phone in the other, anxiously waiting a response. 


Good morning, sunshine!


You're up early.


You are too. What do you have planned for today?


Zenia hesitated before answering, knowing she had plans to take Grace to the zoo today. She wanted to extend an invitation to Justin, but wasn't sure how he would take it. She would be embarrassed if he turned her down. She also wanted to make sure it was okay with her daughter before bringing along this new man on their zoo trip.


Possibly going to the zoo with Gracie. What about you?


Zenia heard Grace shuffling into the kitchen, her curls frizzy and going in every direction. "Morning, Gracie Bug."


"Morning, mama. I'm hungry."


Zenia got up to make Grace some toast and bacon to prepare for their day at the zoo. She and Grace ate and chatted about random things and Zenia was pleasantly surprised that Grace was the one who brought up Justin.


"Mommy, when is Justin coming back?" She asked innocently.


"I'm not sure, baby. I talked to him earlier and told him we were going to the zoo today." Zenia didn't want to force Justin's company on Grace. She wanted things to happen organically. 


"Can he come with us?" Grace asked. 


Zenia smiled at her daughter, both excited for herself that she may be able to see Justin again today and for Grace who seemed to take a liking to him as well.


"I'll ask him."


Zenia checked her phone and noticed a text from Justin already. 


I don't have any plans today. What time are you going to the zoo?


Instead of replying, Zenia dialed his number and waited for him to answer. 


"I thought you not replying was your subtle way of telling me you don't want me to join you at the zoo." Justin answered, a lightheartedness in his voice.


Zenia laughed. "I was making breakfast for me and Grace and then we ate. Speaking of the zoo, she asked me if you would come with us."


"Oh, really? Grace wants me to come to the zoo? What about Zenia? Does Zenia want me to come to the zoo?" Justin teased. 


"I might," She teased back. Zenia was enjoying this playful banter with Justin. She wondered if their conversation would be awkward after the kiss they had the night before. Neither one of them had mentioned it since then. 


"Well, how about you and Grace meet me at the zoo around 2pm. Hopefully then you will have decided once you see my face," 


"You're so full of yourself, Justin, " Zenia laughed. "Okay, we'll see you at 2."


'Bye, Z"


--


Justin got to the zoo a little before 2 o'clock and was waiting at the entrance impatiently. He was very excited to spend time with Grace and Zenia again and to do something a little normal for once. 


Zenia pulled up to the zoo parking lot and noticed very few cars in the lot, which she thought was unusual for a nice day like today. She figured the place would be crawling with kids and families, especially since it was summer. She found a parking space close to the entrance, noticing Justin standing leisurely near the ticket booth. He was looking at his phone and texting, unaware that they had arrived. 


"Hmm, I see the face but I'm not sure my mind is made up," Zenia teased, she and Grace walking up to meet Justin.


Justin looked up from his phone and beamed. "I'm sure I could do something that would make that a definite yes."


Zenia's cheeks warmed as she realized he was referencing the kiss they had shared, but with Gracie present she didn't want to mention that. 


"Tell me later, " She smiled back. "So why is the zoo so dead today? I thought there would be so many people here."


"Let's just say, I made a quick phone call this morning to the owner. We have the zoo to ourselves for the next 2 hours,"


Zenia gasped, "Justin! You didn't!"


Grace jumped up and down and squealed at this. "The whole zoo is ours?"


"For the next two hours, Yep. All yours, Grace!" Justin said, proudly. Being who he was, Justin wanted to be enjoy the zoo without having to worry about cameras and fans. As much as he loved his fans, he wanted Zenia and Grace to feel comfortable on this outing with him. One of the perks of being a celebrity, was that he could make a quick phone call and  shut a whole establishment down just for himself. He hated to be that person sometimes, but knew it was also useful in some instances.


"Let's not waste any time. Come on, girls!" He said grabbing Zenia's hand and leading them inside.


--
 
As their two hours was coming to a close, Justin, Zenia and Grace walked out of the zoo and towards her car. They had a great time. Grace was excited about every animal they saw, especially the elephants. Zenia closely watched their interactions and was impressed with how good Justin was with her. 


Walking around the zoo with no other people around other than the staff was different, but Zenia understood why Justin had to do this. The last thing they needed was fans coming up to them asking about their relationship status, when truthfully she didn't know what that was either. She thought they were friends up until that kiss. 


"Mommy, I'm so tired. My legs hurt, " Grace complained, opening the the car door and getting in the backseat. 


"Just rest your legs for a second, honey. I'm going to talk to Justin. Tell him thank you for such a good day at the zoo?" 


"Thank you, Justin," Grace whined, buckling herself into her seat.


Justin chuckled, "No problem, kiddo. See ya."


Zenia shut the door, went around to the drivers side to turn the car on so that Grace could cool down. Turning back around to face Justin who was looking at her intently. Small beads of sweat formed at his brow and Zenia couldn't help but think the man was gorgeous even when sweaty.


"So, thank you for this Justin.." Zenia said.


"You're welcome. I had a lot of fun, Z. Seems like Grace did too," Justin pointed to the backseat where Grace was already drifting off to sleep. 


"Yeah, she did. You're really good with her."


"I like kids and apparently they like me, "  he joked.


Zenia bit her lip nervously, anxious to bring up the unspoken issue. "So, um.."


"The kiss, right? I'm not sure what came over me. I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable," He started.


Zenia cut him off, placing her lips on his. She hoped that it was safe since hardly anyone was around to recognize him. He reciprocated the kiss, and placed his hands firmly on her waist.


She pulled back and gazed at him. His eyes locked in on hers. "I don't think friends kiss like this," Zenia stated.


"I don't think they do," He smiled.


"What does this mean?" She asked. She wanted to leave the ball in his court. She was silently hoping that he wanted more than a friendship at this point.


"I'd like to keep hanging out and more and see where this goes.  What about you?" He answered, his hands lightly squeezed her waist.


"Yeah, let's do that," She replied, draping her arms around his neck and pulling him back down for another kiss.

A week had passed since their zoo outing. Zenia and Justin had seen each other  almost everyday. He had taken her lunch one day while she was at work, dressed in baggy clothing, sunglasses and a hat to disguise him. He discreetly dropped it off at the front desk with a cute note. Her co-workers at the clinic she worked at were all wondering who this new man was in her life. Zenia wasn’t one to gossip much with her co-workers as she tried to keep things professional. However, that was about to change.

She walked into the clinic on Monday morning after a relaxing weekend with Grace and Justin, oblivious to the whispering going on around her. She found it odd that none of the staff had acknowledged her, but chalked it up to being a case of the Monday’s. She settled into her office, pulling up her e-mail account as she did every morning while drinking her Venti Caramel Latte that she made sure to grab at the Starbucks across from the clinic.

Her phone buzzed and she pulled it out of the pocket of her scrub jacket. It was Nora. She thought it unusual that Nora would call her at this time of day. Somewhat confused and worried, Zenia answered.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Z. Sorry to bother you at work..” Nora trailed off.

“It’s ok, Nor. Is something wrong?” Zenia asked, panic evident in her voice.

“I’m fine. Everyone is fine. Um, so I was browsing the web this morning and landed on TMZ to catch up on some headlines or whatever.. well remember that trip to the zoo with Justin?”

“Yea…” Zenia was extremely confused now and just wished Nora would get to the point.

“There’s pictures of you and Justin kissing in the parking lot and an article about you both. I just wanted to let you know,” Nora explained.

“What? How? There was no one there!” Zenia exclaimed, thinking back to that day trying to think of anyway that someone could have taken pictures of them without their knowledge. She knew that Justin was a public figure and that eventually this may happen, but she was not ready to have her face and business plastered all over the internet.

“It was probably a staff member wanting to make some extra money so they took pictures and sold them to these news sites,”

“This is unbelievable, Nora. I’m not ready for this shit,” Zenia complained. “Please tell me there are no pictures of Gracie.”

“I didn’t see any. Just you and Justin. I’m sorry, Z.”

Zenia was so relieved that Grace was in the car already at that point, and that no pictures were obtained of her.

“It’s fine, Nor. Thank you for telling me. I’m going to get back to work,” Zenia sighed.

“Okay. Love you, girl. Talk to you later,”

“Love you. Bye,” Zenia hung up the phone and immediately went on her computer and went straight to the TMZ website.

Justin Timberlake’s New Fling?
An insider claims that Justin Timberlake and his new girlfriend who’s name is unknown at this time, we’re spotted lip locking outside of the LA Zoo. The insider claims that Mr. SexyBack had the zoo to himself for 2 hours and walked around with his new girl. They held hands and seemed very friendly and eventually kissed when leaving the establishment. Is this the rebound after Jessica Biel or just a distraction until the two get back together? 

Zenia looked at the pictures of herself and Justin kissing and her heart fluttered. She had to admit they looked so good together. Seeing the picture brought back the memory of his kiss. Even though they had shared several more since this particular kiss.

When she glanced back over the article, she was quite annoyed that it insinuated that she was a rebound or distraction to Justin. She tried her best to not let it get to her.
She stood up from her desk and grabbed her stethoscope, ready to get this day started. She headed to the exam room of her first patient.

—

Zenia slid into her car, slamming the door behind her. The day only seemed to get worse after Nora called her with the news. Being the only practitioner in the clinic that day, she was overwhelmed with patients. Her staff seemed to be distant and aloof towards her and it seemed as though she could never find supplies she needed. Not to mention, she had not heard from Justin all day. She could only assume that he had seen the article posted about them.

She drove straight home, relieved that Grace was staying with her mother tonight. She planned to go home, take a long shower and drink several glasses of wine.

Her shower was hot and soothing, washing the events of the day off of her. When she emerged,  she put on a black and white silk pajama shirt and short set and put her hair atop her head in a messy bun. Surprisingly, she felt somewhat better.

She had just poured her first glass when she heard a knock at the door. Her heart jumped, hoping it was Justin. She glanced through the peephole just in case and couldn’t believe who she saw.

Zenia quickly debated on whether she should open the door. She swung it open and was met face to face with a man she had not seen in almost 6 years.


“Michael?” She questioned. She looked at the man before her who she once was completely in love with. He still looked the same to her, gorgeous green eyes, his brown hair in a clean shaven buzz cut against his smooth, milky skin. She caught herself staring for a second before she decided she was quite perturbed that he was there — unannounced at that. The last time she saw her child's father was when Grace was an infant. He had come to visit one day and decided then he wasn't ready to be a father. She had not seen him since and Grace had no recollection of him at all.


“Zenia, we need to talk,” He began, looking her up and down. She suddenly felt uncomfortable wearing her pajamas in his presence.  She didn’t want him to see her this way. He didn’t deserve to see her at all. 


“You want to talk? About what, Michael?” 


“Aren’t you going to let me in?” He asked, looking past her into the apartment.


She hesitated then stepped aside, allowing him to enter. 


“What do you want?” She asked, following closely behind him as he walked to the living room area.


“I want to see my kid. That’s what I want,” he said. He made himself comfortable on the loveseat. Zenia instantly regretted letting him in, and was already wondering how she was going to get him out of her home. 


“Since when do you care about seeing MY daughter?” Zenia retorted.


“Since you have been parading her all over town with Justin Timberlake. That’s my kid, Zenia. Not his.”


“Oh, so this is what this is about? You think Justin is going to take your place?” Zenia laughed coolly. 


“Zen, I really don’t give a damn if you’re fucking him, but he’s not going to be around MY kid.” 


Zenia’s blood began to boil. “She has a fucking name. It’s Grace. And it is not your business who I am seeing OR who is in Grace’s life because you never have been!” She yelled. She was angry at him for having the audacity to show up at HER home and demand to see HER daughter. She wanted him out. 


“It is my business. You can either do what I said or I will take you to court,” he yelled back, standing up to meet her icy stare. Deep down, she was frightened as his taller frame towered over hers, but she refused to show it. She broke their stand off, and marched to the door swinging it open. 


“Get the fuck out!” She screamed. She didn’t care who heard the commotion. 


He walked over to her until he was once again towering over her small body, and leaned down to her ear. “All he wants you for is sex. You will never be anything more than that. He’s a millionaire. He doesn’t give a damn about your low life self,” He chuckled lowly, causing a rush of fear to run through her. She had never seen him behave this way and all she wanted was for him to leave. The Michael she knew was a deadbeat dad for sure, but aggression was never anything he had displayed towards her.


“Fuck you,” she spat back, as he walked past her. She slammed the door before he could say or do anything else, locking every lock. She lingered there waiting to hear anything, but heard only silence. After a moment, she looked through the peephole to see he was gone. She put her back against the door and slid down to the floor trembling. She shakily pulled out her phone as the tears began to sting her eyes. She called the one person who she thought she could feel safe with.


He answered after two rings. “Hey, Z.”


She sniffled and tried to control her voice before responding, “Justin… can you come over here?”


Justin sensed that she was upset and immediately began to worry. “Zenia, baby what’s wrong? Is Grace okay?”


“She’s fine. She’s at my mom’s. I just really need you right now,” she cried.


“I’ll be right there, Z. I’m leaving now,” he grabbed his keys and headed out the door.


—


The entire way to Zenia’s, Justin wondered what was wrong. He sped all the way there, not caring if he got pulled over or not. The only thing that mattered was getting to Zenia as quickly as possible.


When he was finally at her doorstep, he knocked rapidly waiting for her to answer. She opened the door and he quickly entered, slamming the door and enveloping her into his arms. She limply fell against him and sobbed. 


“Shhh. I’m here, Z,” Justin soothed . “I’m here. Tell me what’s wrong.”


She looked up at him with her tear stained face. “He’s going to take Grace from me, Justin.”


“Who’s taking Grace?” 


“Michael. Her father. He showed up here unexpectedly and said he would take me to court if I don’t stop seeing you.” 


Justin felt his heart race for several reasons. The thought of Zenia refusing to see him anymore because of this guy threatening her was enough to make him want to hunt him down himself. Secondly, he knew how much Zenia loved her daughter and didn’t want her to have to go through stressful custody battles with a man who had spent little to no time in that little girl's life.


Zenia had not told Justin much about Michael, but he knew from being around the past couple of months that the guy did not exist in Grace’s world. Hell, Justin had spent more time with Grace than her own biological father. 


Justin kissed Zenia’s forehead sweetly, lingering there until her sobs began to subside.


“I promise I will do anything I can do to make sure this doesn’t happen,” he reassured her. He knew he could find the best lawyers for Zenia and that this deadbeat Michael didn’t stand a chance. 


“Maybe we should stop seeing each other,” Zenia sniffled.


“Is that what you want?” Justin asked softly. 


“No. I don’t want that at all,” she confessed, her small hands clutching at the back of his shirt.


“Then we won’t stop seeing each other. He can’t dictate your life,” Justin said firmly.


Zenia merely nodded, still not sure of what was the best thing to do. In this moment, she didn’t want to think about it anymore. She only wanted to continue to be in Justin’s arms.


He walked them over to her couch, pulling Zenia into his lap. He caressed her cheek with his finger, wiping any stray tears that were falling. 


“Thank you for coming,” She spoke.


“Z, you scared me. I was coming whether you asked me to or not,” he smiled, leaning in to kiss her.


Zenia welcomed the kiss. She loved Justin’s kisses, so sweet, so tender.


“J?” She breathed, her mouth still on his.


“Hmm?”


“Make me feel good,” 


Justin leaned back, caressing her cheek again. “Z, you don’t know how badly I want to, but you've had a rough night. You’re feeling vulnerable and I would never want to take advantage of that. I don’t want us to do anything we may not be ready for.”


Zenia knew he was right. She sighed, “Why do you have to be such a good person?”


Justin chuckled softly, “You can thank my mama for that.”


“I plan to.”

After the emotional night Zenia had, Justin couldn’t bring himself to leave her. They remained on the couch holding each other until he felt her body relax and drift off to sleep. 


He carried her to her bedroom, laying her down and kissing her forehead. Justin took his sweatpants off, leaving his t-shirt and boxer briefs and climbed into the bed with her. He pulled her to him, cocooning his body around hers. He felt her stir a little and whimper in her sleep. He moved her hair and kissed her neck gently. 


“I’m going to take care of you. Don’t worry,” he whispered into her neck. 


Justin laid there for some time, his mind racing about the threats that Michael had made to Zenia. Justin’s loved ones always said one of his greatest yet worst qualities was that he always tried to save people. He knew it too but told himself that this time was different. He had to make sure Zenia and Grace were okay. He had to.


—


Zenia awoke to the unfamiliar yet calming warmth of a body next to her. She remembered being with Justin on the couch as he consoled her the night before and wondered how she ended up in bed. It startled her a bit until she glanced down at the strong muscular arm that was draped across her midsection. Zenia was suddenly very aware of the closeness of their bodies with his curved around hers. His chest was against her back, his lips dangerously close to her neck, his leg tangled with hers and even more so apparent, her backside in contact with his front, his boxer briefs just a thin barrier between them.


 She turned her upper body to see Justin’s peaceful sleeping face, his hair in slight disarray. She smiled to herself thinking everything about this moment felt so good.




She heard him snore quietly and thought since he was sleeping soundly that she could escape to use the bathroom and get her day started.


“Don’t leave,” Justin groaned tightening his hold on her.


“I thought you were asleep,” Zenia said turning to face him.


“I am. And you should be too,” he mumbled. “Too early.”


“Its 9 AM. I’m usually up by now. Want some coffee?”


“Sure,” he grumbled.


Zenia attempted again to escape his hold, but he pulled her close to him again. 


“I can’t make coffee from bed—“


“Shh.” He silenced her by placing his lips on hers, his hand moving to her hip where he squeezed it affectionately. He then placed soft kisses along her jawline. Pulling back he grinned and simply said “Good morning.”


“Good morning, Justin.” Zenia smiled back, pecked his cheek and hopped out of bed to start her day.


This is definitely something I could get used to, She thought.  


—


After a quick breakfast and coffee with Zenia, Justin reluctantly went home to shower and change and make it to an impromptu meeting with his manager Johnny and publicist, Annie. 


He decided to drive himself to WEG headquarters, instead of calling for car service and security. He figured with a meeting as random as this, paparazzi would not be expecting him out.


When he pulled up, parking his silver Mercedes Benz in the parking lot and making the small trek to the office, unaware of a pair of green eyes watching his every move and noting which car he drove.


—


“Good morning, J. Have a seat,” Johnny greeted him as he entered the large conference room.


“Morning Johnny. What’s this about? We couldn’t have talked about this over the phone?” He questioned taking a seat.


Johnny opened his mouth to respond but was cut off by Annie’s boisterous voice as she burst into the conference room.


“Justin, Justin, Justin.” The woman said, throwing her belongings down on the table. 


“What’s going on Annie? I’m on a break and I really don’t see the point in coming in here today.” He responded seemingly annoyed. Annie was still fairly new, having only been his publicist for 9 months. He was still trying to figure out if he liked her or not. She wasn’t exactly his cup of tea but she seemed to know her stuff and was efficient.


“I know. However, after seeing some recent articles about you, I’m a little concerned about some things.” She paused to take a sip of her large coffee. “So, I’m not sure who this Sienna girl is but I’m not sure it’s great for your image to be dating a single mother. It comes with too much baggage and drama and that is the last thing you need right now.”


Justin rolled his eyes. He remembered a similar meeting months before about how he should publicly handle his breakup with Jessica. He more or less respectfully told Annie that he would deal with his relationships and breakups however he pleased. This wasn’t 1999 anymore and he didn’t have to tiptoe around questions about who he was dating.  He was a seasoned performer and public figure now and he felt he had earned his say in his career and personal affairs.


“Her name is Zenia.” He said simply, correcting her.


“Right. So, it seems fairly new so I don’t think it’s too late to break it off before the media jumps on this too hard.” 


“I’m not breaking off anything.” Justin looked at Johnny for some sort of help, but he just offered him a shrug. 


“Justin, the world was expecting a Justin and Jessica engagement. A fairytale story. This just doesn’t align with your image,” Annie continued confidently arguing her case.


“I don’t give a damn what the world was expecting. Jess and I are over. I have moved on. I’m happy and I refuse to sacrifice my happiness for a false image of my life.” Justin shouted, startling everyone in the room including himself. It seemed that no one wanted Zenia and Justin to be together and it was starting to infuriate him.


He didn’t give a damn about her being a single mother. He didn’t give a damn about her being the total opposite of his ex. 


Annie sighed and ran a hand through her long auburn hair, “Well be prepared for a media shit show.” 


“Whatever,” Justin stood up and roughly pushed his chair in. “Don’t call me on my break for anymore meetings about this shit. This was a waste of my time.”

Days had passed since the meeting where Justin’s publicist had advised Justin to break things off with Zenia. Although he tried to act like it didn’t bother him, it clearly affected his mood and Zenia could tell. He was quiet and standoffish at times. Zenia tried her best to ignore it and hoped if something was bothering him that he would let her know. 


Justin internally debated on whether he should tell Zenia about the meeting or not. He knew that she had enough on her plate already with the Michael situation. He also didn’t want to start off their relationship by holding things in. 


They were at the park near Zenia’s apartment watching Grace play with another little girl she had befriended. Justin sat close to Zenia, pulling his cap down further in an attempt to mask his identity. The last thing he needed was paparazzi showing up at the park and frightening Grace. 


He waited until Grace was far enough away to not hear the conversation.


“So, I have to tell you something,” He began. 


Zenia looked at him wide eyed, paranoid, preparing for the worst. 


“I had a meeting the other day with my manager and publicist.”


Zenia’s expression never changed, “Okay.. Was it a bad meeting?”


“Sort of. They think that we should stop seeing each other,” He said bracing himself for her reaction. He studied her face which now took on a confused look, her brows furrowed in a questioning glare.


“So is this your way of breaking up with me? I can tell you have been moody lately."


Justin sighed, “No, Z. I don’t want that at all. I told them I’m going to do what I want and what I want is to be with you. I don’t give a damn how it looks.”


“So that is why they are concerned? You’re dating a black single mother, with a mixed kid and that would taint your Mr. Perfect image, right?” She said bitterly. She hated that the people closest to Justin viewed her this way. She was more than that obviously if Justin had taken interest in her. 


“That’s basically what my publicist implied without directly saying it,” He put his arm around her bringing her closer to him. “But, I don’t care about any of that shit, Z. I never have. I’ve dated people of all ethnicities and walks of life. I like you for who you are and I want to be with you. If the world has a problem with that, well then, fuck ‘em.”


Zenia silently laughed, still a bit upset about the news but amused by Justin's way of thinking. 


“It just really sucks that there are so many people against us being together. Does our happiness not matter?” She asked looking over at him.


“Of course it does. Especially to me. Look at you, Z. You’re educated, beautiful, have an amazing daughter, great career, and you're fine as hell. I’d be a fool to let this go.” He confessed.


“Beautiful and fine as hell?” She laughed again.


“I know what I said, woman.” He grinned. 


Just then, Grace shouted in their direction as she stood at the top of the slide. “Justin! Justin! I bet you can’t go down this slide!” 


Justin looked at Zenia as he stood up quickly, “This little girl doesn’t know that JT doesn’t back down from a challenge.”


Zenia shook her head and laughed as she watched Justin take off in the direction of the slide. 


“Don’t break any of those precious bones, old man.”
—


Michael watched the scene from his car parked a ways away. He punched the steering wheel in frustration. He thought for sure he had scared Zenia enough into not seeing Justin anymore, but clearly he was wrong. He had to find a different approach. 


He had to come up with some other plan and fast. It looked as though things were getting serious with Justin and Zenia. Grace looked at Justin in a way that made Michael’s blood boil. She looked at him like he was a father, like he was her father. He had to put a stop to this. 


—


“Mommy, can Justin read me my bedtime story tonight?” Grace asked. After the park, they returned to Zenia’s where she cooked dinner, then they settled on the couch watching TV until Grace’s bedtime. 


Zenia looked at Justin questionably, not wanting to put any pressure on him to do any parental duties. Justin looked pleasantly surprised at Grace’s request. 


“I would love to, if its okay with your mom,” he answered.


Both Grace and Justin looked at Zenia for an answer. She thought it over quickly and decided she was a bit torn about it. She enjoyed story time with Grace and she was the only one who had done it, besides when Grace stayed with Tanya. She also thought it would be a nice break to do something alone for a couple of minutes if Justin were to do story time tonight. She decided the latter sounded good.


“Sure, honey. Go ahead to your room and pick a book.” She kissed Grace on the head then told her goodnight. 


Grace ran off to her room. Justin pulled Zenia into an embrace, “Are you sure this is okay?” He asked.


“Yes, I’m sure.” 


“Why don’t you go relax, take a hot bath or something?” He suggested. He kissed her on the nose before heading in the direction of Grace’s room. 


Zenia decided it was a good idea and went towards the bathroom, but not before stopping by Grace’s room and peaking inside. She saw Justin sitting on the edge of the bed opening a book. She smiled and went on her way.


—


Zenia emerged from the bathroom feeling relaxed. She was grateful for those 20 minutes of peace. She padded into her room, meeting eyes with Justin who was sitting at the edge of her bed. He opened his arms inviting her to step in side. She put her arms around his neck as he circled his arms around her waist snuggling his face into her chest. 


“ How did it bedtime go?” She asked. She affectionately stroked the hair at the nape of his neck. 


“Great. She was asleep in no time. I hope you enjoyed your bath.” He looked up at her, she down at him and met him for a kiss.


“I did, “ She said before resuming the kiss. He moved his hands to her ass, giving it a tight squeeze, causing her to gasp into their kiss.


Justin chuckled lowly. He caught her bottom lip between his teeth and tugged gently. She hungrily kissed him back, a fire igniting within her. She pushed him back on the bed as she straddled his lap. Justin pulled her down for another kiss letting his hands wander up and down her body.


In one swift move, he had flipped them so that he was now hovering over her. He settled his body on top of hers, peppering her neck with soft kisses. 


“Justin,” she moaned. 


“Yeah, baby?” He answered, continuing his assault on her neck. 


Zenia couldn't think let alone formulate a response. Justin came back up to claim her lips, halting any attempt of her answering anyway.


“Can I taste you?” He asked huskily. Zenia’s body shuddered at his request. Everything in her screamed yes. He could do whatever he wanted to at this point and she would oblige.


She bit her lip and nodded, never breaking eye contact with him as he moved away to pull her pajama shorts down, revealing her lower half to him. Her eyes widened in anticipation. She wanted this so very badly but she was also scared. It had been years since Zenia had been this intimate with a man and when she had it was strictly sex, no intimacy like she was feeling with Justin at this very moment. And she had definitely not experienced what Justin was about to do. As embarrassing as it was to her, she felt compelled to tell him.


“J?” She said sitting up on her elbows.


“Mmhmm?” 


She stopped him just as he lowered his head and aligned it with her center. “It’s just I haven’t done anything like this in a very long time…” she trailed off.


“That’s okay. All you have to do is lay here and let me make you feel good. I’m not asking for anything other than that.”


She nodded, her indication that it was okay for him to continue. He resumed his position and she watched him closely, nearly bursting at the seams as she felt his breath on her. 


Finally, he kissed her mound delicately several times before he began to lick slowly. Her back arched immediately as she tried to maintain her gaze on him. 


Zenia’s breath became ragged as Justin continued his quest between her legs. His strong hands gripped her thighs, preventing her from writhing away from him.


Her moans only drove him to work harder at bringing her to her climax. He felt her legs clench as she reached her orgasm, softly calling out his name. He placed several tender kisses on her before he came back up to her face. He nestled his nose into her neck placing more kisses there as she attempted to catch her breath. 


After several minutes, she faced him grinning shyly. 


“Are you okay?” He asked delicately stroking her cheek with his hand.


"I'm more than okay. That was amazing. I've never experienced that before," She confessed.


Justin face scrunched up in confusion, then softened at the realization. "Z, nobody has ever gone down on you before?"


Her cheeks warmed in embarrassment, "No."


"That's a shame. We'll have to make up for that." He grinned making his way back down her body. 


--


Zenia awoke the next morning and felt around for Justin finding the other side of the bed cold. She sighed sadly and sat up wondering where he was. She faintly heard sound coming from the kitchen. She got up and slipped her house shoes on and made her way to the kitchen surprised at the scene in front of her.


Grace was sitting on the kitchen counter mixing pancake batter and Justin was at the stove flipping pancakes. They were talking and laughing about something. Zenia’s heart fluttered. 


“Good morning,” she spoke up getting their attention.


Justin turned his head around and gave her a big grin. “Morning, Z. Grace wanted pancakes and it just so happens I am a master of making pancakes.”


“Good morning, mommy!” Grace exclaimed. 


“Good morning,” Zenia planted a kiss on Grace’s forehead, She wanted so badly to kiss Justin too but refrained to avoid any questions from Grace. She took a seat at the dining table awaiting her pancakes.


When the food was done, Grace and Justin both joined Zenia at the table to eat. 


“Sooo Zenia, I want to take you and Grace on a little vacation,” Justin announced, his mouth full of pancake.


“Okay… Where to?” Zenia asked, looking at him. 


“Montana. I have a house there. Given everything that’s been going on, I thought it would be a nice little getaway for us all.”


“Montana? Never been.” 


“We know.” Justin laughed.


“Hush,” Zenia replied, playfully kicking his foot under the table. “When do you want to go? I’ll check at work Monday and see if a week is available.”


“Here’s the thing. I want to leave today. Like after breakfast.” 


“Today? Justin, there’s no way..” 


Zenia was cut off by Justin’s next statement, “I may have already called your job and asked them to give you the week off. I may or may not have also given the clinic a generous donation,” He braced himself for her reaction, unsure of how she would take it. 


When he woke up that morning, all he could think about was how much he was enjoying time with Zenia and Grace. However, everyone around them were threatening to ruin things for them. His publicist, Michael, paparazzi. It dawned on him then that he knew the perfect place for them to essentially hide out without any unwanted guests for awhile. 


“Justin, what? Why would you do that?” Zenia asked curiously. She wasn’t angry, but more so confused as to why he was in such a hurry to take this trip. 


“It’s very secluded out there. I just thought it would be good for us all. I know I should’ve let you handle your job, but I knew you would’ve tried to back out. This was only way I felt I could definitely get you to come.” 


“Please mommy! I want to go to Montana. Justin told me we could make s’mores by the fire and he has a pool!” Grace was practically jumping out her seat.


Zenia looked between the two of them. Both looks of excitement and anticipation on their faces, their eyes pleading with her to give in.


“Okay. We’ll go.” She smiled, her own anticipation building.


Justin and Grace cheered and high fived each other. 


“Eat up, ladies. Y’all have some packing to do!” Justin exclaimed.

They had about an hour to pack up and leave, preventing Zenia from really considering what she said yes to.



Hours later they stepped off the private plane that had landed in Big Sky, Montana. This was all new to Zenia - Montana, private planes, trips with Justin. She didn’t really know what to think of it just yet, but as anxious as she was knew she would enjoy this time with him. She always enjoyed time with Justin. 




They were met with a private SUV after stepping off the plane. They piled inside awaiting the moment they would pull up to Justin’s home. 


Upon pulling up, Grace gasped and pointed out the tinted window. “Wow. Is that your house, Justin?”


“Yep! Wanna see the inside?” He asked, jumping out of the car and motioning for Grace to follow him. Zenia watched the two run up to the large wooden front doors as she trailed behind them. 


She quietly followed them from room to room as Justin gave them a brief tour. They finally made their way out back where there was a large swimming pool.


“Mommy, mommy, I want to swim now! Can I?” Grace asked giddily. 


"Isn't it a bit cold to swim?" Zenia asked, looking at Justin.


"It's heated. She'll be fine," He replied.


“Okay. Go change into your swimsuit. There was a bathroom just inside. Do you think you’ll be okay, Gracie?” Zenia asked.


“Yep!” Grace responded, running off to go change, leaving Justin and Zenia alone.


When Justin felt the coast was clear, he pulled Zenia into his arms. “Are you okay? You’ve been quiet.”


“Just taking it all in. The private planes, this huge house, your lifestyle.” She rested her head on his chest.


“Z, I’m still me. I know its a lot sometimes, but please just try to enjoy your time here. I want you to have a good time,” He lifted her chin, staring into her big brown eyes. All he wanted was for Zenia to get away and have a stress free week. He didn’t realize his big, grand gesture may have been a bit much for her. 


Those blue eyes always seemed to take her breath away. It was like he stared deep into her soul and for a second, it was all she could focus on. She noticed his eyes pleading with her to have a good time and it seemed to temporarily melt away all her reservations. 


“I will, J. Thank you for this.” She pecked him on the lips, pulling back suddenly when she heard small footsteps running their way.


Justin respected Zenia’s decision to keep things friend-like in front of Grace, but it was becoming harder and harder to do, All he wanted was to be able to show his affection at any time he felt like it. He felt that affection growing stronger and stronger and holding back was becoming torturous. 


He sighed stepping away from, then planted a smile on his face as Grace reappeared. 


“Can I jump in, Justin?” She asked, running full speed ahead.


“Sure,” He responded, barely able to finish his answer before he heard a small splash in the pool. 


————-


Later,  after Grace had been tucked into bed, Zenia and Justin headed to his bar where they each poured themselves a drink — Justin a whiskey and coke, Zenia a glass of red wine. They headed back outside to the fire pit. Justin lit a fire as they snuggled close together on a bench, enjoying the cool air and the sounds of nature around them.


“So Z, why didn’t your mom name you Xenia with a X. I’ve always wanted to ask you that.” Justin sipped his whiskey and coke as he sat by the fire with Zenia.


Zenia laughed. She was often asked this question when people saw how her name was spelled. 


“My mom claims that when she was pregnant with me, it was the most calm, peaceful time of her life. She wanted a name that reflected that. She wanted to name me Zen, but my dad thought it sounded Ike a boys name, so she came up with Zenia. And here I am,” Zenia explained.


Justin nodded, “Wow, that’s like really cool, Z. I wish I had a story to go with my name. My name is vanilla as shit,” He joked.


Zenia laughed along with him, “Justin, I love your name and it’s a household name these days. You should be proud of it.”


“I guess you’re right.” He sipped. “So, where is your dad now? You don’t say much about him.”


“Oh, he passed away when I was a couple months old. I don’t have any recollection of him,” Zenia said, nursing her glass of Merlot. 


“I’m sorry, Z.” Justin said, placing an arm across Zenia’s shoulders, giving her a comforting squeeze.


“It’s ok. I didn’t really know him. All I ever knew was my mom. She’s been the most amazing parent I could have ever had. I don’t know what I would do without her,”


“That’s how I feel about my mom. She’s done so much for me. Sometimes I don’t know how I could ever repay her,” Justin sighed.


“I’m sure everything she’s done for you is because she loves you. I can bet she’s extremely proud of you Justin.” 


“Thanks, Z” he looked over at her and smiled. “Speaking of my mom, when I told her I was coming out here she asked me if she could come visit. So, you’re going to meet her tomorrow.”


Zenia’s eyes widened in surprises “What? Tomorrow?"


Zenia panicked. The thought of meeting Justin Timberlake's mom was terrifying. She was sure that his mother thought the world revolved around her son and how could she live up to his past girlfriends? She wasn't an actress like Jessica Biel, and she wasn't a pop superstar like Britney Spears. She felt defeated. There was no way that his mother would like her. 


"Z, don't worry. My mom is cool as hell. She will love you," Justin reassured, kissing her forehead. 


"I just wasn't expecting to meet her so soon."


"Is it really soon? We've known each other for a couple of months now. We're dating, right? I want my girlfriend to meet my mom. I want her to meet Grace too."


This was the first time Justin had ever referred to her as his girlfriend and it was sending little butterflies flying all through her body. It felt oddly weird but good at the same time. 


"I guess you're right. I'm excited." She replied, smiling at him. 


"Good," He smiled, taking another sip before looking up at the sky. It was a clear night and the moon shone directly in their path. It was like their own little spotlight. He looked at Zenia and couldn't help but notice how beautiful she looked in this setting. Her long black hair was straightened but brushed away from her face. She had not a stitch of makeup on her smooth skin. Justin couldn't tear his eyes away from her.


Zenia looked at him, catching his stare. "You're staring at me."


"I'm sorry. You just look so beautiful out here tonight," He confessed, pulling her closer to him. 


"Thank you. So do you," She said capturing his lips, catching him by surprise. Justin settled into her kiss, sighing at how long he had waited to really kiss her today. He rested his hand on her thigh, rubbing it lightly. Zenia felt the warmth of his body so close to hers, tasted the whiskey on his lips, she leaned in further.


She pulled away and stared into his eyes, reading the same thing she had on her mind, "Let's go inside," She whispered.

Here it was. The moment that Justin and Zenia had been patiently waiting to have. Justin admitted to himself that he had fantasized about this numerous times in his mind, but now that he was here in this moment making it a reality, he knew that he wanted it to make it something they both would remember. 


Grabbing her hand, he led her inside his large home, stopping at the kitchen island to leave their drinks. They silently walked to Justin’s bedroom, closing the door behind them. 


Zenia decided that she was ready for this, although still a little nervous. She was about to have sex with Justin Timberlake and that statement alone sounded preposterous. 


Justin motioned for her to sit on the edge of the bed. He then carefully took each of her shoes off and placed them on the floor, then took his off as well. He tugged her shirt off, slowly pulled her baggy sweatpants off tossing them in a pile. 


As she sat there in her black lace bra and panties, she silently praised herself for putting on matching underwear that day. She watched Justin shed his clothing until he was down to his boxer briefs. Her lust filled eyes scanned his body admiring his toned chest and arms. 


“Come here, Z” he said moving to get under his comforter, patting the space beside him. Zenia climbed in until they were lying on their sides facing each other. 


Justin captured her ips with his, wrapping his strong arm around her body pulling it closer to his. He positioned himself so that he was settled on top of her, in between her legs. He stopped kissing her to gaze into her big beautiful eyes. 


“Are you okay?” He asked, tenderly caressing her cheek.


“Yes,” She nodded, pulling him back down for a kiss, giving him the confirmation he needed to continue.


Justin reached around her to unhook her bra and carefully slid it off of her, admiring her smooth brown mounds and attaching his lips to one while caressing the other with his hand. Zenia softly moaned, running her fingers through his short hair. 


Justin continued his quest down her body, reaching her panty clad center. He delicately pulled those off of her body and immediately went to work licking and sucking at her sensitive core. When she felt that familiar tingle bubbling inside of her, she called out his name, “Justin?”


“Yes, baby?” He asked, stopping fearing that she had changed her mind.


“I want you inside of me, “ She said breathily, meeting his gaze. 


He smiled, making his way back up her body. She watched him finally remove his boxer briefs, freeing his hard, erect member from its confines. 


He aligned their bodies together and slowly inched his way inside, allowing Zenia to get comfortable with his size. Feeling how tight she felt against him, made him almost want to explode. He quickly took a deep breath and tried to compose himself, starting a steady rhythmic thrust in and out. 


Initially, Zenia felt a little discomfort, knowing that she had not done this in such a long time and not to mention, Justin’s size was bigger than she had anticipated. She was pleassntly surprised. That discomfort quickly was replaced with pleasure as she felt him slowly slide in and out of her. It was the most amazing thing she had ever felt. 


She tried her best to maintain eye contact with him but felt her eyes closing in ecstasy as her moans increased. 


“Z, baby you feel so amazing, “ Justin stated, his hand snaking up to her hair, threading his fingers in between her silky locks. 


Zenia opened her mouth to respond, but all that she could muster were more moans before his lips captured hers again and again. 


It didn’t take long before Zenia felt that tingle in her lower half signlaing her impending orgasm. She gripped his back tighter as she groaned, “Oh, fuck,” her body going rigid briefly as the most incredible high wet through her body. 


Justin felt her walls clench around him, sending him over the edge as he pounded in and out of her riding out his orgasm. He breathlessly fell to the side of her, as they both attempted to catch their breath. 


After a moment, she faced him grinning, kissing his swollen, pink lips. “That was amazing, J.”


“Girl, you have no idea. You’re going to have to pry me off of you from now on,” he joked, pulling her close to him. 


“Did you lock the door?” Zenia asked, feeling her eyes getting heavy. “I don’t feel like getting dressed and I don’t want Grace busting in here in the morning.”


“Yes, it’s locked.” He assured her. “And don’t even think about putting your clothes on, baby. We’re sleeping nekkid tonight.”


“Nekkid?” Zenia laughed, “You’re crazy.”


“Crazy about you…”  He said softly, closing his eyes.

————


Zenia awoke the next morning and saw that she was in bed alone, still naked. It was becoming the trend for Justin to be up before her lately.


She felt different, in a good way. After sharing what they did they night before, Zenia felt their relationship was becoming much deeper and for once she was okay with it. 



She found her clothing and put it on, grabbing her phone to check it, noticing a text from Marie. 


Hello, its your best friend. Just checking to see if you’re alive since you’ve neglected us for a certain pop star ;)


Zenia laughed. She knew that she had spent a lot of  time with Justin lately, somewhat neglecting her friends, Marie and Nora. She vowed to spend some time with them when she returned from Montana. 


Hey Rie, I’m in Montana with J. Sorry I’ve been a shitty friend.


You could never be a shitty friend. Montana? Ok I need some details.


We’re spending the week here. I’ll call you soon and fill you in. P.S. we DID IT. :)


Omg. Call me ASAP. Love you bitch.


Zenia laughed and sent a quick text to her mother to let her know where she was, before putting her phone away. She then ventured out of Justin’s bedroom in search of him.


It didn’t take her long to figure out where he was. The smell of bacon and waffles filed the air and she followed her nose to the kitchen where she saw Justin and Grace giggling and dancing along to Prince. 


“Good morning, sleepyhead,” Justin greeted her. “Grace and I already ate our food. Yours is at the table.”


Zenia took a seat and began to dig into her food, so thankful that Justin was such a good cook. She was enjoying waking up to breakfast. 


“Good morning, Mommy. I slept so good. That bed is sooooo big. I need one like that at our house,” Grace exclaimed. 


“I’m glad you slept well, honey.” Zenia smiled. 


“Justin said that we are going on a hike today!" Grace said excitedly.


"Sounds fun," Zenia said, smiling at them both. 


"Hey Grace, why don't you go ahead and get dressed while your mom finishes up her breakfast?" Justin suggested. 


Grace jumped up and shouted "Okay!" before scurrying off to her designated room for the week. 


Justin eyed Zenia as he sauntered towards her, "Now I can properly tell you good morning. Good morning, baby." He said leaning down to kiss her. 


"Mmm. Good morning to you too," She responded.


Justin hesitated before he spoke again, "Z, how long are we going to keep this from Grace? I don't want to hide anymore."


Zenia stopped eating and looked at Justin , taken aback by his admission. If she was being honest with herself, she was becoming tired of sneaking around too. Grace was a very smart little girl and it wasn't going to take her long to catch on,  if she hadn't already. 


"Maybe we can sit her down while we're here this week and talk with her," She suggested.


"I'd love that," Justin grinned widely, stealing a kiss once again before taking off down the hall to his room to prepare for the day. 


------


"Come on, Z! You're a slowpoke!" Justin teased as they made their way up a short trail. Justin had picked one that would be easier and safer for Grace to navigate with them, but it seemed as though Zenia was the one who was trailing behind. 


"Hush, Justin!" Zenia puffed, blowing a strand of hair out of her face. Zenia was not an outdoorsy person whatsoever, so when Justin said he was taking them for a hike, she was a little less than thrilled. She didn't voice her dislike of the activity that he planned, because she didn't want to disappoint Grace or Justin. She figured that she could tag along and get it over with and that it would be a breeze. Boy, was she wrong.


As they reached the top of an overlook, Zenia took a long swig of her water bottle. 


“Slow down, tiger. We still have to go back down,” Justin teased.


Zenia rolled her eyes at him playfully. She took Grace’s hand in hers as they walked to edge of the overlook to admire the view.


“Mommy, look at all those mountains.” Grace said in awe, clutching her mother’s hand.


“Wow,” she breathed, suddenly forgetting the trek it took to get there. It was totally worth the view. 


Justin stood back watching the moment that Grace and Zenia were having. He quickly took out his phone and snapped a picture of them as they looked on.


“So, what do you think?” He asked, joining them.


“It’s beautiful, J.”


“I love it. Can we move here, mommy?” Grace asked.


“Oh no Gracie. We are just visiting but it is really nice isn’t it?”


“You can visit anytime you’d like, Grace,” Justin offered.


Grace reached out to hug Justin, catching both him and Zenia off guard. “Thank you , Justin. You’re the best.”


Justin heart warmed as he looked down at the little girl hugging his waist. He placed his arms around her little body and gave her a hug, looking in Zenia’s direction trying to read the expression on her face. He wasn’t totally sure but thought he saw her get emotional briefly before looking down at her feet.


“How about we get out of here and get some lunch?” He suggested.


—


After stopping at a local diner for lunch, the trio stopped at a park to let Grace play, before heading back to Justin’s home.


Upon pulling up in the driveway, they noticed about another car parked there.


“Mom must have arrived,” Justin announced. He noticed the worried look on Zenia’s face and reached over giving her thigh a reassuring squeeze.


“It’ll be fine.”


Zenia took a deep breath and silently prayed that he was right. 

Justin knew his mama would have no issues at all with Zenia and Grace. She was one of the most accepting people he knew. She always supported her son in any decision he made. If he was happy, that was all that mattered to her. So, he had little to no worries when it came to them meeting.


“Hi mama,” he said welcoming her into a tight embrace. “When did you get here?”


“Not too long ago. I figured you were busy so when my flight landed, I rented a car and headed on over. “ Lynn explained, her southern drawl strong as can be. “Aren’t you going to introduce me, son?”


“Yes of course. This is my girlfriend, Zenia and her daughter, Grace.” He motioned to the two of them. 

 
“Oh my gosh! I am so happy to finally meet y’all. Justin has told me so much about you both!” Lynn exclaimed pulling both Zenia and Grace in for a hug.


“It’s so good to meet you, Mrs. Harless." Zenia replied. 


“Oh, please call me Lynn. “ she insisted. “Hello there, Grace. Well, aren’t you just as sweet as can be.”


“Hi,” Grace said softly, clutching her mothers hand, and hiding behind her. 


“Gracie, this is my mommy,” Justin stated, hoping to ease some of Grace’s apprehension of this new person.


Graces eyes lit up wide as the realization finally clicked. “Oh, hi! I’m Grace but you can call me Gracie."


“Well, hello Gracie.” Lynn smiled. 


Justin beamed as he looked on at the women in his life all getting acquainted with each other. He found himself thinking of a future with Zenia and Grace. Months ago, that thought would have scared him and he would’ve quickly rid it from his mind.


They spent the evening chatting and enjoying each others company. Lynn insisted on making dinner. She made a lasagna, salad and breadsticks and they all enjoyed it, even Grace who was the picky eater of the bunch. For dessert, Lynn baked peach cobbler and Zenia was surprised by how much of it Justin could eat. He later informed her that it was his grandmother's recipe and literally his favorite food in the world. 


“Well, my darlings, I am beat. I’m going to turn in for the night. Zenia and Gracie, I can’t wait to spend some more time with y’all tomorrow.” Lynn announced. She made her way around the table hugging each person goodnight before she disappeared upstairs. 


“You look sleepy, Gracie bug. You want me to get you a bath ready?” Zenia offered to the little girl.


“Yes, mommy. Can I ask you a question first?” 


“Sure, baby? What’s up?”


“Is Justin going to be my daddy since I don’t have one?” she asked innocently looking at the two.


The silence in the room was deafening as Zenia contemplated how to answer the question. 


“Um, well right now Justin is mommy’s boyfriend. That means we like each other a lot.”


“I knew that. I saw you guys kissing the other day. Eww.” 


Zenia laughed, “Yes, we kiss because that’s what boyfriends and girlfriends do sometimes.”


Justin chuckled but remained quiet, letting Zenia take the reigns on the conversation. 


“What else do boyfriends and girlfriends do?” Grace asked.


Justin nearly choked on the water he sipped when he heard Grace's question and saw Zenia’s face reddening.


“They spend a lot of time together, hold hands, talk a lot. And more importantly they are nice and respectful to each other.” Zenia answered. Damn, she's good at this, Justin thought.


“Do you love Justin?”


Zenia felt like crawling under the table and hiding. She knew this conversation was going to happen but had no idea how it would go. She was not prepared for the type of questions Grace was asking.


Justin’s ears perked up at the mention of love. He wondered himself just how deep Zenia’s feeling were for him. He knew he fell fast when he was seeing someone and the things he felt for Zenia were definitely teetering towards love. He was secretly hoping that Zenia would admit that she did love him so that he would feel like his feelings were justified. 


“No, honey. We just like each other for now,” Zenia answered.


Justin looked down at his lap, unsure of where to look at this moment. Zenia’s response stung even though they had both not openly expressed their love for each other. He got up to begin washing the dishes used at dinner, as the conversation at the table continued without him. 


——-


After helping Grace with her bath and getting her all tucked in, Zenia returned downstairs where Justin’s bedroom was. She found Justin laying on the bed watching tv. She laid down beside him snuggling close.


“Well, we don’t have to sneak around anymore,” she spoke, laying her head on his chest. 


Justin sighed, "Yeah."


"Is something wrong, J? I thought you'd be happy," She questioned sitting back up to look at him. 


Yes, somethings wrong. You don't love me and I think I love you, he thought.


"No, baby. I am happy." He reassured her, kissing her on the lips. 


"Me too." She smiled and snuggled back into him. It wasn't long before Justin heard her steady breathing, and felt her body relax as she fell asleep on him. 


He stayed awake, staring at the TV not really watching it, thinking over everything in his head. Maybe if he told her how strongly he felt about her, it would make a difference. He was no stranger to being the first one to say I love you in a relationship, but now it scared him. He didn't think he could handle that rejection. Not with Zenia. It would hurt too bad. 


He decided he would wait, but it didn't stop him from saying it then. 


"I love you, Z." He said to her sleeping form, as he felt himself finally drift off to sleep. 


--


The next few days consisted of Zenia, Grace, Justin and Lynn sight seeing, enjoying amazing homecooked meals (by Lynn) and some good old fashioned relaxation. Zenia admitted to herself that she definitely needed this getaway and was kind of sad about it coming to an end. 


On their last day, Lynn took Zenia and Grace shopping at a local mall that resulted in Lynn buying Grace way too many things. Zenia was surprised at how much Lynn treated Grace like her own granddaughter and it seemed genuine. While out shopping, Justin texted Zenia to tell her to buy something to wear as he was planning a surprise for her that night. 


Buy something nice yet casual for tonight. I'm taking you out. Make sure its sexy. Put it on my card. - J


Zenia smiled to herself and set out in search of the perfect outfit. Lynn and Grace left her alone to shop as they went to yet another toy store. Zenia grabbed a couple of outfits at a boutique and went to the fitting room to try them on. She decided then to FaceTime Marie, to catch up and to also get her opinion on what to wear.


"Hey, Rie!" Zenia greeted as her friend's face appeared on the screen. 


"Hey, Z! I've missed you. Where are you?"


"I'm still in Montana, at this cute boutique. I'm looking for an outfit for tonight. Justin says he's taking me out somewhere," She said changing into a cute lace top, eyeing herself in the mirror. 


"A date? Sounds romantic. Sounds like things are getting serious!"


"Maybe," Zenia laughed. "I mean I am out shopping with his mother right now."


"HIS MOM?! Zenia, that is a big fuckin deal." Marie said excitedly. 


"I guess so. We're still just taking it slow, ya know?" Zenia shrugged, deciding she didn't like the lace top and taking it off and throwing it in a pile. 


"Z, how slow? You're a mom, you have a career, you've been waiting ages to find someone to settle down with. What's the hesitation? "


"He's Justin Timberlake, Rie. I'm Zenia Carter. There's no way this is going to be it for me. I'm just here for a season and it'll hurt less if I convince myself of that now." Zenia said sadly, she put on a black tube top slim fitting dress, admiring her ass in the mirror. 


"Are you fucking kidding me? Z, you're a bad ass bitch okay?! Plus, I don't think that Justin is like that. He would've dropped you off at home that night after the bar and never looked back. Instead, he came back time and time again. " Marie reasoned. 



That seems believable, Zenia thought. Its been months since that night and being with Justin was just second nature at this point. They spent so much time together and he treated her like a queen. This was all she ever wanted and what she had waited for. Would it be so bad to allow herself to accept these feelings she had for him? 


"I guess you're right. I have shared so much with him,"


"Even your bed. How was it?" 


Zenia laughed, "It was amazing, Rie. It's only been once so far and it literally rocked my world. God, I can't wait to do it again."


"I'm sure it will happen tonight after this date he has planned," 


"Sheesh, I hope so," Zenia turned the camera so that Marie could see the dress, "What do you think about this? Sexy enough?"


"Damn, girl! Your ass looks great in that. You should definitely get it. Give me details later! Gotta go. I love you. Bye!" 


Zenia changed back into her own clothing and went to pay for the dress, excited about the potential of the night ahead.




------


Zenia gave herself one more look in the mirror before heading out of the bathroom to Justin who was waiting on the bed. He looked at her with a huge grin on his face. He got up and pulled her into his arms. 


"This dress makes me want to keep you here all to myself," He admitted.


Zenia's whole body warmed at that thought. She honestly wouldn't mind but Lynn was babysitting and she didn't want to pass up a chance of a kid-free night.


"You can later. You promised me a meal, Timberlake," She teased.


"Fine," He obliged. "But you look amazing, baby."


"So do you."


"Come on. Let's get out of here." 


--


As they pulled up to the restaurant, Tips Up, Justin put the car in park and leaned over and kissed Zenia. "Are you ready? This is one of my favorite places. They have great food, a bar, and there's a band playing tonight."


"You aren't worried about being spotted by paparazzi?" She asked nervously.


"Nah, not here. It's pretty chill and plus I think the paps just think I'm hiding out in LA right now. Come on, babe it'll be fine."


They were seated in a quiet area of the restaurant in good view of the stage where the band was playing. The restaurant was quiet, not many customers at all. Justin ordered them each a beer as they sat and listened to the music.


"This is really nice, J." Zenia said, looking around the restaurant, taking it all in. The band sounded phenomenal as they started up a rendition of "Don't Stop Believing'" By Journey. 


"Yeah, I love it. Sometimes when they see me here, they'll do a rendition of one of my songs and it's always so good," 


A few beers later, and after they shared some hot wings and fries together, Justin settled back in his chair and rubbed his stomach. "Damn, that was good."


Zenia agreed as she took a sip of her beer. 


"Z, you really do look beautiful tonight. I'm really glad that we got to come out tonight. There's something I want to talk to you about," Justin hesitated before continuing.


Zenia looked at him with questioning eyes.


"I'm absolutely crazy about you. I was so scared to try something again after Jess. Damn, she really fucked me up, but she was all I knew for so long that at one point I was just ready to forgive her and take her back because she was comfortable for me. I wouldn't have to start the whole relationship process over. Then I met you that night and it gave me a little bit of hope that maybe I could start over. You and Grace mean so much to me and I just want to give you all the world. I feel very very strong feelings towards you. And its okay if you aren't there yet but--"


"I love you, Justin." She said cutting him off.


Justin couldn't believe what he heard. He was fully expecting to confess his love tonight and be okay with waiting for Zenia to get there at some point.


"You what?" 


"I love you. I know what I told Gracie the other day but I was just scared to accept those feelings. What I have with you is everything I have wanted for a while and I guess Marie helped talk some sense into me. I just didn't want to get hurt," 


"First, I love you too. I'm surprised that you beat me to saying it tonight, but I'm glad you feel the same way. I actually said it to you the other night but you were asleep." He grinned sheepishly at that memory. "And Z, I would never hurt you. I've been hurt too many times and I know what that feels like."


Zenia reached across the table and intertwined their fingers together, looking at him sitting there putting it all on the line for her. She wanted to touch him. She wanted to kiss him. She wanted him to take her right here in this restaurant and didn't care who saw it. He read her eyes and knew it was time for them to go home and express their love in other ways.


"Take me home, J."

Justin, Zenia and Grace all enjoyed their time in Montana and were sad to have to leave. Lynn had decided to stay a couple days longer, so she saw them off as they packed up and left the large house. Zenia and Lynn exchanged numbers with promises to call each other soon. 

They boarded the private plane early in the morning and arrived back in LA a couple hours later. Justin had his driver take them to Zenia’s first to drop her and Grace off. 

“I had so much fun, J. Thank you for taking us,” Zenia said as they piled out of the car with all of their belongings. Those belongings had since doubled thanks to Lynn’s shopping sprees with Grace. 

“It’s no problem, babe. I knew you both would have a blast. I have to say Mama really loves both of y’all,” He chuckled, leading the way up to Zenia’s apartment door. 

“She’s the best. Honestly, I didn’t know what to expect meeting her but she far exceeded what I ever thought,” Zenia admitted, pulling out her key to her apartment. 

She placed the key in the lock, but before turning it noticed the doorknob felt loose. She pushed the door open and to her surprise, it was unlocked. In fact, once the door was slightly ajar, she could see that the lock was broken. She gasped at what she saw next. Her entire apartment was trashed. She closed the door back quickly, shielding the scene from Grace in fear of scaring her. Justin stood speechless for a minute before thinking quickly and saying, “Hey Z, why don’t you take Gracie back to the car? We should get some lunch.”

“Huh? We aren’t going to put our bags away first?” Grace asked, confused by the sudden change of plans. 

“No, sweetheart. Justin wants to take us to lunch and then I think Grandma wants to see you. She told me she misses you,” Zenia replied whisking her away back to the car trying to hold back her true emotions. 

Justin pushed the door open and decided he was going to inspect the apartment himself. He wanted to make sure it was even safe for Zenia to come inside. He had a eerie feeling that Michael had done this and wouldn’t put it past him to still be in the apartment. He didn’t want Zenia to get hurt. After doing a walk through, he found no signs of Michael still being there but what he did discover was still just as bad. Zenia’s couch was ripped to shreds, her curtains torn, pictures broken and shards of glass all over the floor, broken dishes, damaged TV’s and appliances and the list goes on. His blood was boiling by the time Zenia returned after safely leaving Grace in the car with the driver. 

She immediately began to cry, unable to form actual words. Justin pulled her into his arms, rubbing his hands up and down her back soothingly trying to calm her. 

“I’m so sorry, baby,” He consoled. “I’m so sorry this has happened.”

“Why would anyone do this to me?” Zenia cried into his chest, her tears soaking his shirt. She knew from the moment she opened the door that Michael was the only one responsible for this. After his previous threats, she knew he was doing everything he could to scare her.

“I don’t know, baby. We’re going to figure this out, okay? Look at me,” He said causing her to lift her tear stained face up at him .

“You and Grace are going back to my house. You can’t stay here. It’s not safe.”

“I told Gracie she could go to my Mom’s.”

“Okay, then we will take her there today, then we will go file a police report and get this taken care of. But as far as where you’re living, it can’t be here,  Z.”

“Justin, I can’t. I can’t stay with you. I can’t be a burden to you,” she continued to cry. 

“Zenia, you are my girlfriend and I would do anything to make sure you and Grace are safe. You’re staying with me. You don’t have to move in but please until we get this taken care of, I want you with me. I need to make sure you and Gracie are safe.”

“You don’t have to protect me.”

“Yes, I do and I will,” He promised, kissing her full on the lips. 

Zenia sighed, knowing she wasn’t going to win this battle. She quickly wiped her tears, nodded her head and let him lead her back to the car.

— 

After a quick lunch, they pulled up to Zenia’s mother, Tanya's home. Grace was excited to see her grandmother. It had been over a week since she had seen her last.

Justin was suddenly nervous. He was getting ready to meet Zenia’s mother for the first time and not under the greatest circumstances. He could hardly believe what they had just saw at Zenia’s apartment. They both were able to keep a poker face around Grace, but Justin knew it was a matter of time before Zenia broke down again. 

His mind was racing thinking of what could have happened if Zenia and Grace didn’t go to Montana with him. He wanted to hunt down Michael and give him a piece of his mind, or his fist, but was trying his best to keep his anger at bay. 

Upon pulling up to Tanya’s house, she was standing on her front porch wondering who was pulling into her driveway. She smiled when she saw Zenia exit the car.

“Hey, mom.” Zenia nervously greeted her.

“Hi, Grandma!” Gracie exlaimed, running into her grandmother’s open arms. Justin hung back watching the introductions. 

“Well, isn’t this a pleasant surprise! Hi, Gracie bug.” Tanya replied. 

“Silly, Grandma. This isn’t a surprise! Mommy said that you wanted to see me,” Grace laughed, oblivious to the real reason they were here.

“Is that so?” Tanya looked at Zenia with questioning eyes. Justin noticed them exchange a look that seemed to be a unspoken understanding for Tanya to go along with whatever was being said.

“Of course I did, honey! I just missed you so much while you were gone! Why don’t you head inside and get comfy on the couch? There’s popcorn in the kitchen.” Tanya said, letting Grace inside the house. 

She turned back to Justin and Zenia. “You must be Justin. Actually, I know you are. I recognize you. It’s nice to finally meet you.”

“Nice to meet you, Mrs. Carter. Yes, I’m um, Justin.” Justin spoke nervously, extending his hand for a handshake and was quickly pulled in for a hug. 

“I’m a hugger. If you’re as wonderful as my daughter claims you are, then I’m sure you will be part of the family and in this family, we hug. Please, call me Tanya.”

“Yes ma’am.” Justin chuckled, his nerves dissipating some. 

Tanya turned to Zenia and after the surprise visit, and anxious behaviors that Zenia was exhibiting, her mother knew that something was up.

“What’s going on, Zen?”

Zenia’s lip trembled as she began to fill her mother in on everything. 

“When we got back, my apartment had been broken into and the entire place was trashed. Everything is destroyed. I’m not 100% sure, but I think it was Michael.”

“Michael? Why on earth would Michael do that?”

“He came to my apartment a couple weeks ago and threatened me. I didn’t tell you because I didn’t want to scare you. He threatened to take Grace from me if I didn’t stop seeing Justin.” Zenia cried .

“Like hell he will! Zenia, you should have told me. I swear if he ever lays a hand on you or Gracie..”

“Tanya, I won’t let that happen. I love your daughter and granddaughter and I wouldn’t let anything happen to them,” Justin spoke up.

Tanya pulled him in for another hug, “Please, promise me you will protect them. I don’t know what I would do if either of them got hurt.”

“I promise. They are going to stay with me until we get everything cleared up. I’m going to take Z to file a police report and if I have to, I will pay for all the apartment damages,” Justin promised.

“You have a good man, Zen.” Tanya said, then hugging her daughter tightly.

“I know, Mom,” Zenia sniffled. “Is it ok for Gracie to stay here a couple of days while I get this all sorted out?” 

“Of course. Keep me posted. I love you Zen.”

“Love you too, mom.” 

Justin and Zenia went inside to say their goodbyes to Grace, before heading off to the police station.

—

Hours later, Zenia and Justin pulled up to Justin’s home, both tired, mentally drained and still shaken up.

They had spent hours at the police station filing reports, and figuring out what other actions they could take to ensure their safety. Justin urged Zenia to get a restraining order so that Michael could not be anywhere near her or Grace. For some reason, Zenia didn't think that was necessary, convincing herself that Michael would never physically hurt them. Justin disagreed but didn’t push the issue and hoped that she was right. 

“Welcome to your new home for the next couple of weeks,” He said opening the door, pulling their luggage from the trip inside. “Or forever if you would stop being so stubborn.”

“Justin..” Zenia warned. “This is temporary, remember?”

“Sure Z.” Justin smirked, knowing that he was going to do everything in his power to convince her to stay even after all of the Michael stuff was taken care of. 

“I am so damn tired. What a crazy ass day,” She yawned. 

“I know. Me too. Let’s unpack tomorrow. Why don't we just head upstairs and get some rest?” He suggested. 

“I’d love that.”

Justin took her hand in his and led them upstairs to his bedroom. They both shed their clothing and climbed into bed, Justin pulling Zenia’s body close to his. 

They both were silent as they settled into bed preparing to fall asleep until Zenia spoke up, “J?

“Hmm?”

“This hurts so much.”

Justin loosened his grip on her, fearing he was hurting her. 

“No, not you. This situation. Everything I worked so hard for in that apartment is gone or destroyed. I worked so hard to make sure that I had a nice place for me and Grace. He destroyed it all. He’s trying to destroy me," She cried.

Justin pulled her body to his again. “'I'm sorry baby. Those things are just material. I know they cost you a lot, but they’re all replaceable. Your life is not. So, if he was going to destroy anything, I’d much rather it be material things.” 

Zenia turned her body until they were face to face, looking into his eyes in the dark room, hanging onto his every word.

“He will not destroy you. This is just a set back and we will get through this. Together. As long as you have me, you will never have to go through anything by yourself. Do you know that, Z?” He asked, wiping a stray tear from her cheek.

Zenia nodded, resting her head on his chest. He rubbed her back until he felt her drifting off to sleep.

Once she was asleep, Justin finally felt his strength slipping away. He remained strong all day for Zenia and Grace, when deep down he was scared too. He didn't know Zenia's ex, didn't know what he was capable of and up until today, had no reason to believe that they were in any danger.  He laid awake thinking over everything. He now had a responsibility to protect his girls.

Zenia awoke the next morning, first unfamiliar with her surroundings, then realized she was at Justin’s. It was then that everything came flooding back to her and she realized everything that happened the day before was not a nightmare but in fact real. 


She looked over at Justin’s sleeping form, his chest bare, short hair some what disheveled, his beautiful pink lips slightly ajar as he quietly inhaled and exhaled. She kissed his cheek and he stirred before drifting back to sleep. She knew he had to be tired to still be asleep, but little did she know, he had stayed up most of the night worrying.


As much as Zenia had looked forward to returning to her job after vacation, she knew that after what happened yesterday that she would not be able to focus at work. Zenia decided she was going to call the director of the clinic and see what the best course of action should be. 


She crept downstairs and dialed the familiar number of her workplace. She had a good relationship with her boss who was the director of the clinic and knew that she would be understanding of Zenia’s situation. 


“West LA Family Clinic. This is Dr. Constance Moss speaking. How may I help you?” The older woman answered.


“Good morning, Dr. Moss. It’s Zenia.”


“Why hello, Zenia! How was you trip?” She answered cheerfully. 


“It was great, very relaxing. How is the clinic?”


“Things have been well. We certainly miss you. Thanks to your boyfriend’s generous donation we were able to update some of our older equipment. “


Zenia smiled. That Justin of hers, always a blessing. “That’s awesome. Can you please not let the staff know that it was him? I don’t want them to think that I am trying to get special treatment or anything.”


“No worries, honey. I’m the only one who knows. Are you going to make it in this morning?”


“That’s actually why I’m calling…”


Zenia explained to Dr. Moss all of what had transpired in the past couple of weeks, including the threats from Michael. 


“I’m so sorry you are dealing with this. I will let you decide, but I think its best for you to take a small leave of absence at this time. To deal with the personal issues going on and I wouldn’t want you to bring any issues to work. I am sure he knows where you work as well.”


Zenia sighed. She hated to but knew that Constance was right. It would be awful if Michael showed up to her workplace one day and caused her to lose her job or put anyone else in danger.


“I guess you’re right. I am so sorry about this Constance, “ Zenia apologized emphatically. 


“Don’t worry about it, Zenia. You are one of the best practitioners I have ever had the pleasure of working with. I want the best for you. Do what you need to do and we will be here waiting for your return. I will email you the necessary paperwork. Please don’t hesitate to call me if you need anything.” 


“Thank you so much. Hope to see you soon.” Zenia said before saying goodbye.


She looked around the large kitchen and after figuring out how to use the fancy coffee machine, was able to brew a pot of coffee.


She opened cabinets and drawers until she found the necessary cooking utensils to start breakfast. She was at the stove scrambling eggs when she felt a pair of strong arms circle around her waist and those familiar lips find their way to the crook of her neck.


“I see someone has beat me to making breakfast this morning. Good Morning, baby. You getting ready for work?”


Zenia spun around in his arms until they were face to face, unable to stop herself from kissing him. 


“Good morning, handsome. Actually, the director of the clinic and I decided that it was best for me to take a leave of absence until things settle down.” She explained, a hint of sadness in her voice.


“Are you okay with that?” He asked, genuine concern in his eyes.


“I think so. I do have a lot on my plate right now,”


“You do, but we will figure it out,” He said stroking her cheek. 


Zenia leaned into his hand, “ We will, but right now you’re going to sit your handsome ass down and let me cook for you.”


“Yes ma’am,” he said before kissing her one more time and taking a seat at the kitchen island.


— 


“So maybe I overcooked but you just had so much to choose from and I couldn’t pick.” Zenia said sitting down with Justin as she looked at the various plates in front of them. She ended up making scrambled eggs, hash browns, pancakes, sausage and bacon. 


Justin wasted no time digging in. “Girl, if I knew you cooked like this, you’d be cooking more often.”


Zenia giggled, taking a bite of her pancake. “Hey now, I may be a little spoiled by your cooking too.”


“So, how are you feeling today after everything?” Justin asked hesitantly, not wanting to bring down the mood but wanting to make sure she was okay.


Zenia sighed, “I don’t know, J. I still can’t believe Michael would do that. Like what would he get out of trashing my apartment?”


“I don’t know.  I do know that I stayed up all night worrying about it though. I’m worried to leave you alone. Im worried about Gracie,” Justin confessed.


Zenia looked at him lovingly. Sometimes she had to pinch herself. How did this man love her and her daughter so much? She wasn’t sure what she didn’t to deserve it.


“He won’t hurt Gracie,” she said confidently. 


“How do you know, Z? You’ve seen what he’s capable of. He’s threatened you, trashed your home. What’s next? I don’t want there to be a next.”


“Maybe I could talk to him.”


Justin shook his head quickly, “NO.” 


“I know him though, Justin. I could handle it.” Zenia reasoned. She thought that maybe if she sat down and talked with Michael that he would listen to her. Maybe she would let Grace meet him. Maybe he deserved to know his daughter. Maybe then he would stop.


“Z, I know this is ultimately your decision but I don’t think it’s a good idea. Please, just promise me you will think about it?”


“Fine.” She said, pushing her plate away, suddenly having a headache thinking about everything. 


“I have a headache. I’m going to go lay down.”


“Okay. I’ll be upstairs in a few. I’m going to clean up the kitchen.” Justin said standing up to collect the plates and silverware.


Zenia went upstairs to the bedroom she now shared with Justin. She laid on the bed pulling the blanket around her. Her mind was racing with all of the things that were happening. This was supposed to be one of the happiest times of her life. She had met someone who she had fallen in love with, who she actually saw a future with and there was this nagging piece of her past that was preventing her from the true happiness that she was trying to achieve. It didn’t seem fair. It didn’t see fair to Justin. 


She heard him enter the room, and the bed shift as he joined her. His arms immediately encircled her body. He made everything better. Her thoughts started to slow. She felt the dark clouds lifting. It was so obvious that he was right for her, but was she right for him in this moment?


“What are you thinking about, baby?” He whispered into her hair.


“Maybe I’m not right for you, Justin.” She said, her voice wavering knowing it was a matter of time before she got emotional.


He sat up , pulling her up with him, forcing her to look at him. “Why would you ever think that?”


“Look at what I have done to you. This drama, the issues with you and your publicist, having you up worrying all night about me. It’s not supposed to be like this.”


Justin was well aware of the changes that were occurring in his life, some not so well at the moment but he had faith that in the end, being with Zenia would be worth all of the trouble it took. He was willing to stand by her. “All I know is that I want to be with you. I don’t care what I have to go through. I love you.”


“You shouldn’t. You shouldn’t love me,” she said softly.


“Well, that’s too damn bad 'cause I do,” he said pulling her closer. He captured her lips with his, trying to tenderly kiss her fears away. He would kiss her forever if he could, if it meant that she would not be afraid anymore.


She felt her body subconsciously lean back and relax into the bed as he moved to hover over her, their lips never separating. He settled his body on top of hers.


He pulled back, causing Zenia to open her eyes. She was met with his warm, blue eyes looking at her with such love and affection. It was so intense that she had trouble keeping the gaze, wanting to look away because she was questioning if she was worthy of it. 


“Look at me,” he insisted. She met his gaze again without hesitation. “I love you Zenia.”


A warmth ran through her body as she heard those words while he looked into her soul. If this is how it felt to be truly loved,  then she wanted to be loved by him forever.


“I love you too, Justin. Make love to me,” she said boldly, surprising herself with her own words.


He grinned, letting his hands get lost in her hair as he kissed her over and over again. His tongue found its way into her mouth, increasing the sensuality of the moment. Justin released a breathy moan that made her want him even more. 


She reached down between them, her hand finding his long thick member. She gently stroked him over the fabric of his basketball shorts, surprised to feel that was all he was wearing. She motioned for him to take them off. He broke their kiss briefly to pull his shirt over his head, and pull his shorts down. Zenia eagerly maneuvered out of her own pajama shorts and tank top. Their bodies rejoined again now with no barriers between the two.


Zenia sighed in satisfaction the moment their bodies touched. It was something about that skin to skin contact that made her feel this indescribable feeling. 


Justin wasted no time loving on her body, kissing down the valley of her breasts, softly kneading them, eliciting a quiet moan from Zenia. He continued to kiss his way further south until he reached her already dripping core. 


“Damn, baby you're already so wet for me.” He blew a cool breath on her. She met his eyes as he dove right in, licking, sucking on her. She threw her head back on the pillow and let him take her to that place she so desperately needed. When he felt her thighs clench and her body convulse, he tenderly kissed her throbbing center before he went back up her body and claimed her lips. 


“Mmm,” She knew that kissing her after he went down on her was something that completely turned Justin on. If she was honest with herself, she felt the same way. 


She broke their kiss, running her hands down his strong, firm back. “I love you.”


“I love you too,” He was barely able to finish his declaration of love as he slid inside of her, feeling her slick warmth around him. It always seemed to take his breath away every time. 


Making love with Justin was an experience that she had never felt before. It felt like a dream that she didnt want to wake up from. He was so tender, so gentle with her as if he thought she might break. 


He rolled them over until she was on top of him, still intimately connected. She became a bit self conscious as Justin was always the one taking control during sex. Now, it was on her. He sensed her hesitation.


“It’s ok, baby. Just do what feels right,” He said huskily, his hands on either side of her hips. 


She shook away her anxiety and began to rock against him, realizing the change in position and angle was mind blowing. It wasn’t long before either of them began to breathe raggedly, an indication that they were both close to their peak. 


“Fuck, Zenia. Please tell me you’re close,” He asked, looking up at her and biting his bottom lip.


Zenia nodded and leaned down and kissed him furiously as she felt her orgasm hit. Her body tightened and she moaned his name onto his lips over and over again. She felt him release seconds later, her muscles still contracting. She laid her head on his chest as they both attempted to catch their breaths, bodies slick with sweat.


Neither of them spoke for a while, just reveled in the aftermath of lovemaking. She rolled off of him, laying beside him,  cuddling up. 


“How’s that headache?” Justin asked, grinning at her widely.


She laughed boisterously, knowing he was being playful but serious and also because she had honestly forgot that she had a headache to begin with. 


“What headache?”

A month had passed and things had seemingly gotten back to normal. As Justin predicted, he was able to easily persuade Zenia to move in permanently. After Grace had returned from her stay at Zenia's mother's house, she was delighted to see that Justin had made her a temporary room that she quickly began to make her own. Seeing Grace comfortable there made Zenia soften to the idea of living with Justin. Everything had seemed right and for once, she felt safe. 


There had been no traces of Michael in the last month. This had greatly eased everyone's fears and Zenia was coming around to the idea of returning to her workplace. 


Grace had returned to school, starting the first grade at a new school closer to Justin's home. Justin had been more busy lately with the production of Trolls 2. He had fallen into the role of the family man and was embracing it. 


It was early Monday morning that Zenia was up getting Grace ready for school. Justin was getting ready to head to the studio to work on Trolls production. He had offered to take Grace to school since he was leaving around the same time. 


Justin took a sip of the coffee he had just brewed as he watched Zenia and Grace descend down the long staircase, “Good. Morning, ladies, “ he greeted them, kissing Zenia on the forehead, then hugging Grace. 


“Morning, Justin!” Grace beamed. She was so excited that he was taking her to school that morning. 


“Good morning, Gracie. I brewed some coffee, Z.” Justin stated, pointing in the direction of the coffee maker. 


“Thanks, babe. I need it.”


“You’ve been tired a lot lately. Are you sure you’re okay with me leaving today? I can take Grace to school and come back,” He offered.


“I’m fine, Justin. I just haven’t been sleeping well. I’ll probably just take a nap when you guys leave."


Justin eyed her curiously, still uncertain about leaving her. He was starting to worry about her lately. She was often tired, a little jumpy, and wasn’t herself lately. He had just equated it to the situation that happened a month prior. He wanted to suggest that she talk with someone, but didn’t want to seem pushy. So, he tried his best to just be a supportive boyfriend. They had not talked much about the whole debacle since it happened. Zenia doing her best to block it out. 


The trio chatted a bit more in the kitchen before Justin glanced at his watch and announced it was time to leave. “You ready, Grace?”


“YES!” She exclaimed, giddily grabbing her backpack.


Zenia kissed them both goodbye and watched them both load into the car and drive away. 


She finished her coffee and sat in the kitchen scrolling on her phone, groaning when she noticed that her friend was calling. Nora's name flashed across the screen and Zenia contemplated ignoring it. She loved her friends but had become distant since everything. She didn't want to talk about it and she knew that her friends meant well, but they always brought it up. On the last ring, she decided to answer. 


"Hello?"


“Good Morning, Z,” Nora answered, cheerily. 


“Morning, Nora.”


“You sound tired. Are you okay?” She asked, concerned. 


“I haven’t been sleeping well since everything.”


“Well, why are you up this early? Why don’t you go back to sleep?” Nora suggested. Truthfully, she was worried about her friend and knew this reclusive behavior was not like her. 


“I was helping Gracie get ready for school. Justin took her. I guess a nap doesn’t sound like a bad idea.” She agreed, making her way back up to the bedroom she now shared with Justin. 


She laid down on the bed, still chatting with Nora, catching up on their busy lives. She thought she faintly heard something downstairs, but figured it was just the TV playing in the background and continued to talk with Nora. 


“Nora, I’m getting sleepy so I guess I will nap for a bit.” She announced, snuggling underneath the comforter, her eyes getting heavier by the second. 


“Sure. Get some rest, Z. Talk to you later.” 


“Bye,” Zenia said into the phone before hanging up, her eyes nearly closed at this point. 


She heard the door to the bedroom open in her sleepy haze. 


“J? Are you back already?” She asked, her voice muffled by the pillow. She didn’t hear a response and began drifting further. 


“No. It’s not Justin.” A deep voice answered, causing Zenia to gasp and sit up immediately. Her heart began to race as she adjusted her eyes on the person before her.


His once short buzzed hair was now a messy brown mop on his head. His green eyes were tired and red. His face haggard as if he had aged years since the last time she saw him. She thought for a minute that she was dreaming. There was no way that Michael was standing in the bedroom with her right now. She had fallen asleep and this was all just a bad dream. But the more she blinked and adjusted her eyes, the more she realized just how real this whole situation was. 


“Michael?” She asked warily. “What are you doing here? How did you get in here?”


He grinned and it made goosebumps appear on her arms, It was a grin that made her blood run cold. It scared her. 


“I came to see my daughter, Zenia. Why else would I be here?” He answered nonchalantly. 


“She’s-shes not here.” She stuttered and reached for her phone. She needed to call Justin.


“Don’t even think about calling anyone. You and I need to talk.”


She dropped the phone, her eyes never leaving his, afraid of what he might do if she looked away for even a second. 


“Talk about what?”


“Did you like the little surprise I left you at your apartment?” He said cockily.


Zenia became angry. A little surprise? He had ruined her whole home. Rage took over as she stood up and pushed him. “Surprise?? You ruined everything I worked hard for."


Michael grabbed her wrists harshly, pushing her down to the floor. Zenia cowered as he stood above her, quickly gaining control of her. 


“How does that feel? You ruined a relationship I could have had with my daughter.”


“You never had one, Michael!” She screamed at him. 


“Yeah, well you’re going to fix that.” He said grabbing her and forcing her body off of the ground.


“Let go of me!” She yelled, trying to free from his grasp. 



She felt a sting as his hand connected with her cheek. Tears immediately sprung to her eyes as she looked at him in shock. 


“Shut up! Listen to me. You’re going to go pack a bag for you and Grace, we are going to pick her up from school and we’re going to take a little trip. Don’t even think about doing anything stupid or there will be a lot more of what just happened.” He yelled, causing Zenia to jump. 


She quickly contemplated what he said, considering just pushing him and running for her life, but where would she go? Justin’s house was in the hills. She would have to run for quite some time before she got to safety and by that point he would have caught up to her. She could yell and scream but nobody would hear her. Doing what he told her seemed to be the only option at the moment. Maybe once they got to the school she could alert someone there that she was in danger. She quickly grabbed a bag and stuffed it with clothing. Michael following her around the home as she did so, carefully watching her every move. 


When the bag was packed, she grabbed her phone and put it inside the bag as well. Michael quickly ripped the phone out of the bag, turning it off and placing it in his own pocket. “You won’t be needing that.”


Zenia gulped. If she didn’t have her phone, how would she be able to contact Justin or her mother? 


Michael grabbed her hand and led her out of a window on the far side of the house that was clear of cameras. He dragged her along several yards into the wooded area until they reached his car. Zenia was in disbelief. He had planned this. He had scoped out Justin’s home and knew exactly how to get in without being spotted. It was scary to think that he had put so much thought into this.


They got into the car and headed in the direction of Grace’s school.


—


They arrived at Grace’s school about 20 minutes later. Zenia reached for the door handle and was yanked back by Michael. 


“Listen up. We’re going to go in here and get her and leave TOGETHER. No funny shit or you're both going to pay for that later. Do you understand?”


“Michael. Please don’t do this,” Zenia pleaded with him as a last ditch effort to get him to change his mind. She wouldn't say a word to anyone if he just let her go right now. 


“Just shut up! And do what I told you,” He ordered roughly. 


They both exited the vehicle and made their way into the school. Zenia signing Grace out for the day, making sure not to look at anyone differently or raise any alarm.


Grace came running out of her classroom with her backpack in tow. Her face immediately confused about why she was leaving early and who this man was with her mother.


“Mama? Who’s this?” Grace asked skeptically. Grace’s teacher looked at Zenia and Michael questionably. Zenia plastered on her biggest smile, hoping to convince the teacher that everything was okay. If she was being honest, she was trying to convince herself too.


“This is mommy's friend, Michael. He thought it would be a great idea to pick you up early today,” Zenia said, the lie coming out so fluidly that it scared her. 


Grace looked at the man again and back to her mother and shrugged. She smiled and waved at her teacher before walking out of the school with them. 


Once back in the car, the horrible feeling in the pit of Zenia’s stomach began to feel worse as they drove further and further away from the school. 


“Where are we going?” Grace asked, from the backseat. She was still a little uneasy about this new friend of her mother’s. She wondered why she had never seen him before today. 


Michael turned around and grinned at her, “We’re taking a little trip.”


“Is Justin coming too?” She asked, innocently.


Zenia held on as the car came to a complete stop on a semi busy street. She gasped as she was flung forward, thankful for her seatbelt that was safely secured. She looked back at Grace who was safe, but with a scared look in her eyes, clutching her little pink backpack. Cars honked as they went around them. 


“No. Justin is not coming with us.” Michael said coldly, his eyes fixated in front of him. 


Graces eyes began to fill with silent tears. She quickly realized there was something wrong with this new person in her life.


Zenia knew this was all a big mistake coming with Michael. She had wished she had fought harder, but was afraid of the consequences if she had not complied. Now she feared she had placed not only herself but her daughter in danger and she didn’t know how they were going to get out of this.

“That’s a wrap for today, Justin,” The production manager, Walt, announced giving Justin a thumbs up from his chair outside of the recording booth. “You did amazing today. We got a lot recorded. Why don’t you take the day off tomorrow?”


Justin nodded, “Really? Thanks, man.” 


He came out of the booth and began to gather his belongings, checking his cell and seeing no messages from Zenia. He typed her a quick text letting her know he would be leaving the recording studio soon.


“What do you have planned for the evening?” Walt asked curiously.


Justin grinned thinking of his girls waiting at home and how he was looking forward to spending a quiet evening relaxing with them. 


“Just going to spend time with my girls,” he replied happily.


“That sounds awesome, man. I’ll text you tomorrow night and let you know what time we will resume recording Wednesday.”


“Sounds good, Walt. See you then,” Justin exited the studio, making his way down a long corridor to leave the building.


Once to his car, he checked his phone again, thinking it unusual that Zenia didn’t text him back yet but figured she got busy with something around the house or left her phone on their bed like she sometimes did.


He started his drive home humming the new tune he had worked on that day for the movie.


—


Justin pulled into the long driveway thankful to be home, noticing Zenia’s car in the driveway as well was comforting to him. He opened the front door and stepped inside, dropping his belongings on a nearby table. He made his way into the kitchen area noticing how eerily quiet the home was, hearing only the faint sound of a TV. He noticed Zenia's coffee mug on the kitchen island where she sat this morning. He found it odd, knowing how much of a neat freak Zenia was.


“Z? Gracie?”


He went into every room looking for Zenia or Grace. They often had a impromptu game of hide and seek when he would return home and he would find them hiding in a vacant room or closet trying their best to stifle their giggles. However, today he didn't hear anything.


"Z? Are you here?" He called out, looking around. His call was met with silence. 


He pulled out his phone and dialed that familiar number. Maybe her mom came to get her and Grace and she just forgot to tell me, he thought. The call went straight to voicemail. He pulled the phone away from his ear and stared at it in confusion as the voicemail greeting began. When it prompted him to leave a voicemail, he did.


"Z.. I'm home. Don't know if you and Grace went to your mom's or what. Call me back. Love you."


Justin sat for a minute scrolling through his phone trying to get his mind off of their sudden disappearance. He knew that Zenia was acting differently lately, but also knew she had a lot on her mind. 


He decided to go through the house one more time to make sure nothing seemed out of the ordinary.  As he entered one of his several guest bedrooms, he stopped in his tracks as he noticed a window slightly ajar. It was in that moment that he knew that something was wrong. He frantically pulled out his phone and called Tanya.


"Hey there, Justin," She answered cheerily. 


"Tanya, do you know where Z and Grace are? I came home from work and they're not here. Z's phone goes straight to voicemail. I found a window in my house open. I'm worried about them." He spilled out, stumbling over his words. 


"They're not with you?" Tanya answered, panic evident in her voice as well. She had not spoken with her daughter, Zenia all day and figured she was just busy.


"No. I think something is wrong. Do you think Michael has something to do with this?" He asked.


"I don't know. Call the police, Justin. Get off the phone now and call the police!" Tanya cried.


"Okay, I'll call you back if I find out anything."


Justin hung up and before calling the police thought he would try to call Zenia one more time, hoping and praying that she would answer and this whole thing was just a big mistake. 


He was met with the voicemail once again and all the emotions that he was trying so hard to contain erupted. 


"FUCK!" He punched a nearby wall, causing the plaster to crack. He paced back and forth before steadying himself on a wall and sliding down it.. His head was swarming with questions, anger and fear boiling up inside of him. He composed himself as much as possible before calling 911.


—




Michael pulled into a driveway of a log cabin in a secluded area. Zenia had tried her best to pay attention to landmarks and signs to figure out where they were going, but after a couple of hours, she had no clue were they were. 


He got out of the car and walked over to the passenger side to open Zenia's door. "Welcome home."


"Where are we?" She asked skeptically, taking in her surroundings. 


"Don't worry about that. This is your new home. We're going to be a family, Zen." He said calmly, so calmly that it scared her. 


"Michael, do you know how crazy that sounds?" She didn't move from her seat, refusing to believe this delusion.


He grabbed her arm, yanking her out of the car, pulling her close to his body. 


“It’s not crazy at all. This is how its supposed to be. Now, wake the kid up and let’s go inside.”


Zenia opened the back door to pick up Grace’s sleeping form, feeling Grace’s small arms hug her tightly around her neck. She followed Michael up to the front door as he unlocked it, pulling her inside. 


Zenia looked around at the space. It was pretty vacant except for a small couch and older TV. The kitchen was bare, just an oven and a small, outdated fridge. She noticed a room towards the end of a hallway and a bathroom adjacent to that. 


“What do you think?” He asked.


“It’s ok.” Zenia answered, careful with her words. 


Michael scoffed, “I bought this for us so you better like it. Follow me.”


Zenia followed him down the hallway to the small bedroom. She stepped inside noticing no bed but a few blankets in a corner and a small window that had been barred.


“Where are we supposed to sleep?” Zenia asked.


“There’s blankets. If you behave, maybe I’ll get a bed soon,” He answered, smugly. “I have to go out. Be good and don't even try to get out of this room. The window is shatterproof and there are bars on it as well.” 




“Please don’t leave us in this room, Michael. I have no clue where we are!” Zenia pleaded, tears beginning to cloud her eyes. 


“I TOLD YOU THAT YOU’RE AT HOME, ZENIA.” Michael screamed, causing Grace to wake up and whimper. 


Grace looked around unfamiliar with her surroundings, clutching her mother tighter. “Mommy, I’m scared.” She began to cry. 


“Shut that kid up. I’ll be back.” Michael stepped out of the room and closed it behind him.


Zenia heard him lock several locks on the door before she heard his footsteps walk further away. A door slammed after that as he exited the cabin. Zenia reached for the door of the bedroom, trying to turn the knob, but to no avail.


Grace continued to cry and cling to her mother. “Mommy, I want to go home. I miss Justin.”


Zenia’s tears flowed freely as she sat them down on the bare floor. “I know honey. I miss him too.”


—


“Thank you for this information, Mr. Timberlake. We will do our best to find your girlfriend and her daughter. If you find out any other information, please let us know as soon as possible. We will keep you updated on our investigation,” The officer explained, walking Justin to the exit of the police station. 


“I will. Thank you,” Justin replied. After calling 911, Justin decided to go down to the police station to talk with the police in person hoping they would understand the severity of the situation. 


However, the officer he spoke with did very little to ease his fears. He filed missing persons reports for them and took any and all information Justin had to give him. When the officer learned that Michael was Grace’s father, he seemed to think that Zenia and Grace willingly leaving with Michael was a possibility. 


Justin quickly shot that idea down. He didn’t want to believe that. He knew that was untrue. 


He got back in his car, that feeling in the pit of his stomach never leaving. His slammed his fists onto the steering wheel, yelling out in frustration. He didn’t want to go home to that empty house, but also wanted to be there should Zenia and Grace show up. He needed a friend. He needed support.


He quickly texted Tanya an update, then went to dial a familiar number he hadn’t dialed in quite some time. After a few rings, he heard the feminine voice on the other end answer, “Justin?”


“Hey, Jess. It’s me. Um, are you busy?”

Justin pulled up to his home and noticed the familiar BMW idling waiting for him. It was Jessica. In a moment of weakness, he yearned for some support and he knew that Jessica was always there for him before, so he called her to come over and keep him company. He told her what was going on and explained that he didn’t want to be alone. 


However, on the ride home quickly began to realize that he may have made a mistake. If Zenia returned home tonight, what would she think seeing Jessica there? Inviting his ex over would just possibly put him in a situation that he couldn’t handle at this moment. 


By the time he reached home, he knew what he needed to do. He had to tell Jess that it was all a mistake and send her home. 


Justin stepped out of his car and walked over to Jessica’s car where she quickly got out and enveloped him in a hug. He had to admit it felt comforting to be held after everything that had occurred that day. 


“Hey. Are you okay?” She asked, pulling back to stare at him in a caring way. 


“No. I’m not. Look Jess-" He started.


“It’s okay. I’m here. I’ll stay here as long as you want me to.” She interrupted, pulling him into another hug, rubbing his back.


He abruptly broke their embrace, stepping back and putting his hands into his pockets. 


“I think I made a mistake. I appreciate you coming out at this hour, but I don’t think its a good idea for you to be here. Thanks Jess, but you should go.”


Jessica looked down at her feet. Even though it was pitch dark outside, with the exception of the solar lights lining the driveway, Justin could tell that she was embarrassed. He waited for her to say something, to cuss him out, to scream at him for making her come out at one o'clock in the morning for no reason at all, but she didn’t.


She simply got in her car, turned on the engine and quietly left the property, leaving Justin standing outside alone once again. 


—


Zenia awoke some time later, the room pitch black except for a small sliver of light shining in from the moon outside. She was unsure what time it was or how long they had been locked in the small room.


She felt for Grace who was laying beside her on the floor fast asleep, a thin fleece blanket underneath them.


She sat up trying to figure out any way to get out of the room. She walked over to the window again for what felt like the hundredth time since they were locked in the room. She pulled on the metal bars using all her strength, but they didn’t budge at all. 


She wondered what Justin was thinking right now. Was he worried about them? Did he think that she left him willingly and didn’t want to be with him anymore? She wished so much that she could just call him and tell him that she loved him.




Zenia cried out in frustration, sitting back down on the hard floor, hugging her knees. She cried until she felt she had no more tears left. It was then that she decided that in order to have a fighting chance to get out of here, she would have to play along with whatever sick game Michael had come up with in his mind. She would pretend to be a family if it meant that she could gain his trust and get out of here. 


Zenia heard the locks on the door being unlocked and her heart began to race. She quickly dried her tears, not wanting Michael to see her in a weakened state. Michael stood in the doorway and flipped on a nearby light. 


“I bought you guys some dinner. Come out to eat,” he said simply, before walking away.


Zenia quickly woke Grace and carried her into the next room where Michael was seated on the small couch with several McDonald’s bags. She was well aware that it was way past dinner time, it being nearly 2 AM, but she wasn’t going to deny any food, not knowing when they would have a meal again. 


“There’s chicken nuggets and fries,” He said shoving the bag in Zenia’s direction. She was grateful that he was at least not letting them starve. Gracie quietly and hesitantly ate her food, not wanting to engage with the scary man that had torn her away from her real home and the only person who she ever looked at as a father figure.


Zenia decided in order to enact her plan to go along with his game, that she would strike up conversation with Michael. 


“So, where have you been today?” She asked innocently, biting a french fry. 


Michael’s eyebrow raised at her, “Around. Why?”


“Just making small talk. We’re supposed to be a family, right? We should talk to each other at dinner.”


“Yeah, I guess,” Michael replied, hesitantly. “I went to town to get a couple things taken care of.”


“I see. Thank you for the food.” Zenia stated, smiling in his direction. 


Grace looked between her mother and this strange man questionably. She didn't know why her mom was smiling and being nice to Michael when he had done such awful things to them. 


“Yeah. Okay,” he responded. They continued to eat their food in silence. Zenia gathered up all the trash and went to the small kitchen space to dispose of it in the trash can.


“It’s time for you both to get back to the room,” Michael said, motioning towards the other side of the cabin.


Zenia’s heart dropped, thinking she wouldn’t have to be back in that room just yet. She took Grace’s hand in hers and started the short walk to the room. She stood in the doorway, “Michael, how are we supposed to be a family if you keep us locked in that room?”


Michael seemed to actually think before he answered her, but then shrugged. “I don’t trust you yet. I have to know you won’t try to run away.”


Zenia quickly shook her head, “We wouldn’t. We don’t even know where we are. Please, Michael. Don’t lock us in here.”


He hesitated once again and Zenia felt some relief in knowing that he was seemingly thinking about what she had said.


“Not yet, Zenia.” He said simply, moving to close the door.


Zenia wanted so bad to put her hand out and stop the door from closing, to protest more, but she played it safe and watched the door close. She turned out the light and cuddled up with Grace in their makeshift bed, listening to her soft cries. 


“Mommy?”


“Yes, Gracie?” Zenia asked, stroking her soft brown curls with her hand, trying to provide any sense of comfort to her daughter.


“Why were you being nice to him? He’s a bad man.”


“I know he is. I’m just trying to be nice so that maybe he will let us go back home. Do you think you can be nice too?” Zenia asked. 


Grace seemed to ponder the question briefly before agreeing, “Yes, Mommy. I’ll try.”


“Thanks, baby. We will do what we need to get out of here.”


“Will we ever see Justin again?” 


“Yes of course.”


“Do you think he misses us?”


“I know he does.” Zenia reassured her. 


—


Justin awoke the next morning feeling the other side of the bed by habit. His eyes shot open quickly at the realization that he was in bed alone. He reached for his cellphone, checking it for what felt like the thousandth time since he got home last night. After filtering though his messages, which included one from JC and Lance, his former band mates, reaching out for support, he dialed his manager, Johnny. 


“Hey, J. What’s going on? Any word from Zenia?” Johnny answered, sympathetically. 


Justin sighed, “No. I want to put out a statement.”


“Justin, are you sure that’s a good idea? I mean this could get really messy.”


“Johnny, I want this to have national attention. I want the world to know what’s going on. I want them back home and I think the more people that know, the better.” Justin reasoned. He felt law enforcement wasn't taking this seriously. It was only a month prior that they had filed a police report claiming that Michael had destroyed Zenia's apartment. They didn't seem to take that seriously either. He was determined to take matters into his own hands.


Johnny hesitated before answering. He always wanted to do what was in the best interest of Justin and his career. A possible kidnapping could reveal things that could either hurt or strengthen his career. At the end of the day, all he wanted to do was help Justin.


“Okay. I’ll get in touch with your publicist, Annie and we will get this out to all the major news outlets by the end of the day.” Johnny responded. 


“Thank you.”


Justin said a silent prayer and hoped that going public with this would bring him closer to bringing Zenia and Grace back. 

I never thought that this would be something I would have to share with you all. For several months now, I have had these two phenomenal ladies in my life. One, my beautiful, amazing girlfriend, Zenia Carter, and her equally amazing daughter, Grace, affectionately known as Gracie. They have been missing for two days now. Due to certain events that occurred prior to their disappearance, I have reason to believe that they did not leave on their free will. I am sick with worry and I just want my girls back home with me. To my fans, if you have any information, please contact the authorities. I love you all. Z & Gracie, I won’t stop until you’re back home.

-JT

Justin read over the social media post that included a picture of the three of them smiling in front of a zoo exhibit their first outing together. Surprisingly, Annie was pleased to let Justin release a statement. She even let him write it himself, before she changed a few things, such as omitting Michael's name, as to not accuse him of something that the authorities weren’t sure that he had done.

But Justin knew the truth. 

He had been feeling a little more hopeful about everything and hoped that this would bring them back quickly, but it had been a week since the post, as well as multiple stories from different news outlets, and no credible leads.

He felt that hope dwindling and was started to fear the worse with each passing day.

He stayed holed up in his house, mostly in bed, feeling a dark veil of depression coming over him. He knew letting himself spiral was not going to help the situation, but it was hard to have any motivation to do anything. It didn’t help that anytime he left the house, he was surrounded by paparazzi asking him millions of questions about Zenia and Grace. It was all too much. 

Lance and JC had helped him organize a search party that had gone out twice already to comb over areas of LA. Both times they had returned home with no leads and a ton of disappointment. 

“J? I’m going to head out. Are you good?” JC asked his friend, his voice thick with concern. He hated to see his friend this way. He hadn’t met Zenia or Grace yet, but when his friend came calling for help, he didn’t hesitate to offer it.

“Yeah, man. I’m fine. Thanks for helping. I really appreciate it.” Justin responded.

“I’ll be back tomorrow. I’ll call you if I hear anything. Get some rest, J.” JC waved at his friend before exiting the home. 

Justin sighed and ran a hand down his face. He was extremely tired, but needed to call Zenia’s mother to update her, He was keeping his promise to keep Tanya informed. 

“Hey, Tanya. Have you heard anything today?” He asked into the phone when she answered. 

“No,” She said sadly, “I’m sorry I didn’t get to come to the search today. I had to work. Did you all find any leads? Anything at all?”

Justin hesitated before answering, knowing his answer would just further break Tanya’s heart. He couldn’t imagine what she was feeling. This was her daughter and granddaugther. “Sorry, but no we didn’t. I don’t even know where to look or go.”

“What if they’re gone, Justin?” Tanya asked, her voice wavering with emotion. 

Justin’s jaw clenched. He wasn’t letting himself go there. He had to believe they were still alive. Anything other than that would completely destroy him. He had to keep up this strong facade with Tanya's sake.  

“They’re not. We just have to keep looking. I refuse to believe otherwise. We will find them,” He needed to believe his own words.

“Thank you for everything you’ve done. Thank you for loving them.” Tanya started to cry.

“Don’t thank me for that. I’ll keep you posted, Tanya. Have a good night.” Justin ended the call fearing his emotions would take over after hearing her break.

He slowly made his way to his bedroom, to the solace of his bed. His body felt worn down, racked with grief. He laid there feeling the tears flow down his face and soaking his pillow. 

—

Zenia looked around the tiny room that she and Grace had begun to inhabit. Michael had slowly added a few things, getting a small bed that they were able to share and a used TV. She had saw the news story on their disappearance and couldn’t believe what she saw. Her heart swelled when she realized that Justin was doing everything he could to find her. She had started to feel hopeful, but still didn’t know how they would be found, or how they would be able to escape.

She knew Michael was starting to soften some. He made sure they had food everyday, bought them a couple of outfits and had even had small conversations with Zenia, but something was still off and she couldn't quite put her finger on what it was. 

It was evening and Michael had returned from his daily outing. Zenia still wasn't sure what he did during the day when they were locked away. He had unlocked the bedroom door and allowed Grace and Zenia to come out. Grace had decided to stay back in the room and watch the TV. Zenia ventured out and sat on the couch beside Michael.

"How was your day?" She asked.

"Fine," he grumbled.

"Where do you go during the day?"

"Work and stuff," He answered, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a small bag, a syringe and various other items. Zenia's eyes widened as she looked at the drug paraphenalia suddenly realizing what was in front of her. 

"What are you doing?" She asked incredulously. "Michael, please don't tell me that is what I think it is."

He rolled his eyes as he began to prep his items. "Zen, you're smart. You know what this is. And you're going to do it with me."

He began to crush up the substance. She looked away in horror. Suddenly, it all began to add up. His erractic behavior, sudden aggressiveness and this sick ass game of wanting to be a family was all a result of his addiction. This wasn't Michael. She knew that all along, but she had no idea that this is what had caused the change.

"I'm not doing that," She said adamantly. She had told herself she was going to play the game and gain his trust, but this was not what she had in mind.

“Fine. Suit yourself,” He shrugged. Zenia watched in horror as he began to inject the drug into his arm. She wanted to look away but didn’t. She had to see it to believe that it was real. That he was really doing this in front of her. 

She watched him inject the entire contents of the syringe into his arm and pull the needle out, replace the cap and put it on the coffee table in front of them. He looked at her with a lazy grin on his face, said something untelligible, then laid back on the couch with his eyes closed.

Zenia continued to watch as he stayed in that position for a couple of minutes. She saw that he was breathing and figured that it was just the effects of the drug taking over. When it seemed he was unaware of anything going on around him, she quietly got up and went through the small cabin, searching high and low for her cellphone. 
She opened cabinets rummaging through the contents. She opened drawers and closets, becoming more and more frustrated with finding nothing. 

“Fuck,” She cried. She went back over to the couch and sat beside Michael. She looked at his pockets thinking if she could just get her hands on any phone she could call for help. Or even his keys, she could just grab Grace and they could drive away.

She slowly moved her hands towards his pocket, her hand inching its way inside. Her heart sped up when she felt the edge of a phone on her fingertips. 

Michael sat up quickly, his eyes wide. Zenia froze, her hand still in his pocket.
“What are you doing?” He asked, coming out of his drug-induced haze. 

“Just making sure you’re okay,” Zenia said pulling her hand back. 

“I’m great,” He saw how close Zenia was to him and immediately began to assume the wrong idea. Zenia saw the realization on his face. He thought she was coming onto him. She was glad he didn't suspect her of trying to get his phone, but this was not what she wanted or intended.

“Come here,” He said pulling her arm closer to him, “I’ve missed you, Zen.”

Zenia gulped as he leaned in and attached his lips to hers in a short kiss. When he pulled back,  he cupped her face with his hand and smiled. 

“I’m so glad you’re here with me.” He said, looking into her eyes.

Zenia gave him a polite smile, “Me too.”

She leaned into his hand, her insides screaming in repulsion that they were this close.

She felt she was slowly chipping away at that guard that Michael had up and now that she knew what was really going on by discovering Michael’s drug habit, everything was starting to make more sense.

“I’m going to head to bed. Goodnight, Michael.”  She stood up from the couch, leaned over to kiss his cheek and walked back to the room with Grace where she remained for the rest of the night.

As she drifted off to sleep that night, she heard the doors being locked as they were every night and for once, she felt safer knowing that they were.

Justin awoke to the sound of his cellphone ringing. It wasn’t atypical for his phone to be going off this early in the morning, but he didn’t feel like speaking to anyone. He didn’t want to talk about his work so he didn’t bother to look at it.


The phone continued to ring and buzz. Whoever was calling was persistent.


“Hello?” He groaned, putting the phone up to his ear and rolling back over. 


“JUSTIN? It’s Tanya. I just got off the phone with the police,” She said frantically. 


Justin shot up in bed, nearly falling over as he planted his feet on the floor. “The police? Why? What’s going on?”


“Michael’s mother contacted me. She said she hadn’t spoken to him in a few weeks, but before that he had told her that he bought a cabin in Kernville. It’s about 3 hours from here.”


Justin’s head swarmed with ideas. Kernville? He didn’t know much about the place, but the thought of Zenia and Grace being 3 hours away from him was worrisome. 


Tanya continued, “She heard about Zenia and Grace disappearing and after not hearing from Michael for awhile she considered the thought that maybe he did take them. She called him to try to get an address. She told him she just wanted to send him some money and can you believe he actually told her?”


Justin took in all this information. He wanted to jump for joy but he couldn’t allow himself to get his hopes up yet. He listened to Tanya ramble and interrupted her, “What’s the address?”


“I gave it to the police, Justin. Let them go out there and scope it out themselves. It could be dangerous.”


“I don’t care how dangerous it is. Please tell me. What’s the address, Tanya?” 


She hesitated, knowing if she told him the address he would immediately be on his way. 


“ 1225 Lockwood Lane.” She said shakily. “Justin, please be careful. His mother said she suspects that he is on drugs-“


“Thanks, Tanya.” Justin cut her off. He didn’t give a shit what the guy was on. “I’ll call you once I get our girls back.” He ended the call and hurriedly put on his shoes and left the house.


—


Justin looked at the GPS system which told him he had 30 more minutes left until the destination. His stomach growled in hunger, as he didn’t think about food or anything before he started his drive. He had one focus and one focus only: To get to Zenia and Grace as soon as possible. 


He anxiously drove thinking over how this scenario could unfold once he got there. He could find them, bring them home, no problems. Or he could potentially have an altercation with Michael. He had a feeling it would be the latter.


He heard his phone ring and the alert pop up on the infotainment screen in his car that read: JC Chasez. He contemplated answering it, but knew it was JC’s daily check in on him.


“What’s up, C?” He answered, trying to mask any emotion in his voice. He didn’t want JC to know what he was up to or he would try to stop him. 


“Nothing, just seeing if there have been any updates. Are you driving?”


“Yeah, uh just driving around.”


JC sighed dramatically, “J, you’re a horrible liar. Where are you going?”


“I found out where they are. Michael bought a cabin in Kernville. I’m driving there now.”


“Man, I dont think that’s a good idea. Do the cops know? This could go bad quickly.” Jc warned. “I love that you are committed to them. I know how much this has effected you, but let’s think sensibly here. What if he has a weapon? What if-“ he hesitated, not wanting to speak the next words, but wanting to be upfront with Justin, “What if they’re dead? That’s not something you need to stumble upon by yourself. Let the cops do this. Please.”


“They’re not dead” He gritted his teeth. He really wished people would stop alluding to that. “But fine, I’ll let the cops handle it. They’re probably already there. I’ll hang back until I know its safe.” Leave it to JC to talk some sense into his friend. 


“Okay,” JC was still unsure that he believed him, but knew he said and did all that he could do. 


—


Justin drove up the long winding road leading to his destination. He started to question if he was going the right way. There were no other houses around and some of the roads were unpaved and rocky.


As he drove further, he noticed the flashing lights. The multiple police cars. His heart skipped an unsettling beat.  He was ordered to stop by an officer standing in the road. 


“This road is blocked, sir.” The officer in formed him as he put his window down. 


“I’m Justin Timberlake, sir. I’m trying to get to my girlfriend and her daughter.” Justin said shakily. 


“Mr. Timberlake, we have an active hostage situation right now and I cannot let you go any further for your own safety and the safety of everyone involved.”


“Hostage?” Justin choked out, his heart race quickening. 


“Yes. My team is doing all that they can right now to safely get your girlfriend and her daughter out of that house.” 


“So, they’re alive?” 


“Yes and we’re trying to make sure they stay that way.” The officer gave him a grim look. 


“Okay. I’m going to wait here. I drove all of this way and I’m not leaving without them.” Justin said firmly. The officer nodded at him understandingly and Justin put his window back up and parked on the side of the road. 


He felt a small sliver of hope knowing that Grace and Zenia were still alive, but he was now worried about them being in an active hostage situation. He could only put his faith in the hands of the trained officers to do what they could to rescue them. 


—


What started off as a normal morning for Zenia quickly turned into something that she could have never imagined. When she thought of how she and Grace would be found, she never thought that it would turn into what it was now. 


That morning, Michael let them out of their room and asked Zenia to make them breakfast, which she quickly obliged. She was starving and knew that Grace was too. She made them toast, scrambled some eggs and they ate together while sitting on the couch. She couldn’t quite tell if Michael was sober or not. He seemed in a weird mood. Little did she now, he had begun to panic after speaking with his mother the night before. She had offered to send him some money and for Michael, money meant more drugs. As soon as the address rolled off of the tip of his tongue, he knew that was the end. Ever since then, he had been a little more jumpy, a little more on edge.


The first thing she heard was a loud knocking on the door followed by a booming voice, “MICHAEL HAMMOND, THIS IS THE POLICE. PLEASE OPEN THE DOOR.”


Zenia froze, fearing what would happen next. Grace began to wail, the loud unexpected noises frightening her. 


“Shit!” Michael yelled, slamming his fists down on the coffee table.


They heard the knocking again. 


“OPEN UP THE DOOR. THIS IS THE POLICE.”


Michael scrambled to the kitchen area and grabbed a large knife. Zenia’s eyes widened, “What are you doing?”


“Shut up! Don’t talk!” He ordered, he pointed the knife in her direction, “Shut her up too!”


Zenia put Grace into her lap and softly tried to muffle her cries with her hand, but it didn’t stop them. 


The knocking again. 


“THIS IS YOUR LAST WARNING BEFORE WE BREAK THE DOOR DOWN. OPEN UP!”


Zenia tried to reason with him, “Michael, listen. If you just open the door and let us go, it’ll be much easier. I’ll tell them I came here because I wanted to,” She lied.


“I said SHUT UP, ZEN!” He screamed. He grabbed both Zenia and Grace up from the couch with one arm, still weidling the knife in the other and backed away towards the furthest side of the cabin. A second later, the door was busted open as multiple officers flooded the small cabin.


“POLICE! PUT YOUR HANDS UP!” The one leading the pack commanded, pointing a gun in their direction. They walked in slowly.


Grace was crying uncontrollably at this point in Zenia’s arms. Zenia held her as tight as she possibly could fearing what would happen next. The police were here but somehow she didn’t feel like this was over. She didn’t feel the relief yet that she thought she would feel when they were found. She didn’t feel that because of Michael’s grip around her and the weapon in his other hand.


“Drop the weapon, sir. We just want to get everyone out of here safely.”


“No!” Michael screamed, sobbing. “This is my family and no one is taking them away from me!”


Zenia was sure that she had dissociated. After what seemed like hours in the same position, the police began to come closer and so did the knife that was now in front of her face. It was reaching a crucial point and she knew only a few options were left: Michael would let them go and they would walk away safely, the cops would shoot Michael, or Michael would use the knife that was in front of her face and harm them.


“Michael..” A small voice spoke up, “I know you’re my dad. I am not mad at you. I’ll never be mad at you. Please just let me and my mommy go home,” Grace said softly, lifting her head up from her mother’s chest. 


Michael gulped, “You know who I am?” A tear streamed down his face as he looked at the small child.


“Yes.”


Though he had been in that cabin with them for a few weeks now, he had never told Grace who he was and neither did Zenia. She kept referring to him as her “friend”, but Grace was a smart girl and she quickly made the connection after a few days. Once she studied Michael’s features that looked much like her’s — The sandy brown hair, the high cheek bones, some of the same facial expressions — she knew who he was though he was never in her life.


Michael dropped the knife on the ground, the loud clank causing Zenia to jump. He loosened his grip on her as he dropped to his knees.


“I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry,” he said over and over.


The next few moments were like a blur, with Zenia and Grace being whisked away, Michael being placed in handcuffs. 


It was over.


It was finally over.

Justin paced back and forth across the dirt road. He became restless waiting in his car and got out for some fresh air. He checked his watch watching the time pass by. He checked his phone  waiting for any phone calls or texts pertaining to Zenia and Grace. All he had were missed calls and voicemails from Johnny asking him where the hell he was.

He squinted his eyes trying to see anything up the road, but it was no use. He heard a vehicle in the distance coming down the road and looked up to see an ambulance coming his way. His heart jumped.

He tried to flag it down, knowing it wouldn’t stop. Jumping back into his car and starting up the engine, Justin began to panic as he followed the ambulance.

Justin tried to keep up with the ambulance ,  but after catching several red lights, he had lost it. He quickly googled the nearest ER and drove there in hopes that it would be the right one. 

He raced inside, not caring about his identity. He didn’t bother to throw on his usual dark sunglasses and low-brimmed hat.

“Hello, sir. How may I help you?”  He was greeted upon reaching the receptionist in the ER. She was a friendly blonde who looked about in her mid 20’s. She smiled at him politely.

“Um, hi. I think my girlfriend may be here, but I’m not sure.” He said frantically. 

“What’s your girlfriend’s name?” The receptionist asked, raising her eyebrows at Justin. She immediately recognized him, but did her best not to show.

“Zenia Carter. Please, I need to know if she is here.” He pleaded. He was well aware of the hospital rules and knew that this receptionist probably couldn’t give him any information, and he hated to throw his name around because that was not in his nature at all, but he was desperate to know anything. 

The lady looked around  then leaned forward and whispered, “She is here, but I can’t tell you anything else. Once she is in a room, I will send someone to let her know you are here so you can go back.”

“She’s here?! Is she okay? Is Grace okay?” He asked, hoping for just a little more leeway.

“I’m sorry, sir. I can’t tell you anything else. If you want to wait in the lobby, I can let you know when it is okay for you to see them.”

Justin thanked her and took a seat in the farthest side of the waiting area. He took in his surroundings and was relieved to see that only a few other people were in the waiting room, mostly elderly and not worried about him at all, but still hoped he wouldn’t have to sit there for long. 

—

Zenia sat on the rigid hospital bed and sighed. She wanted to get out of there so bad, but the doctors wanted to examine and run tests on both her and Grace before being released. She refused to let Grace out of her sight once they arrived so they both were sharing a room. She looked at the little girl who was sleeping soundly at her side, her brown curls nearly matted from weeks of not being brushed properly.

With all the rush of doctors and nurses that were in and out of the room and asking questions and poking and prodding, she didn’t have a chance to call Justin. She still didn’t even have her phone. When it was finally peaceful, she picked up the hospital phone and began to dial his number. 

“Z?” 

Zenia was confused. She heard the phone still ringing in her ear, but also heard Justin’s voice, or what she thought was Justin’s voice close by. She held the receiver away from her ear and looked at it skeptically. Then she heard him again.

“Zenia?”

Zenia whipped her head around to see Justin standing in the doorway of the room. One look at his face nearly broke her. He was clearly distraught, and the thought that she was the cause of his pain hurt her. She never wanted to be the reason he was hurting, even if it was out of her control. 

“Oh my God.” He crossed the threshold of the room and forcefully took her into his arms, the phone in her hand dropping to the ground with a thud.

Zenia couldn’t believe what was happening. She almost thought she was dissociating again, but no, this was in real time. This was her Justin. He was here. He had found them. 

“J?” She asked, her voice muffled by his chest as she clung to him, breathing him in as if she didn’t know when she would ever smell his distinct scent again.

“Yes, baby. I’m here,” He cried, not ashamed of the big tears that were falling from his crystal blue eyes. 

“I saw the news, Justin. I saw what you did for me. For us,” She sobbed, gripping his back tighter.

“I was not stopping until I found you both. God, I’ve never been so scared in my life.”

He pulled back, scanning his eyes over her, “Are you okay? Did he hurt you?”

Zenia contemplated telling him about the couple of times she got roughed up, but didn’t think it was best. Emotions were high. In general, she was physically not injured and that was all he needed to know right now. 

“I’m not hurt. We’re not hurt.” She confirmed, looking over at Grace’s sleeping form. Justin’s eyes followed hers, landing on the little girl resting on the hospital bed that had stole his heart along with her mother. His eyes began to well up again with fresh tears.

“Can I wake her?” He asked, whispering. “I want her to know I’m here.”

“Sure,” Zenia released Justin and it almost felt torturous. She wanted that security of being back in his arms, but she knew Grace needed to see that Justin was here.

Justin sat on the edge of the bed and gently placed his large hand on Grace’s back, “Gracie?”

The little girl stirred and her eyes fluttered a few times as she adjusted to the light. She brushed wild curls out of her face.

“Justin?”

She shot up and jumped into his arms, the two embracing as Zenia looked on, her heart swelling at the scene. 

“Hey, baby girl.”

“I missed you,” She cried, holding onto his neck tighter. 

“I've missed you too, Gracie.”

Zenia was so focused on the two embracing in front of her that she didn’t notice another person enter the room as they enveloped her in a hug. She turned in the person’s arms to see her mother, relief and worry both etched into her face. 

“Mom?” 

“Oh my God, Zenia. I came as soon as Justin called,” Tanya cried hugging her daughter tightly.

“Grandma!” Gracie quickly transferred from Justin’s arms to her grandmother’s.

“Hey, Gracie bug. Grandma is so happy you’re okay.”

The three stood hugging and sobbing into each other’s arms. Justin blinked back his own tears as he looked on at his little family knowing then that they would be in his life always. He was going to make sure of that.

—

After staying overnight at the hospital, taking countless statements with the police, Zenia and Grace were finally released, with no injuries to show except for emotional ones. As they approached their home, she thought it crazy that she was almost glad to see paparazzi lining the streets heading up to Justin’s gated home. Anything was better than where she was just a day and half prior. 

The cameras went off left and right. She shielded her face as best she could but knew it was useless. 

Justin looked over at her apologetically, “I’m sorry, Z. This isn’t the peaceful welcome you all were looking for.”

“It comes with the territory. Especially if your boyfriend is Justin Timberlake who put out a nationwide search to bring you back home,” she teased.

“It worked, didn’t it?” He placed his hand on her thigh and squeezed affectionately.

“It did.”

Once they were inside the gates, a sense of relief washed over Zenia. This was home.

“My mama is here. She flew in when I told her the news. I hope you don’t mind,” Justin said breaking her thoughts.

“Not at all, Justin. I love your mom.”

“She loves you too. Both of you.”

Justin carried Grace inside, while holding Zenia’s hand. Lynn was quickly at their side, pulling them all in for hugs. 

“Oh my goodness, I was so worried about y’all. You girls sure did give us a scare.”

Zenia looked down, “I’m sorry.”

“Oh, honey. Don’t you ever apologize for that. We worried because we care.”

Zenia nodded and gave a tired smile. 

“Gracie? Do you want to come upstairs with me? I have a little surprise for you.” Lynn reached out to Grace, who hesitantly looked up at Justin for approval.

“It’s ok, Gracie. We will be right here, sweetheart.” He assured her, kissing her forehead.

She allowed Lynn to take her as they took off towards the staircase, Lynn soothingly rubbing her back as she carried her upstairs.

“I know I showered at the hospital, but I’m dying to have a real shower with my own things.” Zenia spoke up.

“How about I run you a bath? Come up in a few minutes?” Justin offered.

“That sounds amazing.”

While Justin went to tend to the bath, Zenia pulled out her new phone. Justin had one delivered to the hospital a few hours after he arrived, definitely a perk of being a celebrity. She was happy to have some sort of communication with her friends again who were worried sick about her. They had texted on and off since the day before, which gave Zenia a sense of normalcy. She wanted so bad to feel normal again after all of this. She worried about her own emotional wellbeing as well as Grace’s and knew that they would definitely need some extensive counseling. 

“Z? It’s ready,” Justin called from the upstairs landing. 

She made her way upstairs, passing by Grace’s room peaking inside to see she and Lynn sitting on the bed looking at all the new things Lynn had brought her. She hoped it would cheer Grace up temporarily, because she worried so much about her. She had become a lot more timid and quiet the past few weeks. Zenia was glad that Lynn was here to offer love and comfort. It was what they both needed. 

Zenia walked into her bathroom to see Justin standing by the tub which was full of water and bubbles. Towels were placed nearby, as well as Zenia’s favorite body wash, shampoo and conditioner. She heard music playing faintly through the Bluetooth speaker.

“Wow. This is nice. Thank you, J.” She pulled him in for a hug, lingering as she didn’t want to let go. She hadn’t been able to hold him for weeks up until yesterday and she was definitely trying to make up for lost time.

Justin pulled away, “You’re welcome, baby. Take as long as you need.” He kissed her sweetly then began to walk away.

“Wait.”

Justin looked at her curiously, “Yeah?”

“Will you stay with me?” She asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

“Sure,” He smiled. “I’m glad you asked because I wanted to stay, but I wanted to give you some time alone if that is what you needed. Do you mind if I help you?”

“I would love that.”

Justin tenderly reached for the hem of her shirt helping her pull it over her head. Zenia let her sweatpants fall to the floor, stepping out of them. She turned around, giving Justin the cue to unclasp her bra , which he did. He placed a kiss onto her shoulder, then pulled her hair out of the ponytail it was in, letting her unruly curls fall to her shoulder. Finally, she stepped out of her underwear and placed them in the pile as well. Justin looked at her lovingly as she stepped into the bathtub and settled down, a sigh escaping her lips as she adjusted to the temperature of the warm water.

“Feel good?” He asked, sitting along the edge of the tub. 

“Amazing.” She said, letting her head tip back to rest on the wall. 

Justin grabbed the body wash and wash cloth, “May I?”

She nodded in confirmation, as he proceeded to wet the wash cloth, lathering it with soap. He gently washed her body for her, in no way was he trying to seduce her or initiate anything, he just wanted to take care of her. He wanted her to relax and to show her there was nothing he wouldn’t do for her.

Zenia reveled in the act of care that he was showing her. She felt herself tearing up and tried to stop the tears from coming. It was just that this simple gesture was so caring and she was overwhelmed with emotion.

“What’s wrong? Do you want me to stop?” Justin froze, not wanting to make her uncomfortable.

“Nothing. Nothing is wrong. Please don’t stop. I really appreciate this. Thank you.” 

“I would do anything for you, Zenia. I’ve told you that before and I meant it.” Justin lifted her leg out of the water and delicately ran the wash cloth from her thigh to her feet.

She knew he loved her. He told her all the time with his words and his actions. He put his life on hold to bring her back home. He waited for her. He searched for her. He found her. And his love for her had only seemed to grow more than she could’ve ever imagined.

3 months later 




Michael had been in jail for quite some time now, awaiting his trial to be sentenced. He was charged with multiple crimes and it seemed as though he would be locked away for years to come. Zenia felt strange about it. She knew that is what he deserved and it would be good for his sobriety, but she felt a soft space in her heart for Michael and his troubled soul. 


For some time after their return, it seemed as thought Justin wouldn’t let Zenia or Grace out of his sight. It showed them just how protective he was over them. 


As they begun their healing process, they all went to therapy separately and together and began to navigate life since the kidnapping. It was difficult for everyone, but they finally got a point where they were all feeling better and their little family was starting to feel normal again. 


Zenia had returned to her job at the clinic, finding it comforting to be doing something she loved, helping others. Grace returned to school and was thriving in the classroom, coming out of her temporary shell that she had developed during that difficult time in their lives. Justin finished production on his movie and was excited for the release. It seemed as though everything had fallen back into place.


It was Justin’s birthday weekend and they were spending their time in Montana per Justin’s request. He had invited his parents, Lynn and Paul as well as Zenia’s mother Tanya to accompany them on the trip. All he wanted was to spend time with his family and enjoy a home-cooked meal (and that infamous peach cobbler).


“Are you enjoying your birthday, baby?” Zenia asked plopping down on the large sectional beside Justin who was rubbing his full stomach satisfyingly.


Justin placed his arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer to him, pecking her lips. “Yep. Best one yet. I’m glad we all got to come out here.” 


“Me too.”


He looked around, “Where’s my Gracie girl?” A hint of concern in his voice. He kept a close watch on her since their return. He knew Michael was no longer a threat, but he couldn’t help but to become a bit overprotective lately.


“She’s getting your present.”


“She got me something?” He asked genuinely surprised.


Zenia nodded trying to remain calm when inside she was a ball of nerves. Grace’s gift was something that she asked her mother about on her own and after a little planning and a couple of loopholes, she was able to follow through with it.


Grace ran into the living room with a festive bag in her hand. “Hey everyone! Justin is opening my present!” She announced. Seconds later, the older adults joined them and took a seat.


Grace held the bag out to Justin, “Happy Birthday!”


Justin sat up and took the bag from her, eyeing it curiously. He sifted through the tissue paper, pulling out a small picture frame. He ran his fingers over the photo and smiled. It was a picture of just him and Grace walking away from the camera and holding hands. Justin immediately recognized where they were in the picture and what day it was. He had no idea that Zenia had snapped a picture that day at the park. 


“Wow. I love this. I didn’t know your mom took this picture. Thank you, Grace.” He said genuinely. 


“There’s more!” She said anxiously, pointing at the bag.


He reached his hand inside again and pulled out a sheet of paper, gasping as he read the words in bold at the top of the document. 


PETITION FOR ADOPTION REQUEST 


“What? What is this?” He asked, looking between Zenia and Grace.


“I want you to be my daddy.” Grace said. “Will you please?”


“You want ME to be your daddy? Wow, Gracie girl I’m honored that you would ask me. Of course, I would love to be your dad.” He enveloped the small child into his arms, kissing her forehead affectionately. He was stunned and both ecstatic. He already looked at her as his own child, this was just the icing on the cake making it official. 


“Z? How did you do this?” He asked.


“I had a visit with Michael a few weeks ago and he agreed to terminate his parental rights. He said that Grace deserved a father that was there for her.”


“Wow.” Justin was rendered speechless. Even after the lengths Michael went to to take them, in the end he still was able to do a noble thing and sign over his rights knowing that he wouldn’t be able to be there for Grace himself. For that, Justin couldn’t hate him anymore. 


He glanced across the room at his parents who were embracing each other with tears in their eyes.Tanya sat on the other side of Lynn and was clutching her hand and crying as well.


Zenia put her arms around both Justin and Grace as they all embraced, letting the happy tears fall freely. 


“This is just beautiful, y’all.” Lynn was the first to speak up. She wiped her eyes. She got up to hug her son who she was proud of in so many ways. 


“I’m proud of you son. I get to be a Poppy to this amazing little girl.” Paul said, beaming.


Tanya hugged Justin as well and patted him on the back, “Thank you for always taking care of them. You are so good to them.”


“I told you I would always take care of them. They mean the world to me.” He picked up Grace with one arm, and placed his other around Zenia’s waist pulling her in for a kiss. His heart warmed at knowing one day Grace would be his daughter and Zenia his wife. They would get their fairytale, but on their terms.


“I love you.” He said resting his forehead again hers.


“I love you too. Looks like you’re stuck with us.” She teased.


“I wouldn’t have it any other way.”