When In Paris

Chapter 22

CRYSTAL

I should've recognised right away that these women were Justin's mother and sister way before they introduced their selves. But from all the drama and stress I've been dealing with this past week with 'Beauty School' and last night I've been a bit distracted and out of all sorts. And it wasn't like we were expecting company this morning.

We weren't expecting company this morning I repeat in my head as I continue looking at them.

I suddenly look down and forget I'm in nothing but my black lace bra and panties and Justin's white shirt. I immediately cover myself with the shirt and can feel my face turning red. I suddenly feel embarrassed that I'm greeting Justin's family dressed like this. God knows what Justin's mother and sister are thinking right now with some girl opening the door dressed like this and just thinking about it makes me even more embarrassed that I'm meeting Justin's family again after several years like this. This certainty was not what I was imagining when I met Justin's family again.

I'm about to speak when I hear Justin call out. "Is everything ok, Beautiful?" He asks. Who's at the door?"

Too speechless to speak his mother speaks. "How about you come and see," she says. "And then maybe come and greet your dear mother and sister."

Soon enough Justin joins us and he too is clearly shocked like me to see his mother and sister here.

"Mother! Sister! What are you guys doing here?"

"Do I really need a reason to see my dear son other than just because I want too." She asks stepping in the house with Justin's sister following behind.

"Yes in your case you do because your visits always have an ulterior motive," he says looking at her and I can feel the tension growing between them both as they look at each other.

It's not hard to notice the overwhelming tension between Justin and his mother. Justin hasn't always had the easiest relationship with his parents and I would know that firsthand from being present in a lot of the interactions they had when Justin and I were together back then. He really had to grow up fast and was pushed into the spotlight despite him not being the first child but Kyle never was responsible back then and had no interest in taking over the business and stepping up in his responsibilities around the house when Brianna and Richard were out which was a lot. So it all fell onto Justin and he had to take over the family business and be the dad to Nicholas and especially Camila hence why Justin is so close with them.

Just thinking about it makes me sad because no child should ever have that sort of responsibility put on them when it doesn't have to be. I will never forgive Kyle fully for putting Justin through that when he shouldn't have in the first place and Kyle should've sucked it up and stepped up like he should've done as the first child. At least something good came out of such a challenging time for him – that time shaped him into the great man he is today.

Sometimes I still can't believe how well he turned out to be considering not having a childhood and I just can't imagine what that must've been like because I was fortunate enough that I actually had a pretty good childhood up despite my father getting arrested and them getting a divorce. My mother sacrificed so much and did all she could to ensure that our childhood wasn't interrupted because of that bad time. Kayla and I will forever owe her for that because I'm sure other children in that sort of situation back then would've had a different outcome and the only reason we didn't was simply because our mother did everything possible she could even if it meant running herself into the ground. She put all our needs above hers just like a real mother would do and I know Kayla and I wouldn't be where we are right now if it wasn't for her great sacrifices. She's just a great mother overall, nothing like Brianna.