CHAPTER 26

The first week with Emma passed by quickly. Justin had called Johnny and he had made arrangements with hospital security so Anya and the baby could safely exit the hospital. The news crews were there everyday to try to get the dirt on her but since Justin hadn't come back since that first day with Anya, there wasn't anything to report. There were rumors going around but nothing concrete on the woman's identity or the baby. Emma had been released a week later and Justin could barely contain himself. He hadn't seen her since that first day. He and Anya decided that it would be better if he stay away from the hospital to not raise more suspension.

Anya had returned to her apartment and had Lisa and Justin taking care of her, which drove her crazy. She loved them both but Emma was the baby, not her. "Guys, please, I think I can do this myself. I am feeling okay, I promise."

"Anya, the doctors said that you were to take it easy for a couple of weeks. No lifting, nothing."

"Justin, I don't think he meant the baby when he said no lifting." He really was being silly now. She was about to continue arguing with him when the doorbell rang. "Well, do you think I can answer the door or is that against doctor's orders?"

"Yes, smart-ass, you can answer the door."

Anya opened the door to find Justin's mother in front of her. Thank you Lord. "Am I glad to see you, could you tell your son that I am allowed to pick up my own daughter?"

Lynn just stood there laughing. "I've tried telling him what to do for almost 20 years, I don't think I will be any help, but he's right, Anya, I don't think you should be picking the baby up." Anya was shocked that she would say this to her. "That's the job of a grandmother." With that, she walked over to Justin and took Emma from him.

"Hey…." Justin wanted to argue but gave up before he started. "Never mind."

Anya had to laugh at him. "I guess neither of us can compete with your mother."

He joined in with her laughing. He shut the door to the apartment and joined his three favorite girls.

The first few weeks went by without any major problems. Emma was growing and doing great. Justin and Anya were getting their relationship back on track and were tighter than ever. There had been some talk around town about Justin and the woman from the hospital and they knew the time to tell people was approaching. The two had spent Thanksgiving Day with Anya's family since Justin and the guys had to do appearance the next day and his family would join him. Anya had stayed with her mom for a couple of days to rest. Trying to keep up a newborn, late night feedings, no sleep, and dealing with Justin and Lisa, was enough to put Anya over the edge. Lisa had lightened up a little and was actually spending a lot more time with Jeff. He had been offered a job in Seattle and had asked Lisa to come with him. She wanted to go but didn't want to leave Anya. Even if she had Justin, Lisa still felt that she should stay around just in cast Anya needed her.

"Lisa, do you love him?"

"Of course I do, but what does that have to do with leaving you?"

"Listen, Emma and I are going to be just fine. Justin and the other guys are here all the time and when they are off parading around the globe, I will be okay. Women have been raising babies by themselves for ages, I can do it too. Lisa, you don't need to stay here in Florida with me because you are worried Justin will leave me again. He won't, I already told him that you would kick his ass if he did. Please, don't give up this opportunity with Jeff over me. I love you and will always be your best friend but you have to do this for yourself."

"Anya, I hear what you're saying, but I don't know. I know what you've been through this past year with Justin and I don't trust him. I know he loves you but how can he be here for you when he is out on the road?"

"Lisa, I don't mean to sound rude but that is my business not yours. We are taking things slow. We aren't going to rush into anything right now. If he chooses to leave, then I will deal with that but I don't think he will…I know he won't. I have to believe that. My heart couldn't take it if he left again, but I couldn't live without him either. Please, go with Jeff, see the country, tell me all about Seattle, be young, party." She repeated the same phrase Lisa had said all those months ago when they went to Justin's for a Bar-B-Que.

"You are impossible, you know that? Okay, I'll go, but if that boy, and I repeat, BOY, hurts you in any way, I will be on a plane so fast and I will hunt him down."

"I love you, too." Anya said, laughing. She would miss Lisa more than words could say but she knew it was time Lisa had a life of her own. She had been there for Anya from the beginning and now was her time to break free of it all.

Lisa left two weeks later and for the first time, Anya was left alone. Justin was over in Europe for a couple more days and his mother was gone on a trip with one of her groups. She decided to go for a walk in the park. Even though it was now December, in Florida it wasn't that cold. She bundled Emma up and they left the apartment. On her way back, she noticed a few people standing around her apartment building. She approached them carefully. One of the men recognized her and began to snap pictures of her and the baby.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Anya asked, as another guy ran up to her.

"Is it true that this is Justin Timberlake's baby?"

"How dare you ask me that. If you will excuse me, I have to get my baby inside before she gets cold." With that, she tried to push her way passed the men.

"Did you know that he admitted he had a baby in an interview over in England?" The man knew this would get to her.

"I'm sorry, I don't know what you're talking about. Like I said, I need to get my daughter in now." She picked up Emma and left the stroller in the parking lot. If these men weren't going to let her get the stroller by, she had to get Emma upstairs anyway she could.

Anya made it to the door of the building but could see the flashes of light from the camera the man was using. She made it up to the apartment in tears. She put Emma down and immediately called Justin's cell phone. She wasn't sure it would reach Europe but she had to try. She called but couldn't get through. She decided to email him and hope he would check his mail.

Surprisingly enough, later that night, he called her. "Hey, is everything okay, is Emma okay, Anya what is it?"

"If you would let me get a word in maybe I could tell you." She was still upset over the afternoon. "Did you tell an interviewer about Emma?"

"Where did you hear that?"

"The two men that were waiting for me at the apartment told me while they took our picture. Justin, what the hell did you tell them and why didn't you tell me?"

"Anya, listen, I am so sorry about this. I was in an interview and was asked all the same old questions when the guy asked me about taking you to the hospital. I don't know why I said anything but I was tired of hiding it. I am so proud to be Emma's father and felt like I was betraying her and you by lying about it. So, I told the guy that you weren't a stranger that you were my girlfriend and had my daughter. The other guys about crapped in their pants but they knew that I had to get it out. I am sorry I didn't warn you about it but I just told the guy two days ago. I thought before it hit the press I would be back home and could talk to you. Please say you are okay with this?"

"Justin, I don't know. I think I could have handled it better if I would have known. The guys weren't too harassing but I don't understand how they knew who I was and were I lived."

"All they need is one piece of information and they run with it. They probably got someone from the hospital to give up your name or something like that. Again, I am so sorry. I didn't think before I opened my mouth. I know what you are going to say but I didn't do this so you would move in with me, but I think that now would be a good time to do that. I have security at my house and it would be safer for the two of you there."

"We've talked about this before. I don't know. How will it look if I live with you?"

"Honey, it can't look any worse than the fact that we have a baby and not married, right?"

She started laughing at that. "Yeah, I guess your right. Listen, I will think about it, that's all I can say. When are you coming home, I really miss you."

"I miss you too. I will be home in a couple of days. Listen…." They continued to talk about what the baby had done the past week, what Anya would say to reporters if they came by, and how the guys were in Europe.

When Justin returned, he and Anya discussed her moving in with him and she decided that it would be safer for the baby if she lived at his house. He was glad she changed her mind about it and thought that now that she would be with him more, than maybe she would consider making it a permanent situation. He held off on that subject for now, but knew he had to ask her about it soon.

They were getting ready for Christmas by having a small get together with the other guys and their girlfriends before they left to go home themselves. The guys had several appearances to attend around Orlando for the holidays but did have the week off for Christmas through New Years.

Chris and Kiley were the first to arrive at the house. The two were still going strong and had talked about getting married but weren't sure on when it would be. Kiley had bugged Chris about a summer wedding but he knew they would probably have a tour in the summer and wanted it to be either before or after. "Kiley, why don't you just elope. That would solve it all. I think that would great, just go for and don't worry about when or where."

"Anya, why don't you take your own advice." Kiley said to her friend.

"Hey, we aren't talking about me. Besides, Justin and I haven't talked about anything like that, but you and Chris have. Come on, just go for it. That would knock Chris off his feet if you suggested that. He would take you away right now if he could." Anya was trying to get the attention off of her and Justin.

"You know, maybe I'll talk to him about it after Christmas. Maybe you should…."

They were interrupted buy Justin and Chris coming into the kitchen.

"What were you two talking about?" Justin noticed the look on both girls, like they just got caught with their hands in the cookie jar.

"Nothing. I think I will go check on Emma." Anya excused herself a little too quickly.

After she left, "Okay, what is going on?" Justin looked over at Kiley.

"Why haven't you talked to her about getting married. We were talking about Chris and I…and I have to talk to you about that later, honey…anyway, I told her to take her own advice with you and she said you guys hadn't talked about it yet. I thought you were going to say something to her?"

"I don't know, I want to but with all these appearances these past weeks, I haven't had much time to talk about anything, let alone marriage. I will though, maybe after things calm down from Christmas."

Just then, they heard the doorbell ring. Anya ran downstairs and made it to the door before the others. "Did everybody ride together or something?" There stood JC, Beth, Joey, Jen, Lance and a girl that Anya hadn't met before.

"No, we just all arrived at the same time. Anya, I would like you to meet Claudia. Claudia, this is Anya." Lance said.

"Nice to meet you, Anya, I've heard a lot about…." Claudia began but was interrupted when Anya heard the baby cry.

"I'm sorry, I have to go, please, everybody, come on in." She turned and ran right into Justin holding Emma.

"She just needed her daddy, that's all." Justin stood there with the biggest grin on his face.

"Yeah, I'll remember that when she has another dirty diaper." She laughed when he crinkled up his nose and handed her to Anya.

"Okay, so, let me get to the guest and leave you with the diapers."

The rest of the visit was a lot of fun for all. They had decided to give each other their presents for Christmas since they would be with their families on the day. Anya thanked everyone for the wonderful baby clothes and toys they had gotten Emma. "You guys did way too much for us. Thank you so much."

When everyone had left and Justin and Anya had cleaned things up, they were finally able to relax on the couch. "I guess I should get to bed since the baby will be up in a couple of hours to eat." She got up to go to bed when Justin grabbed her around the waist and pulled her back down.

"Don't go yet. You can rest here with me for a few minutes, please." He was giving her those same puppy-dog eyes they all gave her when they wanted something.

"Okay, maybe just a few minutes. I haven't been alone with you for a while anyway." She snuggled down with him on the couch. Justin started to rub her neck when she let out a moan. "That feels good."

He thought he would take it a little further and leaned down and started kissing the spot where his hand had just been. When she moved to a better position to allow him to kiss her neck easier, he knew he had done the right thing in making her stay up. They couldn't actually be together for a couple more weeks but getting to that point was still allowed.

He pushed her off of him and turned her around by the shoulders. She immediately put her arms around his neck and lowered herself until their lips met. It had been so long since they had actually kissed each other like this. Sure, they would kiss each other everyday but not like this. A quick peck on the lips or cheek was all they did but now they were in full kiss-mode. He began to moan when she slid her tongue into his mouth. He wanted to taste her for so long and wanted so much more but it would have to wait.

When they pulled apart, Justin could tell that it was time to stop. Anya had that tired look on her face. Although she wanted to stay up and be with Justin, they both knew she needed her rest. "It's okay, we can finish this later. Let's go." He picked her up and took her upstairs to go to bed.

Christmas came and went and after New Years, Justin got a call from Johnny wanting to meet with him about an interview that Rolling Stone wanted to do. Up to this point, they had let their press people handle all the rumors and send out statements about the couple and the baby. They tried to stay away from the press but found it harder to do. They would stay home most nights so they wouldn't run into anyone trying to find info on them. This time alone allowed them to become closer and Justin felt it was time to ask Anya what he wanted to so long ago. He decided that he would have his mother watch Emma and he would plan a romantic evening for just Anya and himself.

The night was set up and everything was perfect. Anya didn't expect a thing. She came down the stairs, ready for a quiet night at home, again. Justin had told her to get dressed because they were having dinner alone tonight and she thought he meant at home. She walked into the living room to find him all dressed up ready to go out. "You're not dressed." He said, as she stood there in a T-shirt and sweatpants.

"Why are you dressed up, you told me we were just eating?" She wondered what was going on.

"I have reservations out tonight. I thought we needed a night out. You thought I meant stay in. We really need to get out now." He laughed at her outfit.

"Hey, you try having a baby and then fitting into your old clothes. Besides, I'm comfortable. Where are we going that I have to dress up. I would rather stay in tonight anyway."

"We always stay in. I want to take you out and have fun tonight."

He was acting strange to her. He never pushed her into doing anything since Cancun. He didn't want anything to happen again because he forced her into doing something she didn't want to.

She knew that he wouldn't give up but she knew what would change his mind. She walked up to him and slid her arms around his waist and pulled him close. She leaned up and whispered in his ear, "I was thinking we could pick up where we left off last week." She nudged his neck and ran her tongue up it.

He knew immediately what she was talking about. He picked her up and ran upstairs with her. "Who said anything about going out?" She started laughing at him. He was too much.

He carried her to their room and put her on the bed. He lay down beside her and started to kiss her. She was enjoying herself when he started to feel down her sweat pants. "Justin, we can't. We have to wait a little longer."

He was not very happy that they couldn't be together yet. After she got the okay from the doctor visit next week they would be back to it, but for now, all Justin could do was wait. "I know. I know. I just want you so bad…this is so frustrating, you have no idea." He rolled over to the other side of the bed and away from Anya.

She knew he was disappointed, she was too. She wanted to be with him since their last night in Cancun, but doctor's orders. She decided that if he couldn't be with her that she would have to be with him, so to speak. She turned toward him and began to run her hand down the front of his shirt. When she reached his pants, she tugged a little on the button. "Anya, what are you doing?" He asked, with his eyes closed. He didn't know what she was up to since she had just said they couldn't do anything.

"Just lay there, I'll do the rest." She started to unbutton his pants and pull them down.

He took the hint and helped her remove them and place them on the floor. He took her hand and guided it to its destination, where he let out a moan when it arrived. "Are you sure you want to do this, you know you don't have to?" He hoped she wouldn't change her mind but he had to ask.

"Justin, I want to do this for you. Just because you can't feel me doesn't mean I can't feel you, right? Like I said, just lay there and enjoy it."

"Whatever you say." He lay his head back and waited for what was coming next.

A couple of hours later, Anya came down the stairs of the house. She had just put Emma to bed and was hungry since they hadn't gone out to eat. Justin had called his mother to bring the baby back home and was now in the kitchen eating leftovers.

Anya saw him at the table and as she approached him, she slid her arms around his shoulders. "Hey, I hope you aren't too mad that we stayed in tonight?"

He turned around to face her. "Are you kidding me, your idea for tonight was much better than mine." She started laughing at him and he grabbed her and pulled her onto his lap. "I didn't think it was that funny."

"I'm sorry, I just haven't seen you that content in a while. Maybe your mom should take Emma more often."

"You can count on it. But, next time it's your turn."

"Is that a promise?"

He didn't say a word, just pulled her into a kiss. When they broke apart, she was the first to speak. "Listen, I don't mean to change the subject, but what do you think about this Rolling Stone article they want to do on us?"

Johnny had told Justin about how Rolling Stone was doing an article on musicians and their real life loves. Nick and Jessica were one of the couples chosen, as was Mark from Blink-182 and his fiancée, along with many others. The magazine had wanted one of the guys from NSYNC to be in it and had chosen Justin and Anya since they seemed to have more to say about their relationship than the others would.

"Well, I don't know much about it. Johnny said that they wanted to take some shots of us and do an interview on how we make our relationship work while juggling our schedules. Stuff like that. Anyway, Johnny said that this would be a good opportunity to tell our side of the story for the first time. Since our PR people have handled everything up until now, he thinks that we could air out any of the rumors going on and set the record straight. I think it's a good idea but if you aren't comfortable with it, then they can ask one of the other guys to do it."

"Its up to you. Whatever you think is best. This is your career we are talking about and not mine. If you want to do this then I will. There have been a lot of things said about us lately and I wouldn't mind dispelling the rumors once and for all."

He reached up and hugged her tight. "Thank you, I think this is for the best but we need to be prepared for the back lash that will come from this. I have already gotten several negative letters from fans over this and we haven't said a word yet. I hope that people will be mature enough to handle this but I'm not sure."

"Listen, whatever comes from this, just know that Emma and I aren't going anywhere. I'm not going to let anyone come between us again. I can't even imagine waking up in the morning and finding you not there." She tightened her grip around his neck. He was her everything and this time she would fight anyone who tried to hurt their relationship again.

"I am so glad you said that. Wait right here for a minute." He pushed her off him and ran up the stairs. He returned a few minutes later carrying a small box in his hand. "I wanted to take you out tonight and talk to you about something very important but you seemed to have other things on your mind…"

"Justin, you could have told me and we would have…."

"No way, I wouldn't change tonight for anything. So we missed dinner, so what. What I have to say to you can be right here." He took a hold of her hand and placed the box in it. "Go ahead and open it."

She became very nervous about this. She hoped it contained what she thought it was. When she lifted the lid, there was the most beautiful diamond ring she had ever seen. Immediately, her eyes began to water up and she started shaking. "Please tell me this is what I think it is?"

"That would depend on what you think it is. If you think it is gumball machine ring I spent $.25 on, then you would be wrong. But, if you think that it is a token of my undying love for you and a promise that I want to spend the rest of my life with you, then you would be right."

"I was thinking number 1 but I'll take number 2 if you really want me too." He smiled at playfulness.

"So would that be a yes?"

"I don't think I heard the question yet." She was going to drag this out of him eventually.

"Okay, okay, if I must…Anya, what I would like to know is if you would like to make our living arrangements more of a permanent thing?" She looked at him as if to say, that's not the question I want to hear. "Okay, how about this…Anya, from the first time I saw you, I knew you were different. First off, you weren't twelve…anyway, the more I got to know you and trust you, the more I fell in love with you. When I left you in Cancun, I never felt so bad in my life. I never want to be without you, again. I can't imagine living my life without seeing your face in the morning and hearing you laugh at my dumb jokes. You have given me so much and I thank you for it all. My life would be complete if you were in it all the time. I want to be here for you and Emma forever…so, what I am trying to say is…Anya, will you marry me?"

He didn't have to wait long on her answer. She screamed and jumped into his arms. "YES! I thought you would never ask."

He pulled her back and placed the ring on her finger. He looked into her eyes and knew, without a doubt, that he had finally found home. Right here was where he belonged. Both of them were searching for that missing link in their lives, the thing that would make them complete, and they had found that in each other. They had come so far in such a short time but knew that everything would work out. They had their whole lives ahead of them and they would always look to the future and…NEVER LOOK BACK.

THE END…or is it?

Epilogue