Just a quick author's note, because I haven't done that in a while.

Without spoiling anything, some sensitive dates are coming up in this chapter that I thought were worth mentioning for obvious reasons (don't worry, this isn't a sentimental warning 😉) but I hope you continue reading and like where I'm taking it!

Enjoy ❤️ Don't forget to comment and vote!

Love,
~ShoamEmily

~

26th of May, 2009
Michael is 50, Angela is 45, and Jake is 46

Angela: I woke from the feeling of sloppy kisses on my thighs.

"Angie, wake up." Michael said against my skin.

"I don't want to," I sighed. "You wore me out last night..."

We came home late yesterday after Lily and Eric's birthday celebrations. That didn't stop him from taking me straight to bed and pleasuring me almost half the night.

He chuckled deeply, "How about I wear you out now, too?"

I finally opened my eyes to see him smile up at me. He kissed my thigh again before propping my legs up on his shoulders.

"One round, we need to get things ready-" I started saying, suddenly feeling his lips on my entrance. "Mmhm... Don't tease me too much, Michael..."

His tongue moved quick, and I moaned loudly. My breath caught in my throat as he went on, my high building up a few minutes into it.

Looking down, Michael's penetrating eyes met mine. He knows exactly what he's doing to me right now...

The way he looked at me made me even more wet; I needed him inside me so badly, my core feeling like it would burst any minute. "M- Michael, please, I need you."

Before I knew it, his tongue stopped working and he slammed into me, making me cry out in pleasure.

"Fuck, Angela..." he groaned as he thrusted faster, harder. "Is that what you wanted?"

I moaned again, "Yes..."

"Louder, baby." my husband demanded.

"Yes! Oh, my- Michael!"

Closing my eyes, I clawed onto him tightly when I finally came, his name leaving my lips in another demanding sigh.

As I tried catching my breath, he continued to move his hips against mine.

The way his mouth slightly opened let me know he was close. "You feel so good, Mike... I'm still so wet for you-"

That was enough to make him shut me up with a kiss. I let out another whimper when he twitched inside me.

He pulled out just in time, and released everything on my thigh with a grunt, the feeling of his liquid on my skin making me hot again.

Michael collapsed next to me. "God, I love you, Angie."

"I love you, too," I laughed breathlessly. "Thank you for the wake up call."

Making sure to kiss his cheek before getting out of bed, I hurried to get in the shower.

The water helped my tired muscles. I was almost done when arms wrapped around my torso from behind.

My husband placed kisses on my shoulder, "You are the most beautiful woman in the world, babe."

"Mike, stop, we really have to go downstairs in a few." I mumbled and turned to face him.

His wet curls made him look so good. Damn, what I would do to him.

I bit my lip, "Leo is gonna wake up soon."

"Right... We still have time for one more round, though..." Michael smiled sheepishly.

He held my face as he kissed me again, before lifting my right leg so I'd wrap it around his waist.

"You're too much, Michael." I giggled when he sucked on my neck. His fingers made their way down and started rubbing.

I threw my head back, a gasp escaping.

As if on cue, Leo's babbles came from the baby monitor. My husband sighed as I pulled away.

"See? I told you," I quickly washed myself again. "You can finish up, I'll go."

But before I could leave, he pulled me back to kiss me some more. Our son's babbles soon turned into whining.

"We'll continue this tonight..." Michael slapped my ass before letting me go.

~

"Aw, look at you, baby boy," my husband beamed as he entered the nursery. "I can't believe he's one..."

Leo only stared at the two of us with a smile. The absolute cutest.

"Daddy, up!" AJ held her hands in the air for him. He gladly picked her up.

Our daughter wrapped her tiny arms around his neck and Michael placed a kiss on her cheek.

I watched the two of them together, adoring how cute they are. AJ laughed when her daddy started making funny faces to entertain her.

My phone rang from the bedroom, but I ignored it. Whoever it is, I can call them later.

"Michael! Angela!" Katherine called from downstairs. "Breakfast is ready!"

"Let's go, Princess." my husband said then left the nursery with AJ.

I looked back at Leo, picking him up as well. "Happy birthday, baby."

Tears burned my eyes as I thought about everything that happened this past year. Where Michael and I were back then, compared to where we are now.

While I stood there all wrapped up in my thoughts, some guilt came back. What if I never went to Dr. Haring's?

I started to wonder what his twin would look like, and if at this age they would have been babbling together like Rose and Jared used to.

"Mommy, are you coming?" Blanket's voice asked.

Shaking it off, I made my way downstairs with my son. As soon as we entered the kitchen, his four grandparents charged at us. Before I could even say anything, Katherine took him from me.

Everyone sat down around the dining table.

"You okay?" Michael appeared next to me. "Your eyes are red."

"I was just reminiscing about everything that happened since he was born. It made me a bit emotional."

"Good emotional, right?"

He offered me his hand, and I took it. "Yeah, definitely. After everything we've been through this year, I'm glad we have some peace and quiet in our lives."

"I'm glad, too, Angie." he smiled warmly.

I leaned in to kiss him, but Blanket stopped us, "Mommy, daddy, we're hungry!"

Michael laughed a little, then led me to the table and we sat down. He held hand all throughout breakfast, squeezing it from time to time to show me he's here.

~

We sat in the backyard with everyone after breakfast. Prince, Lily, and Blanket were engaged in a water balloon fight while Paris and Eric jumped on the trampoline that we got them when we moved.

Our four babies were splashing around in their kiddie pool, as Grace watched over them.

It was such a beautiful day; the sun shone brightly and it was so warm out.

I laughed at a story Luciano told, and I was so happy to have him here. I missed him so much.

"Angela," Joseph called, making me look at him. "Michael told me you've been going to rehearsals with him. How is that? My son is amazing, isn't he?"

I nodded, "So amazing. I never thought I needed to see him perform, but now I know what I missed out on."

Michael, who was next to me, blushed a little.

"And, I can finally say that I know most of his songs," I smiled proudly. "'Bad' is definitely my favorite album. I love 'Liberian Girl'."

"My mom was always a huge fan, she bought 'Bad' the minute it came out. I swear, she listened to it so much..." Britney said.

She looked down and sighed. Her face turned sad in seconds. I wonder what's bothering her.

Michael's phone rang so he excused himself before he went inside the house to answer.

"Mommy, look!" Rose yelled. She blew small bubbles in the water.

"You're so silly, baby." I told her.

My husband cleared his throat from behind me. "Angie, can you come here for a minute?"

"I'll be right back." I told everyone, joining him. Quickly, he pulled me to his new study then closed the door.

"Jake's on the phone... He said it's important."

"Hi, Angie." Jake's voice was heard when Michael put him on speaker.

"What's up, Jake? We're kinda in the middle of something..." I said.

He let out a long exhale. "I know, but there's a problem. My, uh, girlfriend found out about Lily and Eric."

"Oh..."

"Yeah, and there's more. She knows you and Mike. She's Luciano's sister-in-law... We went out yesterday and she saw the pictures of Lily and Eric that Mike sent."

"Kim?" I raised my eyebrows. "You're dating Kim? When were you planning to tell us?"

"I didn't think she'd find out, so never, actually... But she knows everything. She promised not to tell, though." my ex reassured.

I snickered, "And you believe her? Seriously, Jake? Since when are you this irresponsible? Great, now Luci's gonna find out about you."

And he is going to be so upset when he does.

"I'm sorry, Ange. Really. I'll fix this, okay?"

"We believe you, Jake." Michael said. I looked at him, surprised.

How is he not mad about this?

A knock on the door made me jump a little.

"Angela? It's me. Can I come in?" Britney questioned.

Michael hurried to take Jake off speaker, telling him we'll call later. I opened the door for Britney who had some tears in her eyes.

I shook off any anger I had towards Jake, focusing solely on her.

"What's wrong?" I took her hand in mine.

My husband squeezed my shoulders, "I'll see you outside."

When he left, Britney slumped into my arms and cried.

"I think I'm pregnant, Angela." she sniffled.

I'm going to be an aunt?

"So why are you crying, honey? This is a good thing... Did you tell Luci?" I rubbed her back.

"I haven't even taken a test yet, I'm not sure I actually am pregnant," she mumbled. "I just have some symptoms, but Luci and I agreed to wait a whole year before trying."

"Let's start with taking one and maybe telling my brother later?"

"Yeah, okay."

We went upstairs and into Michael and I's bedroom. Looking through the bathroom cabinet, I found a pregnancy test.

With how active Michael and I are, I always had a few of them sitting around. Just in case.

"I'll be outside the door. Call me when you're done?" I gave it to her.

Britney's eyes widened. "I can't do this alone, Angela. What if I mess it up?"

"It's really easy, all you gotta do is pee on it for a few seconds. Simple as that. Go."

She inhaled deeply before going in and closing the door. The toilet flushed a few moments later, telling me she was done.

When I went inside, she was sitting nervously on the closed toilet and stared down at the test. "Luci's gonna be mad."

"He won't, Brit. I know my brother, I promise he's gonna be excited. You'll see."

"Thank you for helping me," she smiled weakly. "Sorry for putting this on you. I know you and Michael have enough to worry about."

"You're family, Britney. Nothing is more important than family."

"Thanks. That's really good to hear... It was always only Kim and I. I never thought I'd be a part of such a big family. And especially with my sister being far away, it's been hard."

I sighed, my mind going to Rosa. "I know how you feel."

"Did Rosa reach out?"

I was surprised at her question, but nodded anyways.

"After your wedding she tried a lot. She wanted to apologize, but after what she did to me- to Michael, I couldn't, it wouldn't be fair. I almost lost him because of it, and the thought of forgiving her is unbearable," my eyes burned with tears. "Sorry, this is not about me. What does it say? It's been three minutes..."

She turned the test over to me and closed her eyes. "Just tell me."

The two lines were there, clear as day. Oh, my God... I'm actually going to be an aunt.

"You have to talk to Luciano."

Britney looked at the test herself, and the tears never stopped.

"Can you call him up here for me?" she wiped them away.

I took her hand in mine and squeezed it tightly, nodding. "It's going to be fine. I swear."

"Thank you, Angela."

When I went back to everyone, Luciano immediately asked where his wife was. I told him she was waiting for him in our bedroom.

He thanked me, then headed inside.

"All good?" Michael whispered in my ear.

"I'm gonna be an aunt." I bit my lip.

He grinned, "That's amazing, Ange."

I leaned in to kiss him gently. No matter what, his beautiful smile always makes my day.

"About what happened before," he said after we broke apart. "He said he'll fix it, and I trust him. So you should, too."

"Fine." I rolled my eyes a bit.

My husband grinned again, then went back to look at our children who were laughing as they played.

~

24th of June, 2009
Michael is 50, Angela is 45, and Jake is 46

Michael: "Daddy, daddy, daddy!" Jared's muffled voice woke me up. Both he and Rose were knocking as hard as they could on our bedroom door.

"Mommy, mommy, mommy!" my daughter imitated her brother.

Angela wasn't next to me, but I could hear the shower running. Sighing, I rolled out of bed and opened the door for our twins.

"Good morning, babies." I rubbed their small backs as they hugged my legs.

"Where's mommy?" Rose asked.

"Mommy's in the shower. Grace," I called when I saw the nanny walk out of the nursery. "Could you take them?"

"Of course, Mr. Jackson. Are you joining us for breakfast?" she smiled.

"In a few."

Grace nodded, taking Rose and Jared with her downstairs. I closed the door and hurried to see if I could join Angela for her morning shower.

But when I entered the bathroom, she was already done, and was leaning against the counter while she brushed her teeth.

She saw me through the mirror. Our eyes locked for a second before she looked away. I had to admit, she looked... Pale. Maybe a bit sick, too.

"Hey, Mike," my wife murmured after rinsing her mouth. "Morning."

"Morning, babe. You good?"

"Yeah, why?"

"You're looking a little pale."

She rubbed her temples, "I'm okay, I woke up with a huge headache. I probably didn't drink enough yesterday."

I came closer to her, bringing my palm to her forehead.

"You're a little warm..." I said and cupped her cheeks as well to make sure.

"It's probably from the shower. I promise I'm fin-"

The little color she had drained from her face all of a sudden, so she ran to the toilet as fast as she could.

Angela was soon heaving, throwing up everything she ate last night. "Shit."

Immediately, I grabbed her hair and put it in a ponytail.

"Jeez, Ange... Maybe you should stay in bed. And I'll tell Bain we can't make it to rehearsals today."

"What, why? I'm okay-"

Another wave cut her off again. Gosh, I wonder what's wrong with her.

When she finished, she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand, then leaned against the wall.

"Fine, maybe you should stay home." my wife mumbled, closing her eyes.

I caressed her face slightly before helping her stand. "How about you brush your teeth, and I'll make you a nice cup of tea?"

She agreed and thanked me. I left the bathroom so I could call my manager.

~

Angela shivered as she held the mug filled with tea. I made sure to cover her with a warm blanket before sitting next to her on the couch.

"Thanks, Mike," she said. "Maybe don't sit so close. I don't want you to get sick, especially with the shows coming up."

I rubbed her leg, "I'll be fine, let me take care of you, Angie."

She nodded and took a sip from her tea.

"What did Bain say?"

"What do you think? She was upset."

"I'm telling you, she has it out for me," my wife rolled her eyes. "Ever since we showed up together during the trial."

"She's just doing her job, Ange. But she knows, you always come first." I reassured.

She gave me a genuine smile before putting her head back and closing her eyes.

~

25th of June, 2009
Michael is 50, Angela is 45, and Jake is 46

Angela: My eyes shot open when vomit made its way up my throat.

I ran out of bed, barely making it to the bathroom in time. Damn it.

I was throwing up all day yesterday. There was some relief last night, so I was hopeful I'd feel better today.

"Angie?" Michael asked from the bedroom. "Hold on, I'm coming."

He yawned while crouching down next to me and pulling my hair away from my face. "It is 5 in the morning, Ange... Gosh, are you sure it's nothing? Maybe we should check it out... You're still warm, too."

I wiped my mouth, "Mike, it's just the flu... I'll be okay."

With his help, I stood up. He slowly took me to the sink before preparing my toothbrush for me.

"Thanks." I gave him a small smile.

"I'm going back to bed," my husband kissed my hand. "Don't take too long, babe. You need to sleep."

Quickly, I finished up, and was about to go after him when another wave of nausea washed over me.

~

"Can I please take you to see a doctor, Ange?" Michael asked while he rubbed my back, soothing me as I threw up for the fourth time today.

I shook my head, "Seriously, Michael, I'm-"

"If you say you're fine again I'm taking you straight to a doctor."

"But I am, Mike. Really. I just need to sleep it off and not eat anything for a day or two."

He didn't look convinced when helping me on my feet.

"You're actually burning up, Angela." my husband placed his palm on my forehead again. Which was true, and my head still hurt like crazy.

"I'll take a cold shower and drink more tea after. Okay?"

He rolled his eyes, "Why are you so stubborn?"

"Because I know it'll go away soon." I lied.

Honestly, I just didn't want to receive any bad news right now. Not that I thought this was anything other than the flu, but I was hesitant.

Not to mention I still didn't want to let a doctor give me any sort of pills. I trusted Michael when he told me he was done with that, yet there was always that tiny little voice in my head telling me he might be tempted. Especially now, that we are so close to his shows starting.

He took me back to bed and tucked me in.

"Do you need anything? I think the chef made some soup."

"Maybe just tea? And a good cuddle?"

He kissed my burning forehead. "Sure, Angie. I'm also calling a doctor, okay?"

"Fine." I gave up. It's probably for best.

~

"You have the flu, Mrs. Jackson. A bad case of it, unfortunately. I'll prescribe something to help with the headache and the fever, take it twice a day, alright? And rest a lot." the doctor Michael called said, his thick British accent clear as he spoke.

"Why do I keep throwing up?" I asked hoarsely. My head kept on pounding.

"It might be a reaction to the fever," he answered. "Which should all go away in a day or two once you start taking your medicine. Come by to my office next week for a follow up."

"Thank you, doctor." Michael shook his hand before showing him out of our bedroom.

He plopped down next to me, "I told you it was something serious."

"Which is why you shouldn't be this close," I scooted away from him. "You can't catch this, too."

"Didn't you want a cuddle?"

"I did, but you can't get sick."

Ignoring what I said, he came closer and wrapped his arms around me.

"I got you, Angie," my husband reassured. "You just sleep it off and get better."

There was no point in arguing with him; he wasn't going to listen to me.

It was quiet as his fingers ran across my back soothingly. I was drifting off when a horrible realization hit.

Could this doctor be giving him anything?

I mentally shook my head. No, he promised you, Angela.

"Michael?"

"Yeah, babe? You okay?"

I was hesitant before speaking.

"Ange?" Michael said.

"That doctor, he's- he's not giving you-"

He cut me off, "No. He's our new family doctor. You know, to come by when us or the kids don't feel well... Dr. Clarke recommended him. I'm not taking anything, I told you that. Why don't you trust me, Angela?"

"I do," I told him and looked up to meet his eyes. "Really, I do... I just keep thinking about it with the shows being so close..."

"Yeah, but I sleep well, I eat, I don't work too hard. All for you and our family, right? And I am trying my best, but I can't do that if you doubt me. Stop worrying. I'm not going to do anything stupid, I promised you. No matter how- how tempting it might be to go back to those habits, I can't risk losing you and what we've built, Angela. I won't risk leaving you, ever. Understood?"

I simply nodded into his chest. He then let me go and I felt so cold all of a sudden.

"I'm gonna go spend some time with the kids," Michael sighed. "Try to sleep."

He left quickly, making me regret ever saying anything.