As Long as there is Love-Chapter 10
Justin slowly backed out of the driveway, tempted to return to Nina and resume their previous conversation. Explain to her that he had no prior knowledge of the twins for he could see the doubt in her eyes when he had left. He knew that she didn’t think he would ever come back when he walked out the door. Truthfully, he wasn’t so sure of his returning either. He was scared of what coming back meant, what it represented.
He would have to take on a completely new responsibility. He would have to cut his studio time. He would have to add numerous expenses to his budget. He would have to take on a responsibility that he was not ready for, that he never wanted.
However, that didn’t mean that he didn’t want children. He did. Just not right now. But fate never did agree with “the right now,” did it?
He had always visualized that when he would become a father he would be married for at least a year or two while taking a well-deserved break from his career. He also imagined having two kids, a boy and a girl. Yet, that didn’t happen according to his dreams either.
Instead, he had two girls. He was not married. His solo career was just beginning. And the mother of his children was his former girlfriend and not his soon to be wife.
Life was not as it should’ve been for twenty-two year old Justin Timberlake.
Shifting gears from reverse to drive, Justin spotted Ronnie exiting the house. He knew exactly why.
He parked the car and dropped his head against the steering wheel.
Ronnie was coming to yell at him as she always would when he’d done something bad. And accusing Nina of cheating accounted for something bad in Ronnie’s book.
Justin looked up when Ronnie tapped on the glass. He rolled down the window although he wasn’t in the mood to hear what she had to say.
"Hey, are you okay?” He definitely wasn’t expecting her to be concerned for him, “Ya have been sitting out her for while?”
“I’m okay.”
"Oh. I thought ya were stalking us.” Now that’s what he was expecting. Her sharp comments that were meant to be taking seriously. He knew that Ronnie.
"Nah.” He rubbed a hand over his eyes and sighed. “I was just thinking. I have a lot on my mind, ya know?”
Ronnie nodded and rubbed her belly with a groan.
Justin frowned and looked towards Jon in the passenger seat and told him to go inside. When Jon left, Justin continued his conversation with Ronnie.
"What’s wrong?”
"Um ya think I could sit in your car and talk. My feet are beginning to swell.” She smiled at him, which she rarely did.
"Oh I’m sorry. I forgot you were with child.” Justin got up and followed her to the passenger side.
"How could ya? As fat as I am.”
"Hey you said it, I didn’t.” He helped her into the SUV.
He went back to thee driver side after she was settled and comfortable.
"Okay so all jokes aside. What are you going to do now?”
"I honestly don’t know.”
"Are ya still mad at me cause I couldn’t tell ya what was really going on with Nina?”
"Nah. You were right. That was something Nina had to tell me to my face. Though I would have preferred being told in a calmer fashion.”
"Please. Nothing about that argument y’all were having was calm. And ya hit the nail on the head with that cheating comment.”
Justin shook his head, picturing Nina’s tear-stained face after he said it, “Please don’t remind me.”
"Did ya really think Nina cheated on you?”
Justin shrugged. “I didn’t know what to think, with the way our relationship ended, I never though about kids or anything like that. I thought we just washed our hands of each other.” Nina had resented him for moving away and he had resented her for not keeping contact.
"Nina told me that ya never returned her messages but she didn’t tell me what else happened. And I guess ya not either.” Ronnie confirmed when he only stared at her.
"So why did Nina choose not to tell me?” Justin quickly changed the focus of the conversation from him to Nina. “I mean she could’ve easily contacted me after I started my singing career. I know she saw m on TV and in magazines. Shit, she could’ve tarnished my reputation if she wanted to.”
Ronnie sucked her teeth. “You and I both know that Nina is not like that. She’d never go that far to get revenge.”
"I guess you’re right. Except for that one time when Ti-Ti from around the way buried her Barbie dolls in the woods behind the house. She put bugs in my moms’ blender and put it in the girls’ chocolate ice cream.” Justin laughed.
"Yeah I remember. And she had to use her allowance money that she’d been saving to get Ms. Lynn another one.”
"My mom loved y’all though. She used to call Nina her Nina-beanie or some shit like that. Your parents were cool too. How are they doing?”
Ronnie shrugged, “We haven’t talked to them in a while.” It had actually been three years and her parents had only seen the twins about five times besides in pictures.
"Why? Y’all were all so close.”
She knew he was going to ask. “Well our parents had certain goals for their daughters and getting pregnant before going to college was not one of them.”
"They had gotten over it when I had Tony but four years later Nina was pregnant and they lost it. And what made it worst was that they had no idea that their little Nina was even dating anybody. So they had no one to blame for ‘Nina’s mistake’. See, I had someone to blame but he was smart enough to run.” She laughed bitterly.
"But anyway. They were constantly throwing it in her face that she’d ruined her life by following in my footsteps. And she didn’t need to hear that, so I suggested that we move in with Granny and Poppy, which helped, but she was still depressed."
After the word depressed, Justin realized that he didn’t want to hear anymore. He would have never suspected that Nina was unhappy. However, as much as he wanted Ronnie to stop, she continued. He should’ve known that she would have. Ronnie rarely showed concern for his feelings. He listened to her.
"Nina was so upset because she had to give up her basketball scholarships. And she had to start as a freshman a year later, and continue studying through the summer so she could finish with her graduating class. And she did, but it was struggle. And she worked too, so she could pay Granny a little something for watching the twins."
"Damn I don’t think I could have handled all of that.”
"I think Nina knew you wouldn’t have put your life on hold.”
"But I would have rather made that choice after I had known.” Justin explained.
"Ya know, I shouldn’t have told ya any of this. Nina is going to kill me.”
Justin wondered why Nina was so private nowadays. She had never been like that when they were young. Maybe Nina was right when she said that they couldn’t be friends like in the old days because they didn’t know each other anymore.
"I’m glad you told me though. Cause now I can go home feeling guilty.” Justin replied sarcastically.
"You should. And in a few days I want you back over here to talk with Nina again, cause right now she probably locked herself in her room.”
"She still does that?” Justin chuckled.
"Yes. So, give me your number. I’ll call cause Lord knows Nina won’t.”
It was probably best that Nina didn’t, Justin thought to himself. “Um my manager said that I couldn’t give out my number.”
"I don’t care. Give me everything. Home, cell, pager, two-way, whatever.”
"God, till this day you still bully me.” Justin leaned over her to get a piece of paper out of the glove compartment. He wrote down all the contacts she had asked for.
"Thank you.” She folded it up and put it in her shirt pocket.
"You’re welcome.” Justin sighed and scratched his head. “Oh man. How am I going to tell Shelly about this?”
"Don’t. Just tell her where we live and she can stop by. She and Nina can catch up. Then Nina can decide if she wants to tell her or not. Cause I don’t know if they are still as close as they used to be.
Justin shook his head. “No I have to tell Michelle.”
Ronnie clearly didn’t understand. “Why? What does she have to do with this?”
"Uh…me and Michelle are…um, Shelly is my fiancée.”
" Wha…” Ronnie felt a lump form in her throat. She gasped. “What!”
Michelle and I are engaged.”
"I heard ya dumb ass. Now let me out of this car.”
Justin grabbed her. “Wait. You’re not going to tell Nina about this are you?”
Ronnie glared at him and snatched her arm away. “I just ought to. How could ya dump my sister for her best friend?”
"No that is not how it happened.” Justin defended. “Me and Michelle happened after Nina. We’ve been together for almost five years now.”
"The twins are five Justin. That’s seems awfully close to me.”
Ronnie was right. That did seem close. Could he have been the one that was being unfaithful and not Nina? How could the twins be just as old as his relationship with Nina?
"Justin was ya cheating on Nina with Michelle?”
Justin jumped towards her. “No. I swear, we were over,” I think
"Well, exactly how long did you wait to start a relationship with Michelle? Two days.”
"It wasn’t like that either.” Justin choked out. Now he knew how Nina felt when he was constantly throwing accusations at her. And being part of two heated arguments back to back wasn’t pleasant either.
"About six months. I was lonely. I needed somebody.”
"But Michelle, Justin? You could have dated Britney Spears for all I care but Michelle.”
"I could have.” That was the last comment he made before Ronnie reached over and punched him in the arm.