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anavoliselenu · 4 years

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freedom chapter 10

The speed boat was racing through the water and cutting the waves in half. The motion was quite peaceful and almost lulled me to sleep.

Amun was skilled at many things, including piloting various forms of machinery. He had become rather handy; I think I might keep him around. Selena hated me for it, but I didn't care. As long as she was safe.

She was currently snuggled up to me on the comfortable bedding of the boat. My arm was over her shoulders, and we both looked out over the ocean as our speed increased. It didn't seem to be bothering her stomach at all. I was thankful. Vomiting would ruin the romantic and peaceful atmosphere I was trying to create.

We had arrived in Spain only yesterday, and she was already asking me to take her everywhere. She would get tired out before the fun really even started. I was trying to pace our vacation. We were on our way to the private island, which would be our homestead for the next four days. I had to get away with her. I needed it.

I actually didn't mind being on vacation with the family. It had been a long time, and it was necessary to leave Chicago for sanity's sake. This was the perfect place for an escape. I grinned to myself as I thought about their faces this morning when they woke up. Selena and I had prevented them from falling asleep with our late night shouting. They could laugh at me all they wanted for not getting blowjobs, but there was no denying the fact that I knew how to fuck my wife… really well.

But as much as I wanted to enjoy my honeymoon, I still had to remember that this was also a trip for business. That would come later.

For now, I was happy holding my wife close to me.

"Where are we going?" Selena asked over the roar of the engine.

"To our own private getaway," I said vaguely.

"I don't know what that means." Her brow crinkled. I started to smooth the lines out with my thumb.

"You'll know when we get there. Not too much further."

We had already been riding for about an hour, and we would soon begin to see the small landmass I had purchased from a wealthy businessman last week. He was looking to get rid of it, being on his deathbed and all. I offered him cash, and it was a pretty penny, but worth it. Carlisle had his own island, now so did I. Selena would freak if she knew I bought it for her as yet another wedding gift. I'd tell her later, after she'd enjoyed it too much to get upset.

Amun kept his eyes on the horizon, not moving and barely blinking. I sometimes thought he was a robot. Selena hated the guy with a passion. I just laughed at her protests.

My bicep was still sore as hell, but I could care less. I had been through worse. The far more serious issue was that of Selena's safety, hence the new guards. She didn't know it yet, but when we got back home, the house would be outfitted with more security. I wasn't taking any chances. After Mangicavallo's threat and the grocery store incident—two unrelated occurrences that put her in danger—I was more paranoid than ever. And on top of that, I now had a baby to think about.

I shook my head, casting my eyes down behind my sunglasses at Selena's stomach. She liked to wear things that concealed her belly. Today's was another flowing sundress, a dark green color. But when I took off her clothes at night, before we start rolling under the sheets, I could see just how big she was getting. We were only on month three, and she was starting to look like she'd swallowed a small basketball. I didn't know if that was normal or not, but we had a doctor's appointment scheduled for when we return to Chicago.

I think she thought that I didn't like seeing the evidence of her pregnancy. On some level, she was right. I realized that it was mine, and that the baby would be coming soon, but I wasn't ready. I wouldn't be a good father. Everyone seemed to disagree, but I knew it deep in my soul. I still couldn't wrap my mind around a baby right now.

I hated to admit it, but I needed to talk with my father. He would have wise words at a time like this. Unfortunately, he was helping orphans in Indonesia or giving out water in the Amazon. I wasn't really sure where they were.

"Sir," Amun called my attention, "we're almost there."

"I see that." I sat up. "Take us around to the south side. That's where the house is."

"Yes, sir."

"The south side of what?" Selena placed her sunglasses in her hair. "Are we going over there to that island?"

"Yes," I answered truthfully. "That's where we're staying for a couple of days."

"Oh, wow. It's beautiful." She tried to stand up, but I held her down.

"Selena, you're going to fall right over the boat and I don't wish to jump in after you."

"I sometimes forget."

I looked to my left where Francis was scowling at me from his traveling carrier. He hated to be in that thing, but it was necessary. Like Selena, he seemed to be overly clumsy and tripped over his own feet, even on a leash. Plus, I didn't think it wise to have a dog free on a speedboat.

He turned his head away from me in a way to say, We're not speaking.

I chuckled.

"Why did we bring him again?" I asked Selena.

"Because we can't leave him there. Emmett will feed him chicken all day. I don't trust them with my dog."

"He seems to get better treatment than I do."

"Don't be jealous." She ran her hand over my thigh. "You're still my number one guy."

"Good to know."

"I wonder what they're doing now?"

"Alice has plans. Lots of plans. Her itinerary looked extensive."

"Well, I'm glad we got away." Selena kissed my cheek. I felt tingles all over my body. My sex drive was incredibly active nowadays. I didn't know what that was about, but I tried not to question it.

Amun started to slow the boat as we rounded the island. It was small, smaller than Carlisle's, but I wasn't as rich as him. I ground my teeth at that as we continued to circle. Plush trees climbed up the hills and the white sand looked pleasurably hot.

"Is that our house?" Selena pointed to a mansion sitting amongst the foliage. It was Spanish in architecture and had massive bay windows that jutted out over the hills.

"It sure is. There's a smaller hut-type thing on the beach, if you prefer."

Selena's mouth hung open for a second. "You planned all of this?"

"I always do." I held her close.

We were off of the boat about ten minutes later. Amun helped Selena up, while I dealt with Francis. He was still mad at me, but shook off his anger when I let him free. He didn't know what he was steeping on and kept picking up his paws to examine them.

"It's called sand." I bent down and picked some up, letting it slip through my fingers. "See. It doesn't hurt."

He circled me, his stubby feet making small indentions in the sand. Once Francis decided that it was okay to walk on, he trotted next to me as I trailed Amun and Selena towards the Jeep that would take us up to the house.

Francis hopped up into the seat and went to Selena. I followed in after him and shut the door.

Amun took off, driving carefully over the crude road. All the windows were down so the warm, salty sea air flowed through the car. I could feel my hair becoming more of a mess the faster he went. Selena's somehow stayed beautiful and in place. I just watched her the rest of the way.

We stopped in the cobblestone driveway, and a short Spanish lady came out of greet us. She was in a modest maid uniform, so I assumed she was the housekeeper.

"Welcome, Mr. Bieber. We're so happy to have you," she said in her thick accent." My name is Angel."

"Podemos hablar en español si así lo prefiere." I told her that we can talk in Spanish if she preferred it. She shook her head.

"That's quite all right. I need to practice my English."

I took Selena's hand. "This is my wife."

"Oh, it's so nice to meet you." Angel hugged Selena and pinched her cheeks. She started talking fairly quickly in Spanish.

I laughed, "She says you're not fat enough to be pregnant. It's her goal to make you gain five pounds while we're here."

"Did you tell her I was pregnant?" Selena frowned.

"It's not that hard to see." I pointed to her stomach. At least, I could tell.

"Alec already thinks I'm fat."

I growled under my breath. "Don't listen to him. He's just trying to get you mad."

Selena had been pretty good controlling her emotions so far, but I could tell that if I didn't change the subject she would start crying.

The housekeeper could tell as well. "And you have a doggie? He's so cute. What's his name?"

"Francis." Selena's spirits picked up a little. "We had to bring him along. I didn't feel right leaving him."

"Your maternal instinct is strong." She smiled.

I didn't bother introducing Amun to Angel. He was unimportant to her. All she needed to know was that he'd be around. She didn't ask.

She took us on a tour of the house. Well, half of the house. Selena was too tired to continue after we reached the second floor. Maybe I shouldn't have bought something so extravagant, but it was my nature. I couldn't help spoiling her. I asked Angel to keep the fact that I had purchased this island to herself. I didn't want Selena knowing just yet.

I saw other staff members who stayed hidden when we passed. They were neither seen nor heard by Selena. When a large pan of chicken paella appeared on the table outside where we were sitting, she questioned me.

"Who made this?"

"Would you believe me if I told you I did?" I chuckled.

"Justin, be serious."

"I'm hurt." I pouted playfully.

"Did you hire more cooks?"

"Yes, I did." I started to spoon some food onto her plate.

"You have to stop doing that."

"Did you expect me to let you slave away in a kitchen all day?"

"Well, no, but it's not like we need five course meals every day. I can make small stuff for us."

"Selena, just accept that you have problems being taken care of. It's a chronic issue that probably won't ever go away, and I've resolved myself of the fact that I'm going to be fighting you on this for the rest of our lives." I poured myself a glass of wine. I gave Selena orange juice.

"I do not have a problem. You have the problem, mister." Selena took a bite of food. Her face turned into one I only saw during sex. She liked it. Then she corrected herself. Now she hated it.

"Just eat the food and enjoy your time off." I ordered.

"I feel awkward with people taking care of me."

"Are you going to go on some feminist bullshit rant about being independent and feeling useless?" I leaned back in my chair, waiting for her barrage of argumentative words.

"I don't rant and it's not feminist bullshit," she argued, popping a piece of chicken into her mouth. "I like being independent. If I were a man, I would be praised for that fact."

"Well, you're not a man and you need to accept that your husband makes a lot more money than you do. Therefore, he has the right to buy you things and treat you to things and take you places you otherwise wouldn't be able to experience."

"Why? Because I can't afford them?" She glared.

"Precisely."

"I could buy anything you buy me with my own money."

"That ring on your finger cost a million dollars. I don't think you'll ever have that much." I smugly started to eat.

She leaned in and whispered, "A million dollars? But it looks so simple."

"Yes, Selena. I splurged on you," I joked. Little did she know this island cost about one hundred times that much, and it was in her name.

"Now I feel uncomfortable," she said, looking down at her ring. "What if I lose it? You have to take it back."

"Oh, come on. Don't get like that. It's just facts, Selena. I make more money. I can do things for you. You shouldn't shy away from that."

"But now what can I give you?" She shrugged. "I obviously can't buy you anything."

I really wanted to shy away from saying something cheesy like, You give me everything I need just by loving me. Even though it was true.

"I have never asked anything from you," I placed my hand on top of hers, "because I don't need anything material from you."

"I could say the same thing. Just… love me." She exhaled. "That's all I need."

I nodded. "I'm still buying you things. I care for you. That doesn't mean you have to depend on me. There's a difference."

Selena couldn't help but smile and she nodded as well. "I know. I just… feel weird. Charlie makes fun of me all the time now because I have so much money. What if it's changing me?"

"It should. Money changes people. Most of the time for the better," I stated.

She rolled her eyes. "People with money say that."

"Then why don't people without it run for public office or interview for corporate positions?"

"Because they don't…" She thought for a second.

"Have money or the education. It's a fact," I finished her sentence. "It all comes down to money. I know that makes me a dick, but it's the way of the world."

"So, if I was poor, then you wouldn't love me?"

"You're not poor, though. The question is invalid."

"If," she repeated.

"If you were poor, then I would pay for you not to be. Then I would love you."

"That doesn't make sense."

"It does to me."

"I was basically poor when you met me."

"Yes," I agreed. "But then you let me take care of you and now look at everything you have." I spread out my arms.

"If we ever get divorced, I'm taking everything you own." She clanked her glass with mine.

"Why would you say something like that?" I laughed. "You're ridiculous. We will never get divorced and if we did, I will scrap to the death for my money."

She shrugged sneakily. "Why are we fighting on our honeymoon?"

"That wasn't a fight."

"Argument then."

"You started it."

Selena smiled again. I lived for that smile.

Our opposing views on money were why we rarely brought it up. Selena thought I should be giving my wealth to charities or some shit like that. I did… for the tax breaks. And I dropped money into poor musicians' instrument cases when I walked by on the streets. That counted.

After our lunch, I asked her what she wanted to do. We decided on a walk around the island to explore. We took Francis, who now enjoyed playing in the sand. He jumped from side to side, trying to capture it between his paws. Selena enjoyed watching him.

"We have a week on the island. Don't tire yourself out!" I shouted to her when she waded into the ocean. The water was up to her knees.

"Don't you want to come in?" she called back to me.

"I'm not dressed for it." I looked down at my jeans.

I could almost see the roll of her eyes behind her sunglasses. "You can push them up."

"They created swim trunks for a reason, Selena. I'm not ruining a good pair of pants."

"Suit yourself." She swayed in the blue water and ran her hands across the surface. "It's so clear. I can see straight to the bottom."

"Selena, come out of there. You're going too far!"

"Come in here and get me."

"Don't tempt me, woman!" I roared. "Get out. We can come back later. I don't want you out here in all this sun."

Selena began to pick up her feet and moved towards the shore. I let out a sigh of relief.

"You know, Charlie is my father." She started to wring her dress to get some of the water out. "I don't need another one."

"I have two people to care for at the moment that are very fragile. Please, indulge me in my worrying." I handed her back the sandals she was wearing.

"I'm not a porcelain doll."

"Yes, you are." I wrapped my arms around her. "You're my porcelain doll."

She giggled, "You're being incredibly sweet and overly attentive lately. Should I be concerned?"

"I'm just enjoying myself… immensely," I replied when she placed her lips on my throat. "It's been a long time since we've had sex on a beach. Maybe we can…"

"Oh, Justin. Stop teasing me." She kissed my Adam's apple. "As much as I would love for you to take me right here, right now, we can't."

"And why not?" My fingers dug into her hips.

"Because I'm hungry," Selena whispered.

"Hungry? We just ate."

"Well, I can't help that. Your son is insatiable. He's always pestering me for more food."

"My son?"

"It has to be a boy. Girls don't eat like this." She took my hand and aggressively started to pull me up the beach, towards the house. Francis followed dutifully.

Selena had a good time watching the cooking staff make her authentic Spanish dishes. She was in awe of the regional cuisine and took notes on how to recreate certain things so that she could duplicate them when we got home. Selena started to eat and moan all at the same time, like she had never experienced food before. It was erotic and oddly strange at the same time. I just watched. I had already eaten too much for the day, but she kept inhaling.

As the afternoon passed, my fingers started to itch in aggravation from being away from my phone for so long. I had turned it off when we arrived in Spain and left it back at the villa in Barcelona when I brought Selena to the island. I didn't want anything distracting me. I had been neglecting my wife as of late, and I planned to remedy that on this vacation. That didn't mean I could just forget about my work, though.

Bieber Inc. never shut down, so everyone was still working. My hope was that the place could run smoothly without me there. This was a trial run, but I didn't expect things to end well. Mario would probably have a head of gray hair by the time I got back. It was made worse by the fact that Jane was away as well. She helped that place function like a well oiled machine. I hadn't checked the stock markets, or watched the news, or even checked my emails since being here. I had a bad feeling about all of that.

I asked Selena what she wanted to do as the day went on. Pregnancy was taking a toll on her, and she became slightly sluggish after dinner. I didn't want to tax her, so we just lied in bed and talked. We hadn't done that in a long time. But talking could only hold our attention for so long.

Not surprisingly, the night arrived and sex became the main topic of conversation. I slid into her slick folds and took my time, making her feel just how much she meant to me. Last night was for fucking, but tonight was for love making.

After we were sweaty and perfectly high from endorphins, Selena laid her head on my chest. She clung to my naked body.

"I like pregnant sex," I admitted. "You're far dirtier."

"I don't know what's wrong with me." She buried her face into my side, embarrassed. "I'm insatiable."

"I hear that's supposed to happen."

"When will it stop? You must be exhausted."

"Not yet," I chuckled. "I don't think I'll ever tire from you." I kissed the top of her head.

Selena's fingers splayed out across my chest, playing the hair there. She liked to do that after sex. I didn't know why.

We stayed quiet for a couple of minutes. Our limbs stayed connected, skin against skin as we controlled our breathing.

"I think I need to go back to Forks in a couple of weeks," Selena stated calmly.

"What? Why?" I asked.

"I need to see Charlie and tell him… about the baby."

"You can't do that over the phone?"

"No. I've had too many important conversations with him over the phone in the past few months. I need to do this in person. I want to go alone."

"I knew you were going to say that." I rubbed my forehead in frustration.

"It won't be for long, just two days at the most. I need to get to know my step-mother and her children and I want to do something nice for Charlie."

"Like what?"

"I was thinking about… buying him a new house," she said skeptically. "He had to mortgage his so that I could go to school and then I went to jail and all that so…"

There was a jab of pain in my stomach when she said that. I hated talking about her time in prison.

"You want to buy him a house?"

She nodded, biting her lip. "I still feel guilty for putting him through all that. And now he has two new kids that need rooms and I know the house is falling apart. He probably doesn't have enough money to fix it up like he wants."

"What kind of house were you thinking?"

"There's this property on the lake he fishes at that's been up for sale for a while. I checked. I could get it for him and a boat and a fishing shed or something. I think he would enjoy that."

I smirked. "So what you're saying is, since you have the money, you would like to care for him?"

She bit my nipple gently. "Shut up."

"I'm just making sure I have it straight, because I recall having this same conversation not twelve hours ago."

"Well, yes. I guess you're right. Since I have the means, I want to make him happy and give him things."

"Now do you see my point?" I ran my hand along her neck, up to cup her face. "We're in the same boat."

Selena nodded, but didn't meet my eyes. "Would it be okay if I got him a house?"

"You don't ever have to ask me." I kissed her. "What's mine is yours."

"I'm sure it would raise a few questions if a couple hundred thousand dollars just disappeared."

"True."

"I'll go next month and tell him about the baby. When I'm sure…" She stopped herself.

"Sure of what?"

Selena shook her head. "Nothing. I forgot what I was going to say."

"You're lying," I accused.

She bit her lip. "They say that after your first trimester is over, you have less of a chance of losing the baby." Her voice was so quiet, I almost didn't hear it.

I exhaled through my nose. "Is that what you're worried about?"

"I just don't think I could tell Charlie and then explain something like that to him if I lost it."

I smelled the salt of her tears and could feel the wetness on my chest. Selena was the only woman I couldn't bear to see cry. Any other, I didn't give a fuck.

"Selena, I promise you that nothing will happen to you or this baby. This won't be like the last time."

She didn't look up at me. "You can't be sure of that."

"Yes, I can. We're doing everything we're supposed to and you're healthy. Nothing is going to happen. Last time… that was a mess. We didn't know what to do and things weren't safe for you to have a baby. It wasn't meant to happen then."

"I just get so scared sometimes. I think that I'm going to wake up from this dream and everything's going to be gone." She was sniffling pretty badly and used the end of the sheet to dry her tears.

"I wish there was something I could say to make you stop crying."

"Just don't leave me." Selena's arms clutched to my middle.

An hour later, she was sleeping heavily. I think today had been a little too much for her. Tomorrow would be more relaxing. I would make sure of it.

I continued to hold her, but sleep evaded me. Even on vacation, I couldn't shut my mind off. I had a million things that I was either worrying about or trying to forget. My head was always a mess.

I ran my hand over Selena's stomach. She didn't stir, so I rubbed in circles.

As much as I tried to put up a front and pretend like I wanted this baby, I didn't. The truth would hurt Selena so I never said anything, but I found it extremely hard to be connected with this thing growing inside of her on a close level. Sure, I loved the baby because it made Selena ecstatic, but I didn't feel for this baby as a father should. I tried, I really tried. I read the books and memorized the latest pregnancy articles so that I knew what was going on, but I'm not sure what I was trying to accomplish. I didn't want a child. Not yet. She did, though.

I kept my mouth shut because she was happy. I guess I could learn to love the baby, but as of now, I didn't really find any joy in the fact that six months from now I would be a father. It didn't make me smile or think about the future. I couldn't see myself bouncing a girl on my knee or wiping dirt off of a little boy's face. It didn't appeal to me in the slightest. What was I going to do? Was I supposed to feel some kind of joy from this?

The hours passed in bed and I still didn't feel like sleeping.

Sometime in the early morning, Francis started to scratch on our door. I didn't want to let him in, but when he started to whine, I got up. He hurried up to the bed and just looked at me, a plea to get on. I lifted him onto the sheets and he snuggled up to Selena. She put her arm around him, and they both looked incredibly peaceful.

I stretched my muscles, feeling the slight twinge in my back that I hadn't felt in weeks. I had resumed the rigorous workout schedule that I used to have when I was younger. I started right before we left Chicago to come here. Running. Fencing. Swimming. And lots of weights. I had a wide range of activities to work each part of my body, and I needed to get back in shape. I was disappointed in myself for slipping so far.

Thinking of working out just made me feel antsy. I rotated my sore shoulder and went into the bathroom. The injury from the grocery store was just a flesh wound, and the doctor used three stitches to bind it together, but it still needed cleaning. I used rubbing alcohol and just poured it over my shoulder, letting the excess drip into the sink. It stung, but I ground my teeth together. I taped a small piece of gauze over the lesion and stared at myself in the mirror.

With all that had been going on in the past couple of months, I had totally forgotten about time. My birthday was in a mere three weeks. I would be thirty. I didn't know how I felt about that. I always thought I would have accomplished more by then.

"You're one big fuck up, Justin," I told myself.

I went back into the bedroom and pulled on a pair of disregarded boxers. I opened the door and walked into the hallway. It was eerily quiet and all the lights were off. The wait staff was probably lightly sleeping in their own rooms, waiting to jump at the sound of my voice. As it should be.

I went downstairs, into the workout room that was located on the bottom floor. I found a simple pull-up bar and gripped it tightly. The first lift hurt my shoulder greatly, but I pushed the pain out of my mind and went again.

An hour later, I had completed a grueling set. Fifty with two hands. Fifty more with my left, then my right. Fifty more with both again. My arms shook when I sat on the bench, and I wiped a thin sheen of sweat from my brow.

There was a knock on the door. I raised my head to see Selena standing there in my white button shirt and nothing else. Her hair was matted and wild. Her eyes clear. It was incredibly sexy.

"What are you doing down here?" I asked.

"Came to find you."

"I didn't feel like sleeping."

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, just working out my shoulder."

"The phone was ringing in our room a second ago. I didn't get it in time to answer," Selena said.

I stood up and briskly walked out of the room, taking Selena's hand on the way. Only one person had this house number, and he was instructed to only call in emergencies.

I went back into our room. I jumped over the bed and Francis towards the nightstand. My foot bounced as I held the phone up to my ear and dialed.

"Is everything alright?" Selena climbed onto the sheets. Her hands glided over my shoulders, onto my chest.

"It should be," I lied.

The phone rang and Emmett immediately picked up. "Finally, I've been calling your cellphone for ten minutes."

"I left it there and turned it off. What do you want?"

"We have to push the plans up to this week. It's the only time we can do it."

"What? Why? I'm not leaving if things aren't ready."

"We don't have a choice, Justin. They're moving the box again. I won't know where until it's too late. It's now or never. Get back here."

He hung up the phone and I dropped my head.

"What's going on? Did someone get hurt?" Selena asked worriedly.

"No." I groaned and hung up the phon., "Our plans have changed."

"Your work plans?"

I nodded. "This isn't how I wanted our vacation to go."

"It's okay." She rubbed my back. "I don't mind."

"But you should." I pulled at my hair. "I just wanted to give you a couple days off and we can't even have time for that."

Selena's lips kissed my spine. "Maybe I could stay here and when you're done, you can come back."

"I'm not leaving you here alone." I turned my head towards hers. "But maybe we can come back later. Is that something you'd like to do?"

"This is nice, but I don't really need to be on a private island to have a vacation. I'm fine with anything."

"Why are you so fucking accommodating? I want you to scream at me and call me names for ruining our honeymoon."

"You didn't. You have things that need to be taken care of. I understand. I always understand."

"I hate this," I muttered to myself, getting up from the bed.

"It's fine, Justin." She followed, taking my hand. "Don't worry about it. We're still in this amazing country and together. That's what matters the most."

"You're too fucking good to me." I kissed her strongly.

An hour later, we had packed one bag with a few things. I was planning on coming back to the island after all this shit was over, so I didn't need to bring everything. Francis was repacked into his crate, which he hated. Selena fell back asleep on the boat. I drove this time. Amun sat and watched the waters. It was early morning and pitch black at first, but as we neared Barcelona, the bright lights illuminated the sky.

I carried Selena towards the car and put her into the backseat where she could stretch out. I—once again—drove up the hills of the city. The gates of the villa creaked open, and a housekeeper was there to open the door.

"Good morning, Senor Bieber," he said. "Welcome back."

"There is nothing good about this morning," I snapped and carried Selena into the house. I placed her in our room. She sunk deep into the sheets, and Francis resumed his place at her side.

I shut the door quietly and ran into Emmett's massive chest when I turned around. "There you are." He snickered.

I pushed him roughly. "You couldn't have handled this yourself? You interrupted what might have possibly been the best vacation I've ever had. I hate you."

"Bro, you told me to contact you if anything was to come up. I did that. Don't get your thong in a bunch."

"Thongs don't bunch," I growled and pushed past him, going into the large office down the hall.

Alec and Jasper were waiting for us, looking tired.

"I don't know why we always have to work," Alec complained. "I can't even sleep anymore."

"You're young. You'll survive," I grunted.

Until the sun rose, we worked. We planned and made sure everything was in order. This was no small undertaking, but not impossible. It just took detailed preparation.

Sometime in the morning, there was a knock.

"I'm bringing in food," Selena said giddily, with a giant tray of assorted breakfast things.

Jasper hopped up to help her. "Selena, why are you carrying this?"

"It's not that heavy." She pouted when he took it away. She then looked around the room. Evidence of our work was everywhere. Coffee cups were littered on the table, papers, floor plans, and city records scattered the empty seats around us. We all looked like shit.

Alec, Jasper, and Emmett started to devour the food. I kept my head bent in work.

"You need to eat, Justin." Selena snaked her arms around my back. I quickly moved the papers in front of me so that she couldn't see.

"I'm not that hungry."

"It doesn't matter. Your body needs food."

"I'll eat later," I said dejectedly. "I promise."

She sighed. "What are you working on?"

"Nothing important," I answered, dryly smiling.

Selena wasn't easily deceived and sneakily weaved her arm around mine, sliding the papers from under it. I didn't bother hiding it anymore and just rolled my eyes, taking a long gulp of coffee.

"You're robbing a bank!" she shouted.

"Shhhhh," Emmett hushed her. "And not just a bank. It's a vault."

"A vault?" Her eyes were growing wider by the second.

"It's a vault with safety deposit boxes. Holds some very valuable items." I took the files from her. "It's nothing you need to concern yourself with."

Selena bit her lip and shuffled her feet. "Is it dangerous?"

"It's easy," I scoffed.

"We go in, get what we need, and leave," Alec assured her. "There aren't even that many guards."

"Yeah, but there security system is topnotch," Jasper groaned. "All these floor plans are great, but we're not going to be able to get in if we don't know what's around each corner."

They seemed to have forgotten that Selena was standing there.

"We're not supreme bank robbers by any means, so we have to make sure this is all going to go smoothly," Emmett said. "I don't like the odds, though. Too many things could go wrong."

"You know, I used to work at a bank when I was in high school." Selena shrugged. "I could help."

"Absolutely not." I shook my head. "Go downstairs to the pool or something. You shouldn't be in here."

"Justin, you need someone to go in there and see what the security system is like. I could pretend I needed to purchase a safety deposit box. Then they'd have to take me into the vault," she said quickly.

"No." I stood up.

"That's not a bad idea." Jasper tapped his chin.

"No!"

"It is a good thought. None of us can get anywhere near the bank until we actually rob the place. We need to know exactly where the box is so we don't waste time."

"No!"

"Justin, I can do it. It's easy. You said so yourself." Selena's hands rested on my face. "I'll just go in and pretend I'm a customer. They won't even know."

"Why can't Rosalie or Alice do it?" I challenged.

"Because I want to." Selena almost stomped her foot.

"After everything that happened at the grocery store and…"

"Amun can come with me. We'll be safe."

I had the final decision, but was ultimately out ruled when it came to a vote. I thought at least Alec would be on my side. I was wrong.

An hour later, I was sitting on a park bench across the street from the bank. I watched Selena and Amum walk in, and the waiting began. She was using her diamond ring as collateral, with some bogus story about how she needed it stored in the bank. She looked very hot in a dark blue dress and pumps that automatically made her sexier. I had to stay focused.

I leaned back, trying to look as casual as possible, but my heart was about to jump out of my chest.

Emmett and Jasper were walking Francis around the park, but always kept a close eye on the entrance. Alec was sitting on a fountain down the street, watching the police. We always had to watch the police.

It was a hot day out, but not scorching. The cars passed by without any indication that I might be up to no good. People talked on their cellphones rapidly in Spanish, but didn't even care that I was loitering. I looked like any tourist or nonthreatening man who just needed a little break. I pulled out one of Alice's guidebooks, pretending to read it.

Our plan was fairly simple, and if executed correctly, could be done without anyone being the wiser. We get in, get the box, get out, and go home.

Barcelona First National was the oldest bank in the city. It was set up before the turn of the century, before both World Wars. It was long lasting and well trusted. Diplomats kept their documents locked up. Princes kept their jewels inside plush containers. From the outside, the stone structure looked fairly normal. Nothing special. There were offices on top and the important items were in the basement. A robbery had never occurred. Or at least, never been documented.

The good thing about security systems, though, is that they're only good until someone learns how to break them. They're always breakable. Nothing is impenetrable. To top it off, Barcelona First National hadn't updated their system in a year. Next week, it would be too late. The locks and security codes would be replaced with newer models. This had to be done now. Tonight.

The phone in my pocket started to ring. I picked up.

"You're wife is so badass," Emmett chuckled.

"That's why I married her."

"Have you ever noticed that you worry too much?"

"That's not my fault. Did everyone forget that she was in a hostage situation just three days ago? She shouldn't even be on this trip."

"Selena's fine. She's not going to let anything get her down."

"I could have used a little more support when I told her no. You're supposed to have my back."

"She made valid points. We needed someone to go in there."

"Not her. I'm about to have a coronary."

"Calm down, Eddie. She'll be fine. You need to be worried about how long it's going to take before someone catches on that their box is missing."

"From what I know, he only checks it once a year."

"Right. But he's moving it soon. I don't know where. He'll figure out it's gone then or when the bank finds out first thing in the morning. And he'll be coming for you."

"I hope he does. That's the plan. If I have it, he'll be under my thumb. Not just him, but the whole family. They didn't head my warning so they'll face my wrath."

"Oh. Scary Justin is not a good side for you."

"Just keep an eye out for anything suspicious." I hung up.

Like I said, the Bieber men weren't bank robbers by any stretch of the imagination, but we were smart. This could be done, and it could be done well.

I tapped my foot and started counting each time I hit the pavement. By the time I reached one thousand, I was starting to sweat. Two thousand, my face began to twitch. Three thousand, I was about to go into the bank for another rescue attempt. I had been out here forever.

3, 134...

3, 135…

3, 136…

3, 137…

Selena stepped out of the bank and put on her sunglasses. Amun opened the backseat car door of the black Maybach for her and then scooted in himself. They took off, down the street, without once looking my way.

I casually stood up and sauntered around the corner. La Sagrada Familia was grand and intimidating from about a mile away. Throngs of people chattered in their tour groups on the way towards the famous church. I blended in with the crowds and followed the sea.

Once I reached the alley where our car was parked, I slipped out and continued at a slow pace. Alec, Jasper, and Emmett were already waiting. Francis was in the front seat, his paws on the dash, taking a guarding posture.

By the time we got home, I was more panicky than before. I raced inside to find Selena. She was sitting in the family room, drinking a tall glass of lemonade. Rose, Alice, and Jane were sitting around as well. I assumed Selena was recounting her story.

"How did it go? Did they guess anything? What did they say?" I fell to my knees in front of her. "Are you okay?"

"Justin, calm down. It was easy." Selena ran her hand through my hair. "Nothing happened."

"Tell us everything." Emmett flopped down on the opposite couch.

"Well, I just asked for someone who could help me protect something discreetly and they kind of turned their nose up at me until I told them my story."

"You used your engagement ring?" Alice asked in awe.

Selena nodded. "They could tell it was worth a lot, so they ushered me into the back and I had to sit in this room for a long time to wait. Then some guy came in and asked me all kinds of question about my ring and why I wanted to stored there."

"Were they suspicious?" Alec leaned forward.

"I don't think so. Why would they be? They didn't know me."

"You used the alias I gave you, right?" I asked.

"Yup. Countess Anne. It was really easy after that. They took me on a tour of the facilities and what I could expect." She dug through her purse and pulled out what looked like a solid gold key. "I have box 1097."

"Wow." Rose took it and inspected it with eager eyes.

"They wouldn't really let me leave unless I left my ring and I didn't want them to get doubtful." Selena looked to me, almost in sympathy. "I had to write a pretty big check for the deposit."

I had already set up a few accounts with alias for both Selena and I around the world, just in case we ever needed to hide again. It was simple to pull money from one account for something like this.

"That's alright. We'll get it back," I guaranteed her. "The bank account isn't connected to us anyway."

"What was the security like?" Jasper asked.

"Do you have those pictures you were using?"

Alec ran upstairs and came back a couple seconds later with what Selena was talking about.

"It's an old building and the government deemed it an important landmark back in the 70's, so the security can't be too lavish. No lasers, or automated voice activations. They can't put any of that in because they would have to redo the whole structure of the building." She laid the pictures out on the coffee table. "There's three floors that they put the vaults on. The security deposit boxes are on the second."

"We thought they were in the basement," I said.

"They were. Until last year. They had too many so they moved them into the larger vault." Selena pointed to a picture. "It's really big and they organize them by the year starting with 1921."

"How do we get in?" Jasper asked.

"There's a system of keypad locks that change every morning at seven so if you go in tonight, you should be able to use the ones that I got." Selena pulled out a piece of paper from her bag. "It's only the codes to the first two, but it should help, right?"

We all looked at the paper as if it were some rare artifact, not knowing what to say.

"What? Did I do something wrong?"

"No. How did you get those?" Alec sputtered.

"I just watched when the man put in the codes. I think he was more interested in my boobs than anything else." She shrugged.

That snapped me out of it. "What's his name?"

"No. You're not going to kill him." Jane rolled her eyes. "Go on, Selena."

"So there's five key pads, but this is only for a last resort. I think it would be easier to go from above."

"What do you mean?"

"This takes too long." Selena shook her head. "There's an alarm that trips if you go in and you're not out within five minutes. Plus, how are you planning on getting into the bank in the first place?"

"We were going to just bust a window." Jasper raised his eyebrows.

"Men are so crude," Alice tsked. "Why don't you just use the air conditioning ducts like they do in movies?"

"I was going to suggest something like that." Selena smiled. "The offices upstairs are for accountants and secretaries. They have a mail chute that goes through all three floors. Alec is probably the only one who could fit in there, but it's big enough for really large boxes."

We all looked to him.

"I'm not crawling into some stupid mail chute." He crossed his arms. "I'm not that small."

"You just have to fit your shoulders through and then suck in." Emmett patted his shoulder. "You can do it."

"I refuse."

"You'll do what I tell you to do," I shot at him.

He shut up.

Selena traced her finger over a floor plan. "It goes right down, past the vault, but at least you'll be on the second floor. That's all I can help you with."

"Where's the box specifically?" I asked.

"Box 404 is up front. I don't think you can break into that one by itself and take the contents. You might have to take the whole box out and just bring it with you. They looked really sturdy."

"We can do that." I licked my lips in anticipation for the hunt.

"There are guards everywhere at night. That's what the man told me, but you can easily just get rid of them. And video cameras. Lots of cameras. They're everywhere."

"We planned for that much at least."

"That's all I got." Selena put her hands in her lap.

"Your first time out. Good stuff, kid." Emmett left the room and petted her on the head like a dog. She pushed him away.

After everyone went off to do their own thing, it was just Selena and me.

"Did I do well?" she asked.

"You did amazingly. I'm very impressed." I kissed her softly. "But you're not doing that ever again."

The rest of the day went with us planning. Alec, Jasper, Emmett, and I stayed holed up in the upstairs office. We only left to use the restroom. I didn't eat anything, but food was provided almost every hour. I didn't know what Selena was doing, but I told her to sleep. She needed to rest.

The bank closed at five. We were leaving here and ten. It should be quiet enough by then to get our job done. Alec was the one who had to do all the hard work. He had to shimmy down the chute and get into the vault. Then he had to retrieve what we needed and get the hell out. I hoped he was strong enough to climb back up because there wasn't any way for us to help him. He was nervous.

Jasper, Emmett, and I had to deal with guards and security cameras. It was a hefty undertaking.

Selena forced us to stop during dinner. She pulled us all out of the room and shouted at Alec for putting up an argument. She later blamed the outburst on hormones. The cooks made us hamburgers and thick cut French fries. Just like I liked 'em. We were able to relax slightly.

All too soon, it was time for us to leave. Selena became increasingly clingy. She didn't want to let go of my hand and after our hug and kiss goodbye, she started crying profusely. Once again, hormones were blamed.

"Selena, I'll be back. I promise," I chuckled.

"No, you can't go. I won't let you." She cried into my shirt, staining the black fabric. "It's too dangerous."

"It's just a bank, Selena."

"You could get caught."

"Come on. This is getting ridiculous." Rose started to pull her off of me. "Get some sense about you, woman."

"Okay," Selena conceded. "Come back to me, Justin."

"Always with the dramatics?"

"They aren't dramatics when you're pregnant," Alice informed me. "Have fun!"

I got into the car, and Emmett roared out of the driveway.

Once we got to the bank, we sat at just surveyed the area. Very few cars passed since the business district of the city had long been closed.

"I don't think I can do this." Alec began to breathe heavily. "I'm not ready."

"Justin once broke into the records building in our high school and changed our grades. He had to climb up five stories and then jumped from a tree to the roof. This is a cinch." Emmett laughed.

"No, I can't." He hyperventilated.

I pinched the bridge of my nose in annoyance. "Let's get serious about this, you guys. No screw ups."

"There's like a five prevent chance that we'll get out of this without being caught."

Alec began to look sick.

"Alec, if you throw up in this car, I'll slit your throat." I glared at him. "And Jasper, stop scaring the boy. We're doing this. Everyone, out of the car!"

They did as I said, and we were standing in the street, down a dark alley.

"You good?" I asked Alec who was bent over, hands on his knees.

He nodded. "Just give me a sec."

"All you have to do is break into the offices and climb over to the bank. You can get in from upstairs and then go down the chute. Simple."

"Well, once you're on the second floor, the real fun begins," Emmett teased him. "Don't screw up." He left to deal with guards.

"Don't listen to him." I hunched down close to Alec. "You can do this."

"Yeah… If I don't make it… tell Jane I love her."

I rolled my eyes. "You've been hanging out with Selena too much. The drama is not necessary."

He grinned. "I expect a big birthday gift."

"Just go."I pushed him down the alley, and he escaped into a dark corner.

Jasper and I kept to the shadows and slunk along the far walls of the bank. Emmett had his chloroform cloth to disable the guards. He could be stealthy when he wanted to be. They should have all fallen by now, making my job a hell of a lot easier.

Once we were on the opposite street, we remerged as regular people who were just out for a night time stroll. There was a club on the corner that was bumping loud music and seemed to be the hotspot. A lot of people were outside, smoking. Jasper and I blended well.

We found the sewer grate in a deserted part of the street.

"I can't believe we're doing this." Jasper helped me lift the heavy iron covering off. We rolled it to the side.

I placed myself in the hole and started to descend on the ladder. Jasper pointed a flashlight down to guide me.

"Hurry up, Justin."

"Leave me alone. I haven't done this is a long time." I dropped down, my feet making splashy noise as I landed in dirty water. I almost threw up right there. The smell was horrible. I breathed through my mouth.

Jasper followed and landed next to me.

"This is so gross." I tried not to look down. "I'm going to be scrubbing myself for the next year."

"You can have Selena in the shower with you. She'll make you forget all about it." He chuckled.

"Shut up."

"You two were so loud the other night. I thought the house was going to fall down."

"You were all the way down the hall."

"Exactly."

I smirked to myself in the dark.

We waded through the water, which only came up to our ankles, but it was still disgusting. Good thing I wore shitty shoes.

"There it is." Jasper pointed his flashlight.

"Hold it still." I dug into my belt and pulled out the large garden sheers. I easily cut through the pedestrian lock on the box and it swung open. "People are so stupid. Why wouldn't they get a better lock for this thing?"

"Because no one thinks anyone is going to wade through sewers to cut the electricity off for the entire street."

"There's a first time for everything." I clipped the head set onto my ear. "Are you ready?"

"Yes. Go. Do it now," Alec replied.

I pulled out the wires and plugs from the box. There were sparks and small noises of protest as everything came lose.

I could immediately tell that I had accomplished my goal. The loud thumping music from the club cut off and the street lights were suddenly gone.

"You have maybe five minutes," I told Alec. "Hurry up. We'll be at the car."

"Got it."

"Question. If we cut off the electricity, then why can't he just break in? The alarms won't go off."

"They have their own generator," I said. "But that's just for the alarm, not the cameras or lights."

"Damn them. Always trying to make our lives difficult."

We started to climb back up and I peeked out of the hole to see what was going on. It was pure chaos on the street. Without lights, people didn't seem to know what to do. I quickly hopped out. Jasper was after me within seconds. We rolled the covering back on and went into the alley.

We stripped out of our dirty, soiled clothes. Even our boxers. We put them into a trash bag and then redressed in spare jeans and shirts that we'd brought.

"Now we just have to wait." I leaned against the car.

Emmett came around the corner a second later. "The kid is going to get us thrown in jail."

"Shut the fuck up!" Alec growled in our ears. "I'm at the vault. I'm in."

"Did you put in the codes Selena gave us?"

"Yeah. They were the same ones. I don't need the others. The box is up front. Number 404, right?"

"Yes, and 1097. Don't you forget Selena's ring or you might as well not come back. I mean it," I said harshly.

"Okay, okay."

He knew what to do and how to use the tools we gave him.

We paced around the car. I checked my watch every five seconds. The minutes were dwindling, but I had faith in him. He could do this.

"Get in the car!" Alec screamed. "I'm almost out!"

I took the front seat and turned on the ignition, ready to leave at a moment's notice.

There was a lot of commotion from an alarm that was blaring loudly from the bank.

"Damn it," Jasper snarled. "He set something off."

Alec rounded the corner, carrying five cumbersome boxes in his arms. He looked flushed and disoriented. He threw himself into the car, and I took off before he closed the door. I peeled onto the street, which was still dark, but we passed a utilities truck that was on its way to fix the electricity problem, no doubt.

"Sweet!" Emmett raised his hands above his head. "We did it."

I didn't know how the police system worked here, but I was surprised to see no cars on their way to check out the alarm.

Alec was huffing in the backseat. "I'm never doing that again."

"How did you do?" Jasper asked.

"I got stuck… twice. My ass is too big."

We laughed at that and kept driving. I took several back roads and weaved through the city, just in case we were being followed. I found an empty parking lot for what looked like a grocery store and pulled over.

Alec nearly fell out of the car and proceeded to throw up on the street. He was sputtering and coughing up God knew what. His nerves had finally gotten the best of him. When he was done, he leaned on the back wheel. Emmett handed him a beer.

"Okay, let's get these bitches open." Jasper clapped his hands together and placed the boxes onto the trunk.

I used the garden sheers again and popped the locks. I had to use a crowbar to pry the first one open. It held Selena's ring. I placed it in my pocket.

"Why did you get all these?" Emmett asked Alec, who was drinking.

"I just pulled random ones. They'll have to track down each owner and tell them. It's less suspicious that way. They won't know we were targeting a certain box."

"Smart…" I muttered and popped opened the rest of the boxes. I think there were jewels and some precious pictures of someone who would never see those items again. I was more interested in the third box.

"Giuseppe Mangicavallo put this in storage in 1962. He's moved it from Paris to Geneva to Rome to London and finally here. Now it's mine." I was almost giddy as I opened the box.

We all looked inside and started to pull things out. It was fuller than the others. I found some stocks and bonds that looked like they were purchased in 1924 from a communications company. They were probably worth millions now. I would burn them later. There was an expensive looking necklace that held a large teardrop diamond and several other luxurious items.

"Aha." I dug deeper and pulled out a series of papers, which looked liked a series of documents that pertained to a pipeline that was built through the Congo in 1960.

That year was big for oil in Africa. Everyone thought that there were reserves in the southern part of the continent. Unfortunately, the data was wrong and there wasn't ever any oil there to begin with, but that didn't stop people from trying to get it. Large corporations spent millions to build plants and refineries.

Villages were destroyed because of greedy fuckers, who thought they had the right to roll people over for resources. Not only that, but whole ecosystems were changed because of their digging. Giuseppe Mangicavallo was one of those greedy fuckers. He and his partners killed families and left children orphaned just for oil that he never found. I put the estimated total at somewhere around a thousand people. All of this was of course, covered up… until now.

He had hidden away his records and all the things pertaining to his mistreatment. Rightfully so. It was almost laughable because he and his family were now all about stopping genocide in Africa. They donated money, made trips, spoke at lavish dinners to gain contributions. It was all a front. They knew it. I knew it. They could care less about Africa. It was all for the public perception.

The youngest son was running for office this year for a seat in the state Senate. If he wanted to win and me to shut up, they would have to answer to me. We came all the way across an ocean for a few documents, but it was worth it.

"Does that prove anything?" Jasper asked me.

I nodded. It was more than enough to have Mangicavallo bending to my will. I was once again, the King of Chicago.

SELENA POV

"There is no easy walk to freedom anywhere, and many of us will have to pass through the valley of the shadow of death, again and again, before we reach the mountain top of our desires."-Nelson Mandela

All things Twilight related belong to Stephanie Meyer

I started to separate the whites and colors monotonously in our laundry room. It felt good to be home, but the chores were hell. Colors into one pile, whites into the machine. Boring.

We had returned from Spain three days ago, and after resting up, it was now time to get back to life. Two weeks away was beautiful, though. After the robbery, things just went smoothly. We didn't have to worry about crimes or business and focused on losing ourselves in Spanish splendor.

The security people from the bank called and informed me of my "missing ring". It wasn't that hard to cry because of my hormones, so I put on a show over the phone. I threatened to sue, and even got Justin to yell at them for a couple of minutes. Then we put the entire incident out of our minds. I didn't know what was in the safety deposit box that he stole, and I didn't ask. When it came to this, the less I knew the better.

After a couple days of rest, I was back to being normal Selena. The one who did chores and went to work. I did have to sleep for a full twenty-four hours, though. I think it was that long. I wasn't really sure between the jetlag and my exhaustion. Justin, unfortunately, didn't get a chance to sleep. He went right back to work and already looked worn out. It was as if our vacation hadn't happened at all.

I high hiss sounded from behind me, and I turned around quickly.

"Holy shit!" I screeched. "Alec!"

Valentino was slithering along on the floor. He was unthreatening, and most of the time I forgot about him, but he still snuck up on me. Alec said he had missed us while we were away. He slunk over to me and rubbed his head on my leg.

"Oh, sorry, Selena." Alec came in and lifted him up. "I'm cleaning out his cage. I forgot he was in here."

"You can't do that." I stomped my foot. "When the baby gets here, that thing can't come inside. I mean it."

"I know; I'll be more careful." He wrapped Valentino around his neck and arms, carrying him out.

Ten minutes later, Alec was back.

"Selena, I can't find my gray sweatshirt." He came into the laundry room with no shirt. "You know the one I'm talking about?"

"The one with the blue stripes or the white?"

"The white. Where is it?" He went through the clothesbaskets. "I know I left it here somewhere."

"I don't know. I haven't washed it yet, but if you cleaned your room once every month, you might be able to find something."

"Jane loves that thing," he thought out loud. "I wanted to wear it for our lunch date today."

Odds were: she had it, but I didn't tell him that.

"It'll turn up," I told him. "Here, wear this." I handed him something else.

"Alright, fine." He pulled it over his head.

"Are you ready for summer classes?" I asked.

"No, but I'll go because you're making me."

"You have to catch up. You're already behind from missing a full semester."

The regular school calendar had ended, but Alec needed to still be in school. Justin and I were forcing him to take a few classes over the summer. He didn't like that very much. It wasn't like he had a choice in the matter.

"I hate school." He crossed his arms, leaning against the dryer.

"School is good for you."

"I still hate it." Alec checked his watch. "Shit, I gotta go."

"Have fun."

He kissed my cheek and then bounded out of the door. "Bye, Selena."

"Bye."

I continued to sort clothes.

Whites…

Colors…

Whites…

Colors…

Finally, I was done after another half an hour of meticulously going through everything. We had packed a lot for Spain and brought back even more. Surprisingly, they had good maternity clothes over there. I took full advantage of that and bought two suitcases full of stuff.

I was growing bigger every day. My stomach kept protruding out, but I could usually hide it if I wanted. Soon, I knew that wouldn't be the case. My boobs were like cantaloupes and usually felt sore for most of the day, but the pain was beginning to fade. I figured everything was supposed to hurt at this point.

I had my twelve week check up in a couple of days, so I would be able to see how I was progressing. That excited me. This was really going to happen. My baby would be here in a couple months' time, and I couldn't stop smiling about it. Rose said it was a glow. I never understood it until now.

Could this really be possible? I never thought I could be happy like this. I had an amazing husband, a nice job, a good family, and a baby on the way. Of course, we had problems—more so than normal people—but they were just small obstacles. I didn't know what I was expecting, but when I left Forks five years ago, I didn't really think I would end up here. It wasn't a possibility.

I exhaled in happiness and turned on the washer. I watched the clothes tangle together for a minute before adding detergent. I shook the empty bottle when I was done.

"I think I'm going to have to get some of this," I said to myself.

Since we needed more detergent, I figured it was time for a full restocking.

Justin had a very specific list of things that he used for bathroom essentials; from soap to conditioner to body wash. I didn't mind using whatever, but he usually forbade anything with preservatives or artificial coloring from even being in the house.

All our things were hypoallergenic, extra soothing, deep cleansing, super moisturizing, and extremely vitamin enriched. His razors had to be vacuum-sealed and untouched. Detergent had to be made with natural ingredients and couldn't smell of anything. Cleanliness was the key, not scent. He would throw a fit if his toothbrushes weren't packed with care, and God help everyone if his shampoo wasn't perfect. The shampoo had to be right.

He didn't trust stores to carry most of the stuff he needed, so we ordered everything straight from the supplier.

It was kind of strange at first to call the headquarters of Dove or Gillette and ask for certain products, but they assured me it was okay. Now, it was like second nature to me. Every month or so, I would call with a long list of things with specific instructions, and the next day, a large box would arrive on our doorstep. Justin would unpack it and stack the things neatly in the bathroom, always with a happy smile.

We had a standing order, so it didn't take long for me to make the call, and I was assured that I would have my package tomorrow, rain or shine.

It was only ten in the morning, and I felt accomplished already. I didn't have work tonight, so I could stay in and cook instead of going out for dinner. I enjoyed days like this, when I had some time to myself to do what I wanted. It might seem strange, but I took pride cooking and organizing my rather large home. It made me feel useful. It wasn't like I could spend millions of dollars importing and exporting illegal things out of the county like Justin did. That was his high; this was mine.

I sat at the table and thought about what to do next. My answer nudged me under the table, and I felt a wet tongue lick my shin.

"Ew, gross. Francis, stop that." I bent down and lifted him up, setting him on my lap. He was getting pretty big, evident from the meals he engulfed every day.

I loved Francis so much it was ridiculous. I don't know how I became so attached to an animal, but I couldn't help it. I never had pets growing up, so maybe I was making up for that now. He was my companion. Maybe it would be the same thing with the baby?

"Do you want to go for a walk?" I asked, rubbing him behind the ears. His tongue lolled to the side. "It's a nice day out."

Half an hour later, Francis was collared, and I was in more suitable clothes for working out. The mid-May air was only slightly hot as Francis and I trotted down the street at a leisurely place. The doctor said I should exercise normally throughout the pregnancy, so this usually sufficed. I would walk Francis to the park all the way at the end of our subdivision, and then back again. All in all, it was about a mile and a half.

I took a deep breath and loved the feel of fresh air in my lungs. I didn't feel stifled at all, even though Amun was literally five feet behind me. He always was.

The house across the street from ours "mysteriously" went up for sale before we left for Spain. When we returned, the family had moved out. The next day, Amun and his security crew moved in. Justin didn't have an answer when I questioned him. More suspicious things seemed to happen as well around the house.

I could have sworn that I walked up to the front door after getting the mail one day and saw a video camera. It was gone when I looked that night.

Amun and I had an understanding. He left me alone, and I wouldn't kill him. He could be as close as he wanted. He just couldn't talk or be aggressively imposing. Most of the time, just like Valentino, I forgot he was there.

Francis jumped around the park for a couple of minutes when we reached it. I sat down on the grass and sipped from my water bottle. It was peaceful, and since the kids were out of school, they ran around the playground with carefree attitudes. They loved Francis and thought he was the coolest thing ever. He enjoyed the attention and didn't snap or frighten them. He was a good dog.

One of the mothers, Julia, came over to talk to me. "Hi, Selena."

"Hi, nice to see you again."

"You, too." She sat back down.

Julia was a nice lady, about my age, maybe older. Her husband was a pilot and spent a lot of time flying, but they had a little girl who was really cute. I liked talking to her because she didn't seem scared of me like most people in the neighborhood were. It was all because of Justin, of course.

"How are you doing today?" she asked, pointing to my stomach.

"Good. No more morning sickness, I don't think. At least, it hasn't happened in a couple of days."

"Oh, that's the worst." She scrunched her face up. "I couldn't stand morning sickness."

"It gets pretty bad and freaks Justin out."

"You two haven't made an announcement yet?"

"No, we're waiting until I tell my dad. He would die if he saw it on the national news or something."

I never realized my pregnancy would be so much of a hot topic, but it certainly was in Chicago. The photographers and press wanted a conformation. Obviously, anyone could see that I was pregnant, but Justin and I hadn't confirmed anything yet. We would have to soon. Even national gossip sites had articles about me sometimes. I found it absurd, but Justin told me it was to be expected.

As Alice had said, I was the first to get pregnant from the younger generation of Cullens. That was a big deal.

"You're looking really healthy," Julia commented.

"Thanks." I patted my stomach. "He eats so much."

"That's pretty normal. I gained forty pounds."

"Oh," My eyes grew, "I don't think I can gain that much. I would feel so…"

"Uncomfortable? Yeah, it's a curse." She giggled.

A couple of minutes later, I called Francis over and put the leash on him. It was time to go home. The kids didn't like that very much, but I needed a nap. I assured them that he would be back tomorrow.

When we reached our street, I saw a large truck backing into Victor and Victoria's driveway. It looked extremely suspicious, and my mind told me that something was up. I rarely saw either of them home. I'm not sure what they did, but I didn't like them one bit.

Victoria was coming out to get her morning paper when I passed. "Hello, Selena." She smiled. Justin had told me about her advances on him. He found them annoying. I wanted to kill her.

"Hi." I waved.

Amun made his presence known. Victoria eyed him awkwardly.

"So, I haven't seen you around," I said.

"I know. We've been really busy." She sighed. "Victor is in and out of the Middle East almost every week and I have to jet off to New York all the time. It's a hassle, but we make it work."

"What does he do again?"

"He's… a reporter." Her pause only furthered my mistrust.

I had a strong feeling that he was a weapons dealer. No, I knew he was. No one else believed me. Justin said he was clean, and Alec told me that they would know if he was up to something by now. But I know what I saw.

One night, something woke me up. I looked out of the window to see what it was and saw men unloading guns in his backyard. Justin was working that night, so I couldn't tell him until the morning, when all the evidence was gone.

"How is Justin?" she asked, batting her lashes.

"He's fine," I snapped.

"It's been so long since we've seen you and Justin together. Since… Carry and Barry's party, I believe it was."

"Yeah, probably."

"They're moving, by the way."

"Really?" That was news to me.

"Yes. He's being transferred to New York. We're having a going away party for them in a couple of weeks. I'll send you an invite."

"Sure." I wasn't sure Justin would like that, but we could show up for a couple of minutes and make nice.

"I think it's time to go, Mrs. Bieber," Amun whispered.

"And who might you be?" Victoria held out her hand for him to shake. He didn't.

"I'm a family friend. We just moved in across the street."

"I've known Amun since high school." I patted his extremely large shoulder. He was so tall I almost had to stand on my tiptoes.

"That's nice." She wasn't buying any of it, but I wasn't falling for her weak lies either.

The truck I had seen earlier opened and men started to carrying in large, pinewood boxes. They were foreign with dark skin and black hair. They almost looked like Amun. Just lankier. There were about five of them.

"Are you moving?" I asked, peeking around her to get a better look.

"No, just new furniture." She smiled falsely.

"From Pakistan?"

"What now?"

"From Pakistan, your furniture." I pointed to a box. "The stamp says 'Pakistan' on it."

"It's a rug." Victoria nodded.

Do you think I'm stupid?

We stared each other down for a second before Victor sauntered over, dressed in a nicely pressed suit. His low ponytail was the most disgusting thing about him, but I also hated his eyes. They were kind, but deceiving.

"Selena, so nice to see you again." He looked too happy to be talking to me.

"You too." I purposefully put my hand out. It might have been overly formal, but I needed a handshake. He gave me one.

His palms were rough, but still soft at the same time. I felt the callous on his skin that came from years of handling guns. There was a small burn on the underside of his hand that I could feel with my pinkie, and when I slid mine out of his, I brushed against more burns on his fingers. His hands were almost identical to Justin's. I should know since they had been up and down my body countless times in the past couple of years.

Reporter, my ass!

Victor didn't ask about Amun, so we made small talk about the weather and the baby. They didn't seem interested at all. I watched out of the corner of my eye as the men kept unloading boxes from the truck. If they really were weapons dealers then they were stupid to be doing things in the daylight, although, I wasn't really sure it mattered. No one around here would notice anything suspicious. Victoria's "new furniture" lie would have sufficed.

I left them both after our cordial goodbyes. Amun made sure I was settled inside the house before he went back across the street. He told me to just leave the neighbors alone and let them keep their secrets.

"It's not your job to prove their doing anything illegal," he said. "Let Mr. Bieber handle that."

Once he was gone, I defied him completely.

"How am I supposed to raise children if we're living next door to arms dealers?" I muttered to myself, grabbing Justin's binoculars off of the top shelf in his closet. I brought a chair over to the far window on the other side of our bedroom and plopped down.

I could see right into their backyard and a good portion of their house through the large windows. The curtains were open, and I spotted Victoria's red hair as she walked up the stairs.

This is how my obsession began.

I sat in front of that window all day. I didn't even leave to use the bathroom until the absolute last second. I didn't want to miss anything. Like I thought, I saw guns in the upstairs office cabinet when Victor went in to get a glass of wine. I counted six, maybe seven, and they were all military grade. No reporter I knew needed something like that. I brought out Justin's camera and took pictures. I wasn't crazy, and I was going to prove it.

I popped popcorn ate it because of my intense craving for something salty. I watched them like they were on display. I didn't really know what time it was, but smelled Justin's cologne as he entered our room at the end of the day, maybe sometime around five.

"What are you doing?" Justin came over and kissed my shoulder. "Spying on our neighbors, love?"

"Justin, I swear to God, those two aren't right." I was sure I looked insane with the camera on the tripod and a bowl of popcorn in my lap.

"Selena, leave them alone. So what if they're weapons dealers?" He began getting undressed after a long day at work.

"So what?" I followed him to the closet. "I don't like it. They're sneaky people and you need to talk to them."

"I'm not talking to them. They could be saying the same thing about us." He smirked.

"But they're bad people, Justin."

"Oh, Selena. You're so cute in your innocence." He kissed me.

"What do you mean?"

"Everyone has their secrets." He went into the bathroom. I followed hot on his heels. "The McKluskies down the street are selling meth from their basement, and Mr. Ropert is having sex with his fourteen year old lawn boy. It's possibly not concessional. I'm not sure yet."

"What? How are you so calm about this?"

"Because I don't judge. That's probably the only nice thing I do for this world. I'm the worst there is, and people give me a chance."

"But you do judge… everyone. All the time."

"You know what I mean. If people don't want me to know something, I either dig for answers or let it go. Victor and Victoria don't interest me."

"Bullshit! If they're arms dealers then they're taking business from you. It could be millions, Justin."

I knew that would get him. He stopped from leaving the room and spun around, taking the binoculars from me. He rushed to the window.

"I have pictures," I said and hung over his shoulder to see out of the window. "They got a shipment of something in from Pakistan this morning. I saw it while I was walking."

"Selena, you can't get involved in this," Justin scolded. "If something is going on, Alec and I will handle it."

"But I want to help. I'm the one who figured it out."

"It's too dangerous. Just let me talk to them. Maybe we can invite ourselves over for a dinner or something."

I remembered what Victoria told me on my walk. "They're having a party for Carry and Barry in a couple of weeks."

Justin groaned, "Do we have to go to that?"

"Yes."

"Where the hell are they?" His head wiped around, the binoculars still attached to his face, trying to find them in the house.

"They've been home all day."

"Oh," Justin exhaled.

"What? What's happening?" I took the binoculars from him.

I found Victor and Victoria in the upstairs bathroom. It looked like they were shouting, but the window was closed, so I couldn't hear. They were both red in the face, their arms flailing around.

I gasped when Victor slapped Victoria across the face. She stumbled backwards, and then regained herself, slapping him back… harder. He slapped her again. By this time, Justin had pulled out his own binoculars and sat a chair next to mine.

"What are they doing?" I asked in shock.

"Fighting, obviously." He exclaimed when Victor shoved Victoria into a wall. "Get her!"

"Should we report them? He might be hurting her."

"No, leave them alone. I don't think this is a real fight."

"What do you mean?"

"This is a fight… of passion. I can tell."

Justin was right. Once Victor and Victoria were tired of slapping each other, they collided in a fiery kiss. Clothes started coming off after a couple of seconds, and he lifted her up onto the sink. Justin and I had to lean forward so we could see. This was probably illegal, but it was just too good to look away.

"This feels wrong," I said, watching them more closely.

"I know. Like a car crash."

Victor was now completely naked, and I almost covered my eyes when he dropped his boxers, but didn't. He was hung… very nicely. It seemed like no one could rival Justin, though. Victor had a lot of girth, but he wasn't the longest I had seen. He was already erect, and curved to the right at an angle that looked painful.

"Hmmmm. I never figured," Justin said to himself.

"What is going on?"

Victoria removed her clothes as well, making me feel slightly inadequate. Her body was tight in all the right places. Not overly muscular, but long and lean. Her breasts were perky.

"Fake," Justin commented.

"How can you tell?"

"It's a gift." He shrugged. "They're the exact same size. Women always have one breast bigger than the other. Plus, you can see the scar tissue in her cleavage."

I inspected my chest.

"Your right one is bigger." He said without looking. "Your boobs are very nice with the pregnancy. I like them."

I didn't know if he was right about Victoria's supposedly fake breasts or if he was just trying to make me feel better, but I smiled a little.

What was surprising was the humongous bush growing in between her legs. It was just a red jungle down there. Victor seemed to like it, though. He placed her on the counter and lowered his head, licking with his tongue.

"He's doing it all wrong." Justin sighed. "God, man. Save some of your dignity. This is embarrassing."

"I can't believe we're watching this." I was somewhat giddy.

"It's live porn." He laughed. "Is this what you've been taking pictures of all day? You naughty girl, you."

"No, I promise. They weren't fucking when I was watching."

Victor had stopped with foreplay and moved Victoria to the tub. He bent her over the side and entered her roughly. She yelled out in pleasure and arched her back like a cat in heat. This gave us a perfect view of… everything. They were quick with their movements.

He wrapped her long red hair around his hand and pulled her head back so that she was arched even more. She was screaming. That much I could tell.

"I don't think we should watch anymore."

"We have to see them finish. I want to see her cum face. I bet it's hilariously disgusting."

You could tell when she was done because her whole face went lopsided. It was like she was having a stroke and started to shake uncontrollably. Her lips tilted to the side, and her eyes fluttered as if she was having a seizure. It was very unattractive.

"I hope I don't look like that," I said.

"Trust me, you have a beautiful cum face." Justin's lips kissed my neck. "Beautiful, indeed."

"Okay, we have to stop." I pulled the binoculars from my face and pushed away from the window. "We're going to confessional on Sunday."

"Uh-huh. Whatever you say." Justin had yet to move.

I had to drag him to dinner. We ended up ordering pizza since I slacked all day.

"So, Selena, when do you go to Forks?" Alec asked me at the table. Jane was joining us today, and I was surprised he even noticed me with her in the room.

"Um, at the end of the week." I swallowed a large bite I didn't mean to take. "It's just for two days."

Justin grunted his disapproval. He didn't like the fact that I was going without him, but I begged him to stay at home. Amun and two other security people were coming with me, so I would be safe.

"Are you excited to see your father?" Jane asked.

"Yes, but a little nervous. I have to tell him about the baby."

"He'll be happy. This is his first grandchild. His only biological one ever," Justin said.

"True."

"I just don't think we connect like we used to." I sighed. "He's disappointed me for so many reasons."

The conversation was bringing the table down, so we changed topics.

The rest of the week passed incredibly quickly.

I was getting more and more nervous about my impending trip to Forks, but didn't think about it much. I just needed to make sure Charlie was okay. I had purchased his house on the lake and planned on giving it to him when I got there. He would protest, but he would take it in the end. I would make sure of that.

Justin and I kept a close eye on our neighbors. I think we were hoping they would have sex again, but they didn't. Victor left the next day for a trip somewhere. I went over with a piece of their mail, which I had received the week before, but "forgot" about. When I invited them to dinner, she said that he was in Turkey and she was leaving for Texas soon. I didn't know how they had any sort of relationship with the amount of traveling they did.

The days went as usual. We readjusted ourselves back to normal after vacation, and I went back to work. Nothing exciting happened, but I did realize that Justin started working more at nights. He would come home with blood on his clothes, but I never asked why.

By the time Friday got here, I was more than ready to go. Justin was breathing down my neck about safety and about to have an aneurysm. Every morning, we had a fight about whether he should come with me or not. It took both Alec and me usually an hour to calm him down enough so he could go to work.

Thankfully, he wouldn't be sitting at home worrying all weekend. He had a big presentation to give to the board of city directors or something like that. I wasn't quite sure, but Jane said it was important. He would be spending most of his time on that when I was gone. She promised to keep him busy.

Bright and early Friday morning, I woke up and hopped in the shower. I found myself in an excited mood to see Charlie again. When I called and told him I was coming for a visit, he seemed excited; even more so when I said Justin wasn't going to accompany me. I thought I heard him scream for joy right before I hung the phone up.

"I want you to call me every couple of hours," Justin said as we sat down for breakfast. I would be leaving for the airport right around the same time as him.

"I know."

"And don't leave Amun's side the entire time."

"I know."

"God, this is so stressful. Maybe I should go with you." He sighed. "I think that's best."

"Justin, that's ridiculous," I almost screamed. "Let me go visit Charlie alone."

"I know, I'm being overprotective again, but I worry so much."

"Yes, you do, and you're going to end up killing yourself over me." I put my hand over his on the table. "Please, just stay calm. I'll call and everything will be fine. What do you think might happen?"

"I'm not exactly sure. I really do try to let you live a life, but I create things in my mind. You know me." He shrugged.

When it came time to leave, I was the one who had an emotional breakdown. I didn't know what had come over me, but I turned into a sniffling, crying mess. Justin and I rarely spent time apart, never more than a day that I can remember in the past couple of years. Now, I would be away from him for a whole weekend. I was trying not to be clingy, but what if he was right? What if something bad happened? I wouldn't know what to do.

"Selena, I have to go." Justin chuckled, trying to pry me off of him at the front door. "The car will be here to pick you up in five minutes, but I have a meeting that I'm already late for."

"Come with me," I begged.

"This is just outrageous." Alec stood to the side, shaking his head.

"I thought we went through this. You wanted to go alone and talk to your father." Justin held me at arm's length. "You'll be fine and be right back home in two days."

I nodded. "This baby is messing with my mind, Justin. I don't know how to act anymore."

"I know." He kissed my forehead. My lips were already chapped from our intense goodbye kisses, and if we started again, we might not stop. "I'll see you on Sunday, okay?"

"Okay. Bye" I kept my hands to myself as he started walking into the garage. He waved to me once more before speeding out of the driveway.

"You are an absolute mess," Alec said. "These mood swings are going to be the death of us."

"I can't control myself." I wanted to shout. "I hate this."

"Maybe it'll pass," he replied hopefully.

"I don't think so."

"God, help me." He threw his hands up in the air and went back inside.

I sat, Francis in my lap, until William knocked on the door. Amun put my single bag into the trunk of the black town car, and then waited for me to get in. I was still crying even when hugging Alec goodbye.

"I left some dishes in the freezer for you and Justin." I told him. "They have instructions so make sure you read them."

"I will, Selena."

"And stop feeding Francis chicken. He's getting fat and it's not healthy." I sniffled.

"I will, Selena."

"Keep Valentino outside and clean up your bathroom. It'd better be done by the time I get back."

"I will, Selena."

"I think I'm forgetting something."

He hugged me tightly. "Just get out of here. Have fun and tell Charlie I said 'hi'."

"Okay." I nodded.

Amun helped me into the car and then sat up front. Alec held Francis and they both waved to me goodbye.

"What is wrong with me?" I blew my nose.

"I believe they're called hormones, ma'am," William said from up front.

"If only I could wake up in seven months and have the baby then."

"You would miss the experience." He smiled in the rearview mirror.

"I guess you're right."

Forty-five minutes later, we had arrived at the private airfield outside of Chicago. I was taking the jet, since Justin thought it would be faster, and I wouldn't have to deal with an actual airport.

I was dressed in dark jeans and a simple blouse with black boots that had a heel on them. It was raining a little, so I put on my favorite navy jacket.

"There are reporters outside of the gate, Mrs. Bieber. Photographers, as well. Is that okay?"

"There's not much we can do about it, can we?"

"No, ma'am. Sorry." He got out of the car.

Before I could reach the handle of the door, Amun was there to open it for me. He stayed close as we walked towards the whirling plane. I saw the photographers who were shouting, trying to get my attention. I just kept my head down. I knew what the headlines would read in the morning: Selena Bieber takes off for Unknown Destination or They Cullens fly separately to Avoid Being Seen Together. All the gossip sites loved us.

I was situated in my seat a couple of minutes later and sank into the soft leather.

"Would you like something to drink?" Amun asked me.

"Just water, please."

He left to retrieve it and came back a second later. "I'll be up front if you need anything."

"Thanks."

I pulled out my phone and decided to call Charlie. He had taken the day off so that he could spend time with me when I got in. He picked up on the first ring.

"Hey, kid. Where are you?"

"I just boarded the plane. We won't be leaving for another ten minutes, but I thought I'd call to let you know I'm on the way."

"We're all so excited to have you home. It's been too long."

"I know, Dad. I can't want to get there. How's Anna?"

"She's crazily trying to clean up. She gets so nervous when we have company. You're staying here, right?"

"No, I thought I'd stay at The Lodge," I said. That was the only hotel we had in Forks and he didn't have enough room.

"Really? I could have Bobby sleep on the couch. You can have his room."

"No, that's okay. I wouldn't want to put anybody out."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, we'll work it out."

"Alright, if you say so. When should I pick you up?"

"Actually, I have a car waiting for me."

"Oh, fancy. At SeaTac?"

"No, at the airfield near Port Angeles." I hung my head because I knew he was going to say something about this.

"The airfield?"

"Yeah."

"Only small planes coming from SeaTac land there. There aren't any scheduled for today. I checked."

"And private planes."

"Who has one of those?" he scoffed.

"I do, Dad. I'm taking the jet to Forks."

There was silence for a couple of seconds before he cleared his throat. "Wow, Bells. That's… impressive."

"I know. Justin just thought…"

Charlie groaned. "I don't want to hear about Justin right now. What time are you getting here?" His voice turned acidic and harsh.

"Around noon," I replied.

"Okay, I'll see you at the house then."

He hung up.

I sighed and rested my head on the back of the seat. I didn't know if Charlie had a problem with my wealth, but it obviously made him very uncomfortable. Every time I called, he would make fun of me and say hurtful things, although, I doubt he realized the affect it had on me. He said I had changed. I didn't think so. I just wanted us to connect again like we used to. That might not be a possibility anymore, though.

I texted Justin one last time before we took off, and I was asleep soon after.

It felt like I had just closed my eyes before someone was shaking me awake.

"Mrs. Bieber, we've arrived," Amun said in my ear.

"No," I moaned.

"You can sleep in the car, if you'd like, but we need to exit the plane."

I opened my eyes and couldn't really see anything. I did feel a large hand take mine and guide me out of the seat. He began pulling me, and I plopped down the stairs of the plane before getting into a waiting car.

"Well, that was fast," I muttered, still trying to wake up.

"I haven't had the change to survey the area. I needed to get you under cover as soon as possible," Amun replied.

"This is Washington. The only thing you have to worry about is icy roads and trailer parks." I rolled my eyes. "But I do love it."

"It's better to be safe than sorry." He gave the new driver instructions. How Amun knew where Charlie's house was, I didn't know. He just had that kind of information logged into his brain.

"Can we turn off the air off, please?" I asked, snuggling into my jacket. "It's really cold in here."

The rain was coming down hard outside. It was only May, which meant it was still pretty chilly in Washington. I was freezing. A shiver ran down my spine, and I shuddered.

"Is that better, Mrs. Bieber?" The driver looked at me in the rearview mirror.

"Yes, thank you."

I called Justin and assured him that I had landed safely. The first thing he did was sigh in relief and then started asking me a barrage of questions about the flight. If I was safe? If I had my seatbelt on the entire time? If Amun was doing his job? I didn't bother answering half of them.

After we hung up with each other, I looked out of the window at the passing landscape. I couldn't help but smile. The rocky coasts and thick pine trees brought back a lot of good memories. Once we reached town, I was surprised at how much it had stayed the same. I was glad it hadn't changed much. It wouldn't be home without the same greasy diner smell and hardworking residents.

I started making a list in my head of what Charlie and I could do. Maybe we could go on his boat and fish. He always liked that, and I enjoyed it on occasion. Or maybe we could have a bonfire on the beach. There was so much I wanted to do while I was home.

We soon pulled onto Charlie's street. The houses hadn't changed, and the same families had been living in them since I was a little girl. I saw kids on their lawns, playing with their toys, and men working on their old, vintage cars. It felt… natural.

"We're here," Amun said and got out of the front seat to open my door.

I got out of the car and took a deep breath of air.

"I'll get everything set up at the hotel and then be back for you in about an hour. Is that okay?" he asked.

I nodded.

"I'll leave someone across the street in case you need anything, but I wanted to give you a chance to talk to your father alone without someone hovering."

I grinned. "Finally. You get what I'm saying."

"Just following orders, Mrs. Bieber."

"I know," I sighed. "And thank you. I guess I do feel a lot safer with you."

"That's the goal."

I started to walk up the cement path that led to Charlie's front porch. The house stood proud and wasn't anything overly grand, but it had been my home for such a long time. It almost brought a tear to my eye just thinking about it.

"Hey, kid. What are you doing out there in the rain?" Charlie's gruff voice asked. He was leaning against the doorjamb with a devilish smirk on his face. I was so wrapped up in my surroundings that I hadn't even noticed him.

"Hi, Dad." I almost tripped running towards him, but he caught me. I took a deep sniff, and he smelled like he always did: peppermint, leather, and beer. It might sound like a gross combination, but it was calming to me.

"It's so good to have you home." He swung me from side to side.

"It's good to be here."

He finally set me down and looked at me. "You seem so much older."

"You just saw me like two months ago."

"At your wedding, yeah, I remember." He rolled his eyes. "Come in."

I stepped over the threshold and looked around. The old, drab furniture was replaced with bright colored sofas, and light green paint covered the walls. It was a mixture of old and new. Charlie and Anna. I liked it a lot.

"This is… different," I said.

"I know. She likes to change things around and mess with colors." Charlie blushed and rubbed the back of his neck.

"It's cute." I saw the row of pictures lined up on the fireplace mantle. One of my wedding photos with my father was front and center. "Where is everyone?"

"Anna went grocery shopping, and the kids have camp during the summer. They'll be back later tonight."

"I didn't really have a chance to talk to them at the wedding."

"Yeah, Beth thinks you're the coolest thing on two legs." He chuckled. "Can I take your jacket?" he asked.

"Yeah, sure." I wasn't thinking clearly and just pulled off my coat, putting it on the back of a chair. As soon as I removed it, I felt a blast of frigid air all over my body.

I didn't realize he was staring at me for a least a minute. I tried to turn around, but it was too late.

"Selena… it seems like you're… pregnant," Charlie sputtered.

"Shit," I whispered to myself and then raised my voice so he could hear. "Uh, yeah. This wasn't how I wanted to do this, but I came here to tell you… I'm pregnant."

He scowled a little, and his stout mustache wiggled. His signs were easy to read. He wasn't happy.

"Well, congratulations, I guess." He left me in the hallway and went into the kitchen. I heard the refrigerator door open and the familiar pop of a beer can being opened.

I took my time following him, and then just stood there, waiting for him to speak.

"How many months are you?" he asked when he came up for air after chugging a good amount of beer.

"Three and a half," I said. "I found out after the wedding."

"So… you weren't married before… that happened?"

"No." I shook my head. "I got pregnant before."

"God, Selena." He groaned and hit his head against a cabinet door. "You couldn't just call me?"

"I thought you might want to hear it in person. It is a pretty big deal."

"I knew I shouldn't have sent you away to that big city," he said quietly.

"Dad, you don't have to be happy about it, but I just wanted to come and see you. I thought we might be able to go fishing or-"

He spun around and cut me off. "Why did you have to go and ruin everything, Selena?"

"What?"

"You ruined your life. I didn't send you to Chicago so you could fall in love with the first boy who smiled at you. You were supposed to be somebody and do something with your life."

I was kind of stunned and didn't know what to say at first. "Why would you say that? I think I have made something of my life."

"Do you know what people say about you around town?" He didn't wait for a response. "They think you just left us all behind and changed into some kind of… celebrity."

"I didn't realize I had a contract to stay here and be the town's mascot." I was steadily getting angrier.

"I was so happy when you called and told me you were coming. I thought that maybe I might be able to talk some sense into you and get you away from that… man you married." He said the sentence with venom and disdain. It was rare to see Charlie in such a mood, but it did happen. I remembered his rage in high school when I screwed up, and he wasn't above yelling to get his point across. I didn't want my homecoming to be like this.

"He's not just some man. He's my husband, Dad. His name is Justin."

"I know what his name is!" Charlie, ironically, pulled a hand through his hair. "I was counting on you to make it in life, Selena. I wanted you to get out of this town and be somebody."

"I'm confused. I did exactly what you said and now you're mad at me?" I hadn't moved from my spot.

"He trapped you, Selena. Why can't you see that?"

"I'm not some young girl who doesn't know what's going on. Justin isn't trying to trick me into anything. I married him with a clear head and knowing full well what my life would become. You just weren't ready for it."

"You're right. You know why? Because I hadn't spoken to you in two years. You were running around with him in some country and left me behind."

"I thought about you every day, Dad."

"Well, that doesn't matter now." He shook his head. "I thought that I could talk you out of marrying him and that didn't work. Then I told myself that you'd come to your senses and see how bad he is for you and get a divorce. I was holding onto that, but now, you're having his child. You'll always be connected to him."

I gaped for a couple of seconds. "If I knew my pregnancy would cause such a reaction, I wouldn't have come at all."

"Maybe you shouldn't have. I want the old Selena back." Charlie's eyes were so full of love that it was hard to get mad at him, but I was.

"I'm the same Selena."

"No, you're not," he insisted. "I don't know this woman. She travels on private jets and gets made up in designer clothes and has a mansion in the suburbs. What happened to the girl who wore plaid all the time and couldn't even look at shoes with heels, let alone walk in them?"

"She grew up, Dad. That's what you're supposed to do when you go to college," I said slowly.

"I don't like what you've become and no one else around here does either."

"I don't care what everyone else says! Dad, I'm a good person. I haven't changed that much, and even though I dress better or have a big house, doesn't mean I'm any different. But so what if I am? Aren't I supposed to change?"

"Not like this. He's changed you," Charlie snarled.

I stumbled backwards a little before I caught myself. "Mom was right."

"What are you talking about?"

"All those years, she said you were trying to hold her back and keep her in this town. I always thought she was making stuff up, but now I see she was right the whole time. You want me to be here with you so I can take care of you. You want me to be one of the hundreds of girls who graduate from that fucking high school down the street and don't go anywhere."

"That's not what I'm saying, Selena."

"Yes, it is. You wanted me to marry Mike Newton and have three kids by now so you two could be fishing buddies. That's what you want, isn't it?"

"Mike. Now he was a good man." Charlie raised his eyebrows, daring me to argue any further.

"No, Dad! I didn't want Mike. I wanted to go to Chicago and live. That's what I did. It might not have been by your standards, but I'm happy. I really am. I love my husband and my life. I'm sorry if you don't like it."

"That man is a monster," he yelled. "He doesn't love you, Selena. He just wants a sweet girl to hold his hand at events and to pretend with."

"You think what we have is pretend? I wouldn't have gone to jail for him if I didn't believe in us."

"And that's another thing: why were you so sacrificing? What has that family ever done for you?"

"I don't have to explain myself to you, Dad." I scowled. "I came here because I wanted to have a good weekend and tell you about your grandchild. If you can't be happy for me, then maybe I should leave."

"You probably should." Charlie turned away from me.

"Um, is everything alright?" Anna shuffled into the kitchen, unaware of the crossfire she had just entered. She looked naturally pretty with her shoulder length, ashy blonde hair. Nothing like Renee, but I think that's what Charlie wanted. She smiled at me softly.

"Hi, Anna." I wiped my cheeks free of tears. "I think I'm going to go to The Lodge. My dad needs to cool off."

"I don't need to cool off, Selena," Charlie grunted. "I'm not changing my mind on this."

Anna's brow crinkled. "What happened?" She put the bags on the counter. "We were all so excited you were coming."

I sobbed a little. "I told him I was pregnant and he blew up at me."

"Charlie! How could you do that?" she scolded. "Congratulations, Selena."

"I will not congratulate her. She's being stupid and can't see how he's trapping her."

"Justin is a fine man," Anna argued. "He might be a little… rough around the edges, but he's good to her. We've talked about this, Charlie."

"Everyone thinks you're some kind of whore, Selena," he said to me. "You were supposed to be a role model. Now all these girls want to go off to the big city and find a rich mobster to marry."

"I can't believe you're saying this to me right now," I cried and was suddenly transported back to high school when I stood in this same kitchen, crying over something far less significant. I couldn't even remember what it was now, but the feelings were still the same.

"Charlie, your daughter is not a whore." Anna went over to him. "How could you say that?"

"I didn't mean to say that." He ran a hand through his hair again. "But you're embarrassing us, Selena."

I wanted to apologize, but I didn't know what for. I couldn't even speak. The temperature in the house suddenly dropped by at least a thousand degrees. It was suddenly teeth shatteringly cold.

"You don't mean that," Anna said. "Please, stop being so rude."

"I have a lot to get off my chest, and it's been building for years. I'm sorry if I'm being harsh, but I love you too much to let your life spiral down the drain." He sighed and moved closer to me. I backed away.

"You've changed just as much as me. I have never been so hurt in my life." I angrily swept the tears from my face. "I shouldn't have come."

"I'm trying to help you, Selena."

"You are making me feel horrible and I don't need this right now. I've already lost one baby; I'm not doing it again." I turned away from him.

"Wh- what?" Charlie stuttered. "What did you just say?"

"Forget about it," I whispered.

The door opened. "Mom! I forgot my lunch for camp. I have to run back after I eat here. Is that okay?"

A boy waltzed into the kitchen with a bright smile. He looked just like Anna. Bobby was her son from her first marriage, but Charlie loved him all the same. That's what he told me, at least. I was beginning to question his love for anything at the moment.

"Oh, hey, Selena!" He hugged my tightly. He was only ten years old, but almost as tall as me. "I couldn't wait for you to get here. How are Justin and Alec and Francis?"

"Um, they're good." I tried to hide the fact that I was crying. "It's nice to see you too."

"Bobby, go upstairs. I'll bring you something," Anna said sternly.

"Okay, Mom, but I have to leave in half an hour." He looked at us strangely, but didn't say anything and left.

"I think I'm going to go back home," I said to them. "It's obvious that I made a mistake coming here."

"Selena, don't do that. We'll get this sorted out. Charlie is happy that you're here. He's just having trouble coping with everything."

"Coping with what? This should be a happy time." Maybe I was just too optimistic. Could things really ever go back to how they were? If this trip was any indication then no, they couldn't.

"Selena, I'm sorry for saying those things, but it hasn't been easy on me. I had to watch you go to jail, and then you just disappeared. Now you're back, married, and pregnant with a child I don't want you to have. What am I supposed to say?"

"I don't know, Dad. I just don't know." I felt a sharp pain in my back and leaned over. "I think I'm going to go and wait for my car in the family room."

"Please stay. At least until tomorrow. I'm sure once Charlie calms down, he'll be better." Anna patted my back.

"Okay, I'll stay until tomorrow." I nodded with a smile. I couldn't look at him, though.

"Good." Anna sighed. "I'll take you to The Lodge if you want."

"No, that's okay. My car should be here in a couple of minutes. I'm going to sit on the couch." I sniffled my way into the other room.

Bobby was on the sofa, swinging his legs and watching cartoons. I sat next to him.

"Sorry about all of that," I said.

"It's okay. Grownups fight." He shrugged. "Are you hungry? My mom could make you a sandwich."

"No, I'm okay." I breathed heavily. The temperature was lowering… a lot. I almost couldn't breathe. My lungs seized up.

"Are you feeling alright? You look kind of sick."

"Yeah, I'm fine." I tried to sit up, but a prickly pain radiated from my side. I hunched over in pain.

"Mom!" Bobby shouted and ran out of the room.

There was a shuffling of feet, and then hands were on my face. "Selena, are you okay?" Charlie's voice said in my ear.

"Get away from me." I pushed his hands away. "Leave me alone."

"Oh, my God, Charlie she's burning up," Anna squeaked.

"Selena, can you hear me?" my father asked.

"Call Justin, please." Another pain, this time sharper, cut through my side. I could feel a cold sweat break out all over my body in response.

"I'm not calling him. I have to take you to the hospital."

"No, you don't care anyway. Just call Justin," I cried. "Please, just call him!"

My teeth chattered loudly, and my vision went hazy. I was suddenly so sick, but I couldn't figure out why. My mind just kept racing with possibilities, coming up short at every turn since I could no longer think clearly.

"Call him." My body shook from the tears as pain erupted in every limb.

"Selena, I can take care of you." Charlie insisted.

I vaguely noticed Anna rush over and grab my cell phone out of my jacket pocket, rushing through the list of contacts until she found the one she was searching for. I didn't ever hear the conversation, though, because it all went black after that.

I had some of my worst experiences in hospitals, getting bones reset or getting casts molded. But hospitals always gave me comfort, because I knew I would get fixed. It probably only made sense to me, but I found a strange sense of familiarity in the pristine halls of a hospital.

As my body started to awaken, I could immediately tell that I was in one.

The air smelled too clean. The sheets underneath my body weren't overly comfortable, but not scratchy either. I could feel how they were tucked with care around me and almost fell back asleep. The beep of a machine was far off in the distance, and I counted each chime. Thankfully, nothing hurt anymore, and my temperature was back to normal. I didn't feel the pull of an IV line under my skin, either, so that was good.

When I took a sniff of the air, I smelled faded cologne. It wasn't powerful at all; maybe I was the only one who could even detect it since it was my favorite.

I heard the soft tapping of a shoe on tiled floor and felt my body tingle all over. Not in lust, but in heated anticipation for when I opened my eyes. I knew who it was already.

Expensive Italian leather makes a very distinct sound.

I opened one eye and saw Justin sitting in a chair by the window in the small hospital room. He was dressed in a suit, telling me that he had flown from work. I'm sure his conversation with whoever told him to get on a plane was rather heated. It was dark outside, so I had probably been sleeping for a while.

Justin had his glasses on, shaking his head as he muttered to himself. He didn't look happy at all. I could feel the anger rolling off of him even from across the room. I watched as he pinched the bridge of his nose with force and sighed in frustration.

His phone rang. He checked it, but didn't bother picking up.

I shifted in bed, letting him know I was awake.

Justin's head snapped to my direction, and he was near my bed in a flash. "Selena, thank God." He ran a hand over my forehead, moving the hair away.

"How long have I been asleep?" I asked, my voice thick with disuse and dryness.

"About six hours. I just got here." He sat on my bed and sighed. This time in relief. "I've never prayed so much in my entire life."

"Really?" I chuckled humorlessly.

Justin nodded with a stern face. "I can't ever keep you safe, can I?"

"I don't know what happened." I tried to sit up, but found that I needed his help to do so.

"I'll tell you what happened. Your father stressed you out and drove you crazy. He's an asshole."

"You heard about our fight?"

"Yes. He and I had a very intense shouting match down the hall. I almost got arrested…twice!"

"He said a lot of bad things, but I don't think he meant them. I hope he didn't."

"Your father has some major issues that I don't care to get into right now. He's a jealous jackass who can't stand to see you happy."

"I'm sure that's not the case, Justin. You're being a little harsh."

He scoffed angrily, "You're in a hospital bed and he's out there bitching at me for ruining you or whatever lies he's spewing."

"He said you've changed me."

I could tell that Justin wanted to say something, but he let me continue.

"He thinks I'm supposed to be some kind of role model for the girls around here, and I let him down. I'm the town's embarrassing secret." I could feel the tears well up again, but didn't let them fall.

"That's not true, Selena." Justin pulled his chair to my side and sat down, taking my hand. "You don't owe these people anything."

"I don't think I've changed that much, do you?"

"No, of course not. You've just grown up into a woman," he assured me.

"He doesn't want me to have the baby. He doesn't want me to be married to you. I've disappointed him so much."

Justin's jaw clenched and a growl grumbled in his chest. "He had no right to say those things to you."

"Is he here?" I asked.

"I think so, somewhere. I threatened to kick him out if he didn't get away from your room."

"Am I okay? Is the baby all right?"

"I'm not sure. I haven't talked to the doctor yet. Anna said that everything was okay, though. I was trying to get in to see you, so I wasn't paying much attention."

"God, I never should have come here." I rubbed my face.

"I hate this town, by the way."

"Why? What happened?"

"You took the jet, so I had to fly public," he answered in revulsion. "Then I rented a car and had to drive here. I got lost like, four times and ended up on some fucking mountain. I ran the only fucking stoplight in this place. I almost hit two different deer, and I swear I saw Bigfoot in the parking lot. I didn't know where the hell I was."

We both had a laugh at his expense, but then sobered up quickly.

"Thank you for coming." I squeezed his hand.

"Where else would I be?" He kissed my knuckles. "I rushed out of a meeting with some very important people. I told them to fuck themselves when they demanded I stay."

"Really?"

He nodded. "I was going crazy on the flight. I just prayed that you and the baby were okay."

Our moment was interrupted by a knock at the door. The last person I wanted to see at this moment stuck his head in.

"Um, hi." Charlie cleared his throat.

"Get out," Justin commanded. "I can't look at you right now."

"I have a right to see my daughter."

"Not if she doesn't want to see you." Justin stood up. "Get out!"

"Look…" He moved closer to me.

I thought Justin was going to explode. He walked to the other side of the bed so quickly I had to do a double take. "Get away from my wife. You've already caused enough damage."

"I don't have to listen to you." Charlie glared at him. "I'm trying to help her."

"By calling her an embarrassment? You have no right to even look at her right now. You put her in the hospital."

"Why are you even here? Shouldn't you be at some fancy charity benefit or getting arrested?"

"You don't know a thing about me." Justin shook his head in disgust. "I don't really care for you, but you're Selena's father and unfortunately, I'm stuck with you until you're dead."

"You're crossing a line, boy."

"Get away from Selena," Justin instructed, his voice rattling with anger. He was trying to hold it together with his fists clenched at his side.

"Dad, we'll leave in the morning. You don't have to stay here," I said remorsefully.

"See what you've done," Justin roared. "You're upsetting her with your stupid comments…"

"She's my daughter. I know what's best for her," Charlie cut in.

"She's my wife, and she's carrying my child. If you can't deal with that then you need to make a quick decision. Either you're her father and stick by her, or you get out of our lives altogether. I won't have you causing her added stress."

"How could you say that to me?" Charlie's mouth stayed open in shock before he stuttered, "I love her."

"Then treat her like it and stop your tirade against me, because I'm not going anywhere. Trust me, I'll move her so far away she'll forget all about you and this stupid town."

"Selena, don't you see what he's doing? He's trying to push us even further apart. This is what I'm talking about," he said to me.

"No, Dad, this is all you. I wanted to come here and have a good weekend, but you ruined it." I forced myself not to cry again.

"Try me again and you won't ever see your grandchild." Justin was so close to Charlie at this point, their noses were almost touching, "You'll live a very sad life Charles Swan."

A doctor poked his head in. "Excuse me, am I interrupting anything?"

None of us replied.

Dr. Gerandy had been here ever since I could remember. He treated my broken bones and gave me painkillers when my clumsiness caused horrible bruises in high school.

"Hi." I waved at him.

"It's so good to have you back, Selena." He beamed, not really noticing the tension in the room.

"I'll be gone in the morning. It was just a quick visit. This is my husband," I introduced them.

"Of course. We all know about Justin." He shook his hand.

Charlie leaned up against the wall, grumbling, while Justin came back to sit in his chair.

"I should be able to discharge you by tomorrow. I want to keep you for observation overnight," the good doctor said, flipping papers on his clipboard.

"What happened?" Justin asked. "Is she all right?"

"Wait." I stopped him from speaking. "Charlie, I'd like you to leave, please."

"What?" He pushed off the wall. "I'm not going anywhere."

"Charlie, I'm sorry; I can't have you in here if she doesn't want you." Dr. Gerandy smiled tightly. "You'll have to leave."

"It's okay. I have Justin," I said. My father looked like he had been stabbed. He backed out of the room, shaking his head.

"Um, well, back to you," Dr. Gerandy continued. "I have a few questions."

"Okay."

"Have you been traveling recently?"

"Yes," I nodded, "I just got back from Spain a week ago."

"And did you have any pork?" he asked, writing on the clipboard.

"I think so. Probably," I replied, looking at Justin for help.

"I believe she did. Why? Is that bad? The books didn't say she couldn't have any."

"No, usually it's fine, but… I believe you have an infection."

"An infection?" My voice cracked.

"Yes. It's called toxoplasmosis. Anyone can get it, both men and women, but we don't see a lot of it in this country anymore," he said confidently, although I knew there was more. His face didn't look assuring.

"She got it from pork?" Justin rubbed his forehead. I think I might have seen a bead of sweat.

"Probably, or fruit. That's another common way to contract it if it hasn't been washed correctly. Usually the symptoms are flu-like, and it can be fatal if not treated, but like I said, we don't really see it here in the States. Most healthy people recover from the virus on their own, without medicine, but since you're pregnant, we needed to treat it aggressively."

"But… we're okay, right?" I asked worriedly.

Dr. Gerandy exhaled, pulling up a chair of his own. "I don't want to worry you unnecessarily, but any infection contracted during pregnancy is dangerous. Thankfully, we caught it quickly. We'll just have to watch you closely. You weren't completely asymptomatic, so we needed to treat it with a course of antibiotics."

"Is it safe for her to take antibiotics?"

"Yes, absolutely."

"So, I'm going to be fine." I smiled. "There's nothing wrong if I just take the medicine?"

"You are fine, but the babies might not be. Chance of passing it to the babies is fifteen percent in first trimester, thirty percent in the second, and sixty in the third. You, of course, fall into the second category. The chance that it could be potentially fatal to the babies is slim."

I felt like I was going to pass out, but I had to keep breathing, so I could hear what he had to say.

"Fatal?" Justin blinked a couple of times, letting the information sink in.

"Yes, but I don't think that will be the case here. It should be fine. I just had to warn you."

"What exactly might happen to the baby?" Justin asked.

"Uh, a long list of things, but it's not that different than if a woman got a cold or the chicken pox during pregnancy. There's always a risk."

"You didn't answer my question," my husband snapped. His hold on my hand was tight, but comforting.

"Well, the most common cases include blindness, hearing loss, brain functionality problems, asthma, and muscle weakness. The further into your pregnancy, the higher the risk is that the babies contract it and have complications from it. Complications might range from mild to severe. They can be anything from a rash to something more complicated, like cerebral palsy or epilepsy."

I let out a gust of air, and my brain shut down completely.

No! Not again. This can't be happening again…

Justin looked sick. I bet I looked the same, and I couldn't really breathe.

"Please, don't worry." Dr. Gerandy patted my knee.

"What if it's too late for the baby?" My voice was weak.

"The ultrasound was perfect, but you'll still need an amniocentesis to be sure they didn't contract the disease. When you reach week eighteen, we'll screen the amniotic fluid to check the babies' DNA to make sure neither of them contracted the disease. If one were to contract the disease, you would then need to speak to a genetic counselor, because the disease becomes a congenital one. The baby would also need a full screening at birth and antibiotics for a full year of its life afterward to prevent any of the birth defects that can happen. It's pretty intense. As of now, though, it looks like all is well with your babies." He smiled at me.

"Babies?" Justin's head swiveled around.

"Yes." Dr. Gerandy nodded, and then his smile faltered. "The nurse hasn't talked to you yet?"

I shook my head.

"Oh, well then… congratulations. You're having twins. We noticed that your HcG levels were elevated when we did your blood work, and an ultrasound confirmed that you are, in fact, having twins. Around week thirteen, we can be sure."

I coughed air into my lungs, and my brain started working again. This time in hyperspeed. I wasn't sure if I heard him correctly, but from Justin's reaction, I think I did. He looked downright unhealthy. The blood in his face was gone. His skin turned paler than I had ever seen and his eyes were as big as saucers. He leaned back in his chair with a huff.

"Twins… As in two?" I asked, my voice weak.

The doctor nodded. "Welcome to the fickle world of pregnancy. Do twins run in your family?"

"No," I answered.

Justin's mouth just hung open. He looked like a zombie.

"Well, these things just happen." Dr. Gerandy stood up. "I'll let you two talk, and then you need some rest, Selena."

"Thank you."

"It's good to have you back. Try to visit us more often. And congratulations again." He grinned and left the room.

My mood went from depressed to elated in a second flat. My cheeks hurt from the smiling, and I wanted to giggle. Justin had yet to move or even inhale.

I bit my lip and let him sit for at least ten minutes before I squeezed his hand. He jerked back to life.

"What?" he gasped.

"Are you all right?"

"Yeah." He cleared his throat. "Just taken by surprise, that's all. Are you okay?"

"I'm ecstatic." I beamed. "I'm having two babies."

"I heard. I'm not as… euphoric as you, but I just need to think about it all and rationalize it in my head."

I nodded. "I understand. But you're not mad, right?"

"Of course not, Selena." He sat up. "If this can make you smile that big, then I'm happy as well."

"Really?"

"More than anything." I think he was lying. I couldn't be sure, but Justin hugged me and pulled me gently towards him. "We'll have to readjust our lives… again. I thought I was used to the thought of one baby."

"I think we're ready." I clung to him.

He chuckled, "Let's hope so, Selena."

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