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It's been three weeks since the entrance of Katherine, Grace and the younger kids have been staying at a hotel for the time being.


It was the first week in fourth semester of Amber's pregnancy and it was also her birthday (June 13th).

Michael wanted to prepare a small birthday party for his beautiful wife and not tell her what he was planning leaving Amber suspicious.

But she didn't let that get to her and went on with her days, until it was the day for the expecting mother's birthday and she woke up to breakfast in bed since the night before Susan told her to have a day off.

"Aww Michael you made me breakfast in bed?" Amber said smiling feeling the tears fall down her cheeks..


"Happy Birthday my beautiful heart" Michael crooned lovingly bending to kiss her forehead softly.

Michael sat down by her side and watched her eat, Amber feeling his eyes on her took a croissant from her plate and fed him.

After sharing breakfast together, Michael getting her out of bed and being kicked out of the room so she could shower and get dressed.

Emerging out of the room thirty minutes later to see Marlon and Michael discussing something quite serious by the expressions on their handsome faces.

"Um guys what are you both discussing that could lead you both to be serious?" Amber questioned suspecting something wasn't right.

"Us? We ain't discussing a party for yo-- I mean we are talking about changing the lightening in here" Marlon lied and almost slipping the surprise to Amber.

Michael seeing his almost slip up slapped his older brother upside the head and Marlon complained about his Afro and being endangered by his younger brother.
"Love don't mind him let's go have a walk hmm?" Michael suggested praying she'd take the bait.

"Well ok" Amber agreed.

Michael getting up and hugging her to his side they walked out of the room while amber wasn't looking he glared at Marlon and he smiled back sweetly.

Now the married couple were out of the room and making sure the door was slammed behind them, Marlon grabbed the phone and dialled the number of the hotel room his mother, Grace and his siblings.

The phone dialled for several minutes until the high pitched childish voice of his little brother picked up the phone.

"Hello! Who's speaking?" Randy asked to the person on the phone.

Marlon sighed knowing this was going to take a while, "little bro it's me give the phone to mother"

"Humph what you gonna give me if I give the phone to her?" Randy said cheekily to his elder brother.

"Nothing but an ass whooping or a flick on the ear your choice little bro" Marlon retorted sweetly.

"Mother! Marlon is being mean" Randy shouted across to the room, changing the tactic to get Marlon into trouble.

Katherine hearing her son sighed, knowing the issue and walked inside from the balcony to see Randy on the phone.

"Now what I have told you about shouting randy? Inside voice" she scolded lightly to Randy and he pouted explaining Marlon was on the other line and scurried off.

Katherine now sitting on the bed and feeling more comfortable.

Phone conversation:

Marlon: hello Mother.
Katherine: hello baby are you calling about the food?

Marlon: yes I am mother, Michael has taken Amber out for the day so we have a few hours to get the cooking done.

Katherine: Ok we shall be on our way see you soon baby.


Marlon: see you mother.

Phone conversation ended.

So while the rest of the family were getting the food and snacks ready for the birthday party, Michael and Amber were walking around the park until Amber's feet were hurting and they sat down underneath the cooling shade.

"So what's going on applehead, I know your hiding something" Amber said eyeing him in distrust.

"Nothing is going on love, your just a little paranoid is all heh" Michael fibbed and laughing nervously.

"Are you sure?" She pushed hoping to crack him open to tell her.

Michael was sweating profusely and the only way to get Amber distracted was to talk about her weight or about the sex of the child in which made a long and heated conversation about biology and their disagreements...Michael decided to go along with the sex of the child.


"I still believe we are having a girl or twins" he said swiftly changing the subject and like a fly in a spider's web Amber fell for it.

"If you want to know the child's sex let's go see Alice about it!" She hissed venomously.

This lead to a long and heated conversation between the young couple, eventually Michael looking down on his watch to see it was past six in the evening.

Hm Everything should be ready by now..he thought to himself.

"Ok love let's go home" Michael said while grabbing her hand and pulling her up gently.

"We've spent most of my birthday outside and I didn't get anything so no I won't go home with you!" Amber snapped at him.

Michael pleaded her to come with him because his gift was at home, Amber gave in and glaring at him heatedly while they walked the short journey back home.

They arrived at the door while Michael let her open the door and she walked in to her surprise everyone shouted in chorus "happy Birthday Amber!"

Amber gasped in shock at all the smiling faces of everyone she loved who was present, she smiled warmly and michael's arms enveloped around her and he whispered in her ear "happy Birthday"

She turned to smack him in the chest and he laughed gleefully knowing why she hit him but Amber couldn't stay mad at him and kissing him on the cheek before going around the room talking to her family.

Until several minutes later a knock on the door was heard, Michael praying it was Andy and Junior at the door.

When he opened the door to reveal the smiling faces of Andy and Junior at the door.

"Yo Mike! How are you? I hope we aren't too late" Junior asked cheerfully.

Michael smiled and replied they just were in time, he let them in and locked the door.

Andy and junior stepping into the living room to see several people they have never seen before and a quiet gasp escaped from someone's lips and that person was Grace.

She hadn't been told that Andy or his son were back in her daughter's life.
Amber seeing Junior quickly walked up to him and gave him a hug and he returned the gesture.

"Happy Birthday sis! Here's a gift from all of us" Junior said happily.

"Aww thanks little bro, looks heavy" Amber said and shook the box wondering what was inside.

"Don't shake it, it will break" junior exclaimed alarmed.

"Oh alright keep your hair on bro" Amber said rolling her eyes and ruffling his Afro just as she wanted to put the box amongst the other presents Michael swiftly came in and took the box out of her hands.

"Happy Birthday Amber" Andy said smiling gently to her.

"Thank you Andy" Amber replied still not exactly on good terms with her father.
"Well who is everyone here sis?" Junior asked looking around the room.

"Well bro there's my mum, Michael's mum--" she responded.

Suddenly Grace stepped into the conversation glaring furiously at Andy and ignoring the two siblings in front of her.

"Hello Andy my how long has it been since we last saw each other?" Grace inquired bitterly.

"Shit" Andy mumbled realising this confrontation wasn't going to end well.

"Shit indeed you asshole" Grace responded nastily to Andy.

"Also why are you here? When you are certainly not needed, do you think coming for my daughter's birthday after all the birthdays and other special occasions you've missed will make up for it?!" Grace sneered scornfully to Andy.

"Grace...how are you" Andy said ignored her statement and tried to class it off like they were old friends.

"Don't you dare to try act like you don't know me you excuse of a man! Womaniser" Grace snapped back aggravated.

"Please let's not do this here Grace...let's discuss this somewhere else!" Andy said now pleading urgently to her noticing the hushed silence around the room.

"Oh like how you said to all those years ago while you were having me on the side to go stay with your beautiful wife?!" She snarled bitterly.

"Mama!" Amber gasped in shock at her words, she could not believe the words coming out of her usually calm and collected mother.

Grace turning her head to give her daughter a look that said she shouldn't involve herself.

Junior stepping in took hold of his older sister's hand and they went to sit near where the rest of the Jackson family were seated.

Michael immediately pulling his pregnant wife into his arms and began to sooth her mumbling softly for her only to hear.

Junior could only stand in awkward silence next to the remaining Jackson clan.

Marlon feeling pity for the younger kid stood up and brushed off any food crumbs, went to the table cutting a slice of cake on a plastic plate.

"I haven't seen you before" Marlon said to Junior in a friendly tone.

"Oh you must be a relative of Michael's" Junior said observing the looks of Marlon and seeing the family resemblance.

"I'm his brother well one of his brothers" Marlon said smirking.

"Oh he's told me about you quite alot" Junior responded.

"Oh that I'm a devilishly handsome and skillfully cool?" Marlon responded smirking smugly.

"None of what you said all he said was your a pain in the ass and he wishes he could have swapped you for me instead as a brother" Junior bluntly replied.

The smirk was wiped off his face when he heard that and he sulked instead of handing the cake over to Junior, took a bite into the cake and swallowed loudly.

"That's just cold dude, he's always so mean to me" Marlon complained and pouted miserable.

Junior snickered at his sad expression before asking if the cake that had been in his hand was his own.

Marlon snorted unbothered and responded "there's plenty more cake go get yours, by the way, I'm Marlon"

"Nice to meet ya I'm Junior" Junior responded smiling relieved he had a made another friend out of the Jackson family.

"You have the same smile just like your sister" Marlon stated.
Junior rolled his eyes and smirking smugly "we are related so we will share something Marlon"

Now it was Marlon's turn to roll his eyes and he teased "and that same attitude too"

While that conversation was going on Andy and Grace had decided to leave this conversation for another time, hopefully as soon as possible.

The tension still high, Michael thought it would be necessary to get rid of it before consumed everyone and get some life back into the party went up pulling his wife gently by the hand and blushing shyly as he did so.

"My special gift to my gorgeous wife and partner I wrote a song just for you.." Michael said to her a tad nervous with everyone they knew watching them.

Marlon seeing that was his que quickly went to Amber and Michael's room to collect his guitar.

Now carrying his guitar and experimenting at the strings on his electric guitar, he began to play a melodic tune from the guitar and that was Michael's cue to start singing.

"Each time the window blows I call your name..." Michael sang in a heartfelt tune his voice melting the hearts of everyone in the room with his smooth voice.

As Michael continued to sing to his wife, his eyes never leaving hers and Amber falling more in love with each new word Michael sang to her.

Just as the song came to an end, Michael pulled his wife into his arms to sing the last line "I just can't stop loving...you" afterwards bending down to kiss her fully on the lips while everyone in the room cheered and applauded Michael's performance.

Andy was amazed at the sheer talent of his son-in-law's musical talent and he walked straight to him while they were still kissing ignoring everyone around them.

"Break it up you two, I need to speak with Mr.singer" Andy said.

The two loved up couple broke apart, both blushing profusely in embarrassment and Amber walking away to speak with someone else in the room.

"You were amazing Michael, where did you learn to sing like that?" Andy asked the amazement hadn't rubbed off him just yet.
"I practiced everyday when I had any free time from being with Amber..just when my voice became deeper I changed my tactics in my singing structure" Michael shyly explained.

"Well your certainly good at it, I'm certainly surprised you haven't been discovered" Andy replied.

"Ah my brothers and I were when I was young were almost scouted but I made a mistake then and it didn't happen so I went on with life" he said shrugging his shoulders leaving out his involvement later on in years about the mafia.

"Well if you truly want to be discovered I have an old friend Frank Dileo, who would love to take you..he might able to get you a music contract with Epic Records"

Michael's eyes widened in astonishment at the news and Andy chuckled lightly while smiling confidently,

"don't you worry about it, why not find me a tape of your talent either a cover of song or an original and this weekend I'll get in contact with Frank"

Michael smiling angelically quickly went back into his shared bedroom and went though his upper closets finding his tapes all labelled differently according to his taste.

He'd been recorded for years hiding away the tapes as he grew older and the chance to bring his songs to life was coming true.

He picked the tape labelled 'Rock with You' which was only an acapella demo of the song and closing the door behind him went back to where Andy was standing and handing the tape over to him.

"Thank you so much for the opportunity Sir" Michael said in gratitude to him.
Andy smiled and told him he shouldn't think nothing of it, they continued to have a little small talk and the party continued on.

Later into the evening when everyone went home leaving Marlon, Amber and Michael left in the house.

Amber was laying on the bed on back while rubbing her three month baby bump and trying to hold back the feeling of throwing up while Michael helped her take off her shoes.

Marlon was in the living room tidying up the mess he could to create space for his makeshift bed on the coach.

Everyone was too tired out to say anything leaving the mess on the floors for another day and sleeping immediately.
Chapter End Notes:

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