"Hi Justin."

"Hi Kristen. Sorry to interrupt your uh, conversation."

"Why don't you sit down and join us."

Britney opened her eyes and glared at Kristen.

"I don't know…"

Britney slightly turned and grabbed his hand. "Please…sit down."

He looked down into her eyes. The eyes he could never deny.

"Adriana is waiting for me," he said nodding toward the studio.

Britney shook her head. "She's like her daddy, she can stay in there for hours and not get bored."

She was still holding on to his hand. He sighed and walked around the couch and sat down next to Britney.

"I got Britney's side of the story…now it's your turn. How do you feel about Wade right now?"

"I don't really feel anything," he said looking at Britney's hand.

"One way or the other? You still angry at him for what he did all those years ago?"

Justin looked up. "No, I'm not angry. I look at our lives now and it doesn't matter what he did back then…we're strong and happy now. That's all that matters."

Britney smiled.

"But he used to be such a good friend of yours…"

Justin nodded. "Yeah, but it's his loss, right? I don't hate the guy or even dislike him, but I'm not going to hang out with him anymore, you know? I mean like I won't invite him over for dinner or anything."

"What if Adriana continues to work with him?"

"Then she's getting the best. I've seen the way he is with her and he's good for her. He makes her work hard and knows how to push her the right way to make her do her best."

"Just like with Britney?"

Britney shifted her weight a little so she was facing more toward Justin.

"Yeah…just like with her," he said looking into her eyes.

"Daddy?"

Mama, daddy and Aunt Kristen all turned toward me.

"Yeah sweetie?"

"I was waiting for you…I thought you were coming back."

"Sorry baby…we sidetracked him," mama says holding out her hand.

I walk over to the back of the couch and take her hand.

"That's okay, I was just wondering where you were…"

"We can go back and finish," daddy says as he starts to stand up.

"Actually," mama says, looking at her watch, "she really needs to get ready. We both do."

Daddy looked at the clock. "Wow, I hadn't realized it was so late."

"I guess that's my cue to go get ready too," Aunt Kristen says standing up. She grabs her purse and walks around to the side of the couch where I'm still standing.

She leans down and gives me a hug. "I can't wait to see you perform tonight. Break a leg."

"Thanks," I say before she pulls back.

"I'll walk you to the door," mama says.

Daddy stands up and walks around to stand in front of me. "I'll go shut down in there while you guys go get even more beautiful."

"Okay," I say as he starts to turn away. "Daddy?"

He stops and looks at me.

"If you don't want me to work with Wade, I won't. All you had to do was say you didn't want me to…"

He walks back over to me and grabs my hands.

"Look at me."

I look into his eyes.

"You are a strong and independent young lady who has her own ideas. I respect that. If there were any reason why I didn't think you shouldn't work with Wade, I would have said so. For your career, I think it was one of the best decisions you could have made."

I nod. "I have learned a lot from him."

Daddy smiles at me. "Good. That's all that matters right now. How much did you hear?" he asks, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear.

I shrug. "I know that you and mama aren't friends with him anymore. I just don't want to get in the way…"

He shook his head. "You're not. Wade is excellent at what he does."

"Okay."

"You feel better now?"

I nod and give him a weak smile.

"Good," he says before he leans down and kisses the top of my head.

"Justin, go check on Cody please," mama yells from upstairs.

I'm sitting on the couch with Ashleigh by my side. We're both in our dresses, ready to go.

"Ashleigh, stop fidgeting," I tell her as I tuck the tag back in the back of her dress.

"It itches," she says, squirming around again.

"Come on," I say, taking her hand and leading her into the kitchen.

"What color do you think mama is going to wear?" she asks with enthusiasm.

"I don't know. She looks great in any color. She might stick to black though…oh, or maybe white."

The doorbell rings.

"Oh man…the limo is here," I say glancing up at the clock. "Come on."

I answer the front door.

"We'll be out in a few."

The driver nods and walks back to the car.

I start to walk up the stairs but I'm met by daddy and Cody.

"Cody, you look nice," I say.

"Thanks," he mumbles.

"Daddy, mama needs to get down here now."

"Okay," he says turning around mid-step and walking back upstairs.

He lightly knocks on their bedroom door and opens the door.

"Baby, the limo is here. I'm sure you can't look anymore beautiful than you do now so…" He stopped in mid-sentence when she turned around.

"I can't get my hair to…what?" she asked, touching her body making sure everything was still in place.

He approached her shaking his head. "No," he said taking her hands, "you just look so breathtaking I needed a second."

He looked at her from head to toe and back again. She was wearing a sparkly silver dress that was floor length. The straps were spaghetti straps and she had on diamond earrings and a necklace to match, that Justin had given her one Christmas to accentuate the outfit. He kissed the top of both of her hands.

She smiled up at him. "I haven't put my lipstick on yet," she winked at him.

He laughed and leaned into her for a slow, mind-blowing kiss.

"Mmmm," she said. "Just the way I needed to start off the evening."

"Did you wait just for me?" he asked rubbing her lower lip with his thumb.

She gave him a seductive smile and nodded. "Mmmhmmm. Is Cody ready?"

"Yes, our children are waiting downstairs for us."

"Good. Okay, is anything out of place?" she asked twirling around slowly.

He looked her up and down from head to toe.

"I think you forgot something."

"What?"

He looked down and she raised her long dress up an inch to reveal stocking feet.

"Yeah, I might need those," she said walking over to the closet and sliding into the silver sandals that matched her outfit.

"Now you're perfect."

"I want one more of these," she said wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling his head down so he could kiss her again.

"Daddy!! Mama!!"

Justin stopped in mid-kiss and said against her lips, "I guess we should go."

Britney closed her mouth over his one last time, pulled back and said, "Before our children come barging up here."

She picked up her purse and bag and walked out the door in front of Justin.

"Mama…you look so beautiful," I say as she comes walking down the stairs.

"Why thank you. But I think my two girls are the ones who are going to grab all the attention," she said, adjusting the bow in Ashleigh's hair.

"Let's go, let's go," Ashleigh said bouncing up and down.

Mama took her hand and walked out the door that daddy was holding open for us.

When the limo pulled up to the place where we were to get out, I took a deep breath and looked over at mama and daddy. He was touching her cheek and looking deeply into her eyes. He gave her a quick kiss on the lips and started to slide toward the door.

When the door opened, one of mama's old bodyguards poked his head in.

"Rob," mama said.

"Hey man," daddy said as he got out and gave Rob a hug.

I could see the bulbs flashing outside the limo already and it was only daddy who had gotten out.

Cody scooted out next and then I started to slide down the seat.

"Let me look at your makeup and hair real quick," mama said, stopping Ashleigh and I.

She tucked a few strands of Ashleigh's hair behind her ear and rubbed her cheek with her thumb. "You look beautiful. I love you," she said before she gave her a quick peck on the lips.

I stopped and looked at mama. She looked over my hair and makeup and gave me a quick kiss on my lips and said, "Perfect. I love you…you're going to be brilliant tonight." She was cupping my face in her hands.

I smiled and nodded. "I love you too."

"Come on girls," daddy said leaning down into the doorway.

"Here I come," I said sliding all the way out.

"Hello there Miss Adriana," Rob said holding out his hand as I straightened my outfit.

I looked up at him and wrapped arms around him as much as I could. "Hi Mr. Rob," I giggled.

"You look more and more like your mama every time I see you. Careful, don't mess up your pretty hair," he said.

"It's okay."

The flashes went off like crazy. I took daddy's hand as Ashleigh took my other one and I smiled. Cody was standing behind daddy.

Daddy leaned down a little bit and helped mama get out of the limo. She took his hand and let him help her stand up as gracefully as she could. Even though the cameras were clicking away she walked over and hugged Rob.

"I'm so glad you're here tonight," she said.

"I wouldn't be anywhere else."

I smiled at the exchange. He was such a huge part of her life at one time.

"Right this way," one of the attendants said, ushering us toward the red carpet.

We walked down the carpet as a family…one unit.

Mama took her time and stopped to talk to as many reporters that she could. Occasionally we would have to stop so that the photographers could take more pictures of us.

"I think Ashleigh was the hit of the red carpet," mama kidded as we neared the entrance to the venue.

"They were so nice," Ashleigh replied.

"How are you doing?" mama asked Cody, who was holding her hand.

"I'm fine," he said.

"This way, and we'll show you to your seat. Would you like to freshen up before you are seated?" the attendant asked.

Mama looked at all of us and when no one spoke up she said, "I think we're fine."

As we walked to our seats, people stopped us on the way down the aisle. People that I had never met before but who mama seemed to be very familiar with.

I waved when I saw my Uncle's. Uncle Lance was the first to stand up and walk over to me.

"How's my favorite niece?" he asked, giving me a hug.

He looked down at Ashleigh and said, "Nieces…I meant nieces."

She giggled.

"I'm fine," I said.

"You nervous?"

I shook my head. "No, I'm not nervous at all. I'm excited about this Uncle Lance."

He smiled. "Good, I am too."

"This is Adriana," mama said. That got my attention.

Uncle Lance winked at me before he started talking to daddy. I scooted closer to mama and she wrapped her arm around me.

"I love your album," the woman said.

"Thank you," I smiled at her.

"Honey this is an old friend of mine from the Mickey Mouse Club…this is Kerri."

"Hi Kerri, nice to meet you."

She shook her head. "You look so much like your mother…and I'm sure you're tired of hearing that but it's a compliment."

Mama smiled at me and gently squeezed my shoulders. "I think she does hear that a lot. She hasn't complained about it yet."

"And I never will."

We laughed.

"We'll need to be seated soon," daddy whispered to us.

He saw who we were talking to and hugged Kerri. I followed behind mama and Cody to our row. Daddy and Ashleigh were behind me.

"Why don't you sit by me?" Uncle Lance said. He and Aunt Joy were sitting in the same row as us.

"Okay," I said sitting down in the chair next to him.

Ashleigh sat down next to me. Then it went mama, daddy and Cody, who was sitting next to Uncle JC. My grandmother's and grandfather's and Uncle Bryan's family were all sitting behind us. After we talked to them a few minutes someone came over the microphone and said the show would be starting in ten minutes.

A few more people walked by mama and leaned down to give her a hug. I recognized one of them and I think the other one used to be one of her dancers.

"There's so many people I don't know," Ashleigh whispered to me.

"I know…me either," I whispered back.

I felt something hit the back of my neck and I turned and saw Uncle Chris in the next section to my right acting like he was looking up at the ceiling. Uncle Lance started to laugh.

"He hasn't changed," he said.

When Uncle Chris looked my way he smiled and blew me a kiss. I stuck my tongue out at him and then winked at him.

"He's a goofball."

Right before the show was going to begin I looked around a little bit. A couple of rows behind Uncle Chris was Wade. I smiled and waved to him when he caught me staring. He smiled and waved back and mouthed, "Good luck."

"Thank you," I mouthed back.

I turned back around in my seat…let the show begin.