As Long as there is Love -Chapter 10
Justin slowly backed out of the driveway, tempted to return to Nina and resume their previousconversation. Explain to her that he had no prior knowledge of the twins for he could seethe doubt in her eyes when he had left. He knew she didn’t think he would ever come backwhen he walked out the door. Truthfully, he wasn’t so sure of his returning either. Hewas scared of what coming back meant, what it represented.
He would have to take on a whole new responsibility to add to his already list ofresponsibilities. He would have cut his studio time. He would have to add numerousexpenses to his budget. He would have to take on a responsibility that he was not readyfor, that he never wanted.
However, that didn’t mean that he didn’t want children. He did, just not right now. But fatenever did agree with “the right now”, did it?
He had always visualized that when he would become a father he would be married for a least ayear or two while taking a well-deserved break from his career. He also imagined havingtwo 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 to take-off. Andthe 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 like she always would when he’d done something bad. Andaccusing 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’tin the mood to hear what she had to say.
“Hey are you okay?” He definitely wasn’t expecting her to be concern for him, “Ya beensitting out here for while?”
“I’m okay.”
“Oh. I thought ya were stalking us.” Now that’s what he was expecting. Her sharp commentsthat were meant to be taking seriously. That was the Ronnie he knew.
“Nah.”He rubbed a hand over his eyes and sighed. “I was just thinking. I have a lot on mymind, ya know?”
Ronnie nodded and rubbed her belly with a groan.
Justin frowned and looked towards Jon in the passenger seat. He told him to go back inside andplay video games with Tony. 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 smiledat him, which she rarely did.
“Oh I’m sorry I forgot you were with child.” Justin got out and followed her to thepassenger side.
“How could ya? As fat as I am.”
“Hey you said it, I didn’t.” Justin grinned as he helped her climb into his SUV.
He went back to the driver side after she was settled and comfortable.
“Okay so all jokes aside. What are ya 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’vepreferred being told in a calmer fashion.”
“Please. Nothing was calm about the argument y’all were having. And ya hit the nail on the headwith that cheating comment.”
Justin shook his head, picturing the image of Nina’s tear-stained faced 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, ya know? With the way our relationship ended,I never thought about kids or anything like that. I thought we just washed our hands ofeach other.” Nina had resented him for moving away and he had resented her for notkeeping contact.
“Nina told me ya never return her messages but she didn’t tell me what else happened. And Iguess 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 theconversation from him to Nina. “I mean she could’ve easily contacted me after Istarted my singing career. I know she saw me on TV and in magazines. Shit, she could’vetarnished my reputation if she wanted to.”
Ronnie sucked her teeth. “Ya and I both know that Nina is not like that. She’d never go thatfar to get revenge.”
“I guess you’re right. Except for that one time when Ti-Ti from around the way buried herBarbie dolls in the woods behind the house. She put bugs in my mom’s blender and put itin the girl’s 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 called 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 yearsand 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 and dreams for theirdaughters and getting pregnant before going to college was not one of them.”
“They had gotten over it when I had Tony but then 4 years later Nina was pregnant and they lostit. And what made it worst was that they had no idea that their little Nina was evendating anybody. So they had no one to blame for “Nina’s mistake”. See, I had someoneto 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 byfollowing in my footsteps. And she didn’t need to hear that, so I suggested thatwe 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 havenever suspected that Nina was unhappy. However, as much as he wanted Ronnie to stop shecontinued.
He should’ve known she would have. Ronnie rarely showed concern for his feelings.
So he listened to her.
“Nina was so upset because she had to give up her basketball scholarships. And she had to startas a freshman a year later, and continue studying through the summer so she could finishwith her class. And she did but it was struggle. And she worked too, so she could payGranny a little something at least for watching the twins.”
“Damn. I don’t think I could have did all that.” Yet, didn’t he just tell Nina that if hewould have known, he would have done everything to help her out?
“I think Nina knew ya wouldn’t have put your life on hold for Neece and Nikki.”
“But I would have rather made that choice after I had known.” That by far was a betterstatement than the previous one.
“Ya know. I shouldn’t have told ya any of this. Nina is going to kill me.”
He wondered why Nina was so private all of the sudden. She had never been like that when theywere young. Maybe Nina had been right when she said that they couldn’t be friends likein 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 repliedsarcastically.
“You should. And in a few days I want you to bring ya ass back over here and talk to Nina againcause right now, she probably locked herself in her room. ”
“She still does that?” Justin chuckled and Ronnie glared at him as if to tell him not tointerrupt her again.
“So give me your number. I’ll call ya cause Lord knows Nina won’t.”
“Um my manager said I couldn’t give out my number. It might bring unwanted exposure to mycareer.”
“That’s all fine and dandy. But that’s just a bunch of bullshit to me that went in one ear andout the other. You are gonna to get to knowyou’re children.
“Until proven otherwise they’re yours damnit. Now give me ya number. Home, cell, pager,two-way, whatever. But make sure I can contact you.”
“God, till this day you still bully me.” Justin leaned over her to get a piece of paper out ofthe 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.
“Your welcome.” Justin sighed and scratched his head. “Oh man. How am I going to tell Shellyabout all this.”
“Don’t. Just tell her where we live and she can stop by, she and Nina can catch. Then Nina candecide to tell her or not. Cause I don’t know if they would be as close as they used tobe.”
Justin shook his head. “No. I have to tell Michelle.”
Ronnie clearly didn’t understand. “Why? What does she have to do with this?”
“Because…uh…me and Michelle are…um…Shelly is my fiancée.”
It had suddenly gotten silent.
“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. Ronnie, what’s wrong?”
“What’s wrong? I was hoping to tell my sister what we talked about but I can’t tell her that!How could ya dump my sister for her bestfriend!”
“No that is not how it happened.” Justin defended. “Me and Michelle happened after Nina.We’ve been together for five years now.”
Ronnie sighed, dropping her head. “Justin the twins are five years old.”
“Oh.” He had never thought of it that way.
WhenJon had told him about the twins, he quickly calculated their age and the time period. He knewthat he had been with Michelle for the past five years so they couldn’t have been his.And he had every intention of pointing that out to Nina.
But could he have been the one being unfaithful? How could the twins be just as old as hisrelationship with Michelle? That didn’t seem right.
“Justin was ya cheating on Nina with Michelle?”
Justin jumped towards her. “No. I swear, we were over. When Michelle and I started dating. Weweren’t even talking anymore.”
“Well, exactly how long did you wait to start a relationship with Michelle. Two fucking days!”
“It wasn’t like that either.” Justin choked out. Now he knew how Nina felt when he wasconstantly throwing accusations at her. And being part of two heated arguments backed toback wasn’t pleasant either.
“I waited about six months. I was lonely and depressed too. I needed somebody.
“But Michelle, Justin? You could have dated Britney Spears for all I care but Michelle. Whendid y’all start dating?” She might as well get all the facts.
“Summertime. I think June 16 to be exact.”
“Damnit Justin.” Ronnie reached over and slapped him. “That’s the day the twins were born.”