Author's Note: I just feel full of updates today! I added a new chapter to Heaven Can Wait so go check that out. Anyway, thanks for all your wonderful reviews! Let's get to at least 42 reviews with this chapter! Thanks!

P.S. The very first part of the chapter (until Michael says "What?") is a recap of the last part of chapter 10!

Rose Garden

Chapter 12: Tara

1998

The phone rang and I weighed my options quickly; hang up or stay on.

"Hello," his sweet voice answered, it was too late to hang up.

"Michael, this is Amanda," I said slowly.

"Amanda? Is that really you," he asked, his voice lighting up, I could tell he was smiling.

"Yeah, it's me."

"It's so good to hear from you, to hear your voice," he said, my stomach started tingling.

I sighed, "I missed your voice too."

There was a long silence, and then his voice said something that I missed hearing, "I love you."

I didn't know what to say; did I love him? Yes I did. I loved him very much.

"Michael, I'm married, we can't just go back to the way we were."

"Oh," he said quietly, my heart broke, "Do you love him?"

I loved Daniel enough to be married to him, but did I truly love him like I loved Michael?

No.

"Yeah."

"That's great, I'm happy for you," he sighed, "Any kids?"

This was the moment I had been putting off for nine years.

"Michael, there's a reason why I finally wrote you."

"To tell me that you were falling in love with me again and I feel the same way. That's what we said in our letters," he said, hoping for me to tell him that I loved him more than life itself.

I took a deep breath, "I have a daughter."

"That's great, what's her name?"

"Tara," I said getting more nervous by the second.

"I love that name. How old is she?" He asked.

I felt like I was going to puke, "Nine."

"Haven't you and Daniel only been married for a few years?" he asked kind of catching on.

I took another deep breath, "She's you daughter, Michael!"

He breathed slowly, "What?"

"Michael, I," I started out.

"I have a daughter that you haven't even told me about for nine years! When did you get pregnant?" He cut me off, he sounded very angry.

"Michael just listen to me, okay. I got pregnant some time before I left, I just didn't find out until after I left, by then it was too late, you had moved on. I didn't want to wait nine years to tell you, that wasn't my intention. I was just scared; I can't believe I even finally got the courage to write you. It's just, Tara looks so much like you, and she was just a reminder of how stupid I was for not telling you that you had a daughter. I talked to my therapist that I go to and she said it would be a good idea if you met her, so what do you say? Come and have dinner or something with us. She knows that Daniel isn't her real dad and she needs to have a real father," I finished almost with tears in my eyes.

"Okay," he breathed.

"Uh?" I asked amazed that he even agreed, after all these years, to see me again.

"Oaky I'll come see you and Tara. You still live in San Diego?" He asked me.

I sighed, "No, I live in New York City now."

"Alright, well, is it alright if I fly in tomorrow?" He asked.

"Tomorrow?" Why did he have to come so soon? I haven't even told Tara that her real father is Michael Jackson.

"Yeah, starting tomorrow I have two weeks off until I head back to the tour," he said quietly.

"Okay, well I'll pick you up at noon at the airport tomorrow," I said.

"Okay, I'll see you then Amanda," I heard him say.

"Alright, see you then," I said about to hang up until he spoke up again.

"Oh and Amanda, I love you."

"Bye Michael," I said hanging up and letting the breath out that I had been holding, "I love you too."

I couldn't tell Michael that I still loved him, after all I was married and I loved Daniel. Right?

Stop thinking Amanda! You're going to get yourself in trouble!

Tara ran in the room and jumped on the couch beside me, "Hi mommy."

"Hi baby, we need to talk," I said lifting her up in my lap.

"Okay, shoot," she said smiling, her teeth just like Michael's.

I sighed, "Tomorrow you're meeting someone very important."

"Who?"

"Tara, you know that Daniel isn't your real daddy, right?" I asked her.

"Yeah, I kind of remember when it was just me and you," she said pointing to me.

"Well, tomorrow you're going to meet your real daddy," I said, my stomach tying up in knots.

I smiled, "What's his name? What does he look like?"

I grabbed the People magazine of the coffee table with Michael's picture on it and handed it to Tara, "That's your daddy."

"Michael Jackson!" She screamed jumping up and dancing around, then stopping and staring at me, "Are you joking?"

"No, about ten or eleven years ago I meet him when I still lived in California and we loved each other very much," I said.

"This is so cool!" She said.

Tara starting dancing around in front of me singing, "If your thinking about my baby, it don't matter if your black or white!"

"Tara, calm down," I said, the phone starting to ring.

"Is that him?" She asked running over to me.

"I don't know," I said picking the phone up.

"Hey, sweetie," I heard Daniel's voice say.

"Hi, Danny, how's Singapore?" I asked him, Tara ran to her room.

He sighed, "Well, that's what I wanted to talk to you about. They've said that they need me to stay here three more weeks to a month until I can come home."

"Oh, Okay," I said.

This was a good thing, because then Michael could be here without Daniel coming in and interfering. In fact, Daniel didn't even know about Michael, he didn't know that Michael Jackson was Tara's real father.

"Honey, I'm sorry," he said sympathetically.

"It's alright, Tara and I are having fun by ourselves," I said.

"Alright, well, I'll talk to you in a few days. I love you Amanda," he said.

"I love you too, bye," I said, hearing a click and hanging up my phone as well.

The next morning Tara came in my room and woke me up, she was fully dressed and ready to go. After I got dressed we left our house, got breakfast, and went ahead to the airport in case Michael's flight came in early.

We were sitting in a café by his gate when he emerged from the crowd. He looked around, his straight black hair moving with his head. He was absolutely gorgeous; he had on jeans and a blue button up shirt. His eyes were hidden behind black aviator sunglasses. When I saw him I realized how much I had actually missed him.

"Come on Tara," I said quietly getting up and taking her hand.

When I approached him, Tara stood behind me. I think she was a little bit star struck.

"Michael," I said and he whipped around gathering me in a tight hug.

I realized how much I missed the way he would hug me with such love. I had missed the sweet scent of him that lingered around me when he pulled away and kept his hands on my waist.

"Amanda," he breathed, "You look beautiful."

"Thank you, you look very handsome as well," I said smiling.

He smiled back at me, God, I had missed that smile.

He pulled me in for another tight hug and whispered in my ear, "God, you don't know how much I've missed you and how much I've waited for us to be together."

I whispered back in his ear, "I've missed you too, Michael."

He pulled away, then leaned back in and kissed me sweetly on the cheek like he had done the first time we had met in the flower shop.

"So, where's Tara?" He asked.

"Oh," I said, I had almost forgotten that she was here with us.

I nudged Tara on the shoulder and she stepped out in front of me, "Hi, Michael."

He leaned down to her level, "Tara."

Then he picked up his daughter in a tight hug and spun her around.

He sat her back down on the ground, still hugging her, "My Tara."

Author's Note: I hope you liked this chapter! Thanks for the reviews thus far. Remember help me get to 42 reviews with this chapter! Please Review! Thanks!