The ocean never sounded louder to Whitney than it did that night. She usually enjoyed their California ranch-style home for that reason. The ocean didn't sound as clear in her Jersey-home. However, that night, it was more disturbing than anything, more-so because she felt all alone.

She strained her ears for the sound of Kevin's car, but there was nothing. "Who could that have been on the phone?" she asked aloud. Fear cascaded over her body and she shivered at the very thought that Kevin would actually go out and have an affair and be in the arms of another woman. She knew that she had been very wrong in her actions, but wanted to believe that her husband wouldn't have the spiteful heart to cheat on her, even for revenge. Whitney pulled on a robe and went to check on the children. Krissy, as usual, fell asleep with the television on and Whitney tucked her in properly before giving her a kiss on her cheek. The twins shared a room. Bray fell asleep with his favorite toy in his hand; she removed it and gave him a kiss. She did the exact same thing with Babydoll, who insisted that she had to listen to music before she went to bed. Babydoll showed a lot of interest in music and already was saying that she wanted to be a singer, like her mom and dad, when she grew up. She turned off her little radio and gave her a kiss before turning off the light. She thanked God for how loving and sweet her children were.

She tried to go back to sleep, but she started to toss and turn. She hadn't slept well ever since everything came into the light with her parents and husband. After a more minutes of sleeplessness, Whitney kicked back the covers and went downstairs for something to drink. She fought off the urge to grab and use the one thing that got her in this situation to begin with…..

Instead, she grabbed a glass of water and decided to go into the great room to watch television. She was shocked to see Kevin asleep on the sofa and stopped dead in her tracks. Unsure of what to do or say, she stood there watching him, resisting the urge to slide underneath the blanket beside him so he could hold her like he always did to keep her safe and warm. Sensing her presence, Kevin opened his eyes. "Hey" he told her. "Hey, you." Whitney replied. She sat down in a chair across from the sofa. "I didn't mean to wake you."

"I wasn't quite asleep yet. Why are you up?"

Answering a call from your phone…with some woman's voice on the other end she wanted to say. However, she honestly didn't know how to deal with the call. He could have accidently left his phone somewhere or had it stolen. She knew that women loved to play games, especially with other women's men.

"Well. I couldn't sleep. So I got up to check on the babies and came downstairs to watch TV. I didn't know you were here." She badly wanted to know where he had been and how long he had been home, but wasn't sure if he would even reciprocate to conversation.

Kevin closed his eyes and sighed. "I can't sleep either."

He doesn't seem to be angry, Whitney noticed. It was the first time they had spoken to each other amicably in weeks, but Whitney was afraid to hope for more.

"So…I've been thinking…." Kevin began. After his strange encounter with Leolah, his anger was fading and he wasn't as upset at Whitney as he initially was. This was the biggest issue that they had faced as a couple and he was starting to feel that they could work on fixing everything to overcome this.

"What were you thinking, baby?" Whitney couldn't help being anxious to hear what he had to say.

"About the drugs….and stuff." He began. "Is this the only thing that you've ever kept from me?

"Oh yes baby. Yes it is. I've shared every single thing about me….except for that. I just didn't know how to tell you…." She responded.

"But why did you feel like you had to hide something like that from me? I thought we knew we could tell each other anything." Kevin looked at his wife with confusion in his blue eyes. Whitney took a deep breath, finally feeling some relief in getting to talk to him. "I don't know exactly why Kev…. I was ashamed, most of all. Here I am, your wife, your other half. I'm supposed to support and compliment you as a man. How would that look to you that I didn't have it quite all together?"

Just as I thought… she wanted to be seen as perfection to me he thought to himself. "Whitney, honey, you should NEVER think that I would look down at you or be angry at something that you don't have control over. Honestly, I'm angrier at the fact that you couldn't come to me to tell me what was going on when we were dating. Instead it all came out through third parties. How do you think that makes me feel? I feel like I failed at being what I said I wanted to be for you." Kevin stated. "Baby, please don't feel like it was something that you did. It was nothing you did at all. You're the best thing that happened to me. I've just been under pressure for a long time, ever since I started a singing and later, acting career. I've had this bar that both the media and myself set to be the best at everything: the best singer, performer, the best looks, acting, you name it. And drugs became escapism for me and my anxiety from all of the criticism. And with my brothers and Robin using as well, then Bobby….it became more and more of a dependency than a habit, as much I hate to admit all of this." Whitney got it off of her chest.

"You know, I get where you are coming from. And I could have told you that I relate to some of what you are saying." Kevin told her. "Believe it or not, when I first started acting after college, I used a little myself." Whitney nodded her head and raised her eyebrows, surprised at Kevin's admission and intently listened. "I was pressured by people on sets to snort here and there, since it was the thing to do. And I did it for a while. It was cool and fun to escape and what not, but I made a decision to stop soon after. I just couldn't see myself jeopardizing my career for it."

"So, I can see how drug addiction can easily start. And I would NEVER judge you or make you feel awful for it. I told you that I wanted to protect you and support you…"

"I thought you would hate me and be upset that you were married to a wife who did drugs. I thought you would leave me for sure….I never meant to hurt anyone, especially you and mommy and daddy and the kids. " Whitney wiped a couple of tears from her eyes.

There was a long moment of silence. Whitney almost thought that Kevin had fallen asleep, but then she kept in mind that he was processing everything that she just told him.

"I just hope that you can forgive me one day. I need you Kevin. You're my rock. My everything." Whitney poured her heart out to him.

"I've said it before and I'll say it again. You mean the entire world to me and I would do anything to see you happy." Kevin told her. "But it seems like there is a lot still to figure out here. And we need to take the time to sort everything all out." "I completely agree. That sounds wonderful baby." Whitney said, glad to hear that Kevin still cherished her. She got up and hugged him, but Kevin tried his best to keep some distance. He wanted badly to make love to her, but didn't want the physical aspect of their relationship crossing the emotional yet so soon again.

Whitney left downstairs and went to bed, finally able to get a few hours of sleep in. In the morning a bouquet of beautiful roses, along with a card came. "Meet me later today at seven. Love, Kev."

Whitney didn't know where the limo was headed that afternoon, but the driver did. A little while later, the driver pulled up to Hotel Bel-Air, one of the most romantic hideaways for the A-list crowd. "Wow…Kev" Whitney said as she got out and looked around. This was her favorite spot in LA to get away. Flowering gardens and a blue pond filled the entire space up to look like a fairytale. Whitney used to carry on about that place and Kevin took her there on one of their spontaneous getaways. As the bellboy led her into the familiar room with the pond view, Whitney couldn't help but slightly smile to calm her nerves as she looked around. I think this was where the twins were conceived…..

After she settled in a bit, she wanted to call CeCe to get her advice on how to approach that night. But she knew she would tell her that she knew what to do, which is the pray and know that everything will be alright. So Whitney did what she knew best and got on her knees in front of the bed. "Lord, I know that I don't do a lot of things right. But I thank you for loving me and being a fence for me through it all. I love Kevin so very much and you know that I never meant for my selfish ways to put a hole in our marriage. I need to know and trust that he loves me, that he is non-judgmental and that he would never leave me. And more so, I need to know how to trust you more. So I'm just asking you Lord, to help us out tonight and to make this night perfect. And also, give me the strength that I need to overcome this demon with addiction. I need your help more than anything in the world." She stayed on knees a few more minutes before she continued to speak. "And God, bless Mike and Gary and Robin to get much needed help as well. And bless my relationship with mommy and daddy to mend, because you know they mean everything to me. And bless my babies not to be affected by my bad choices in any way. In Jesus' name. Amen."

Whitney felt so much better than she had in awhile. She had the limo take her to Neiman's, where she chose something black, short and sexy to wear that night. She grabbed an accompanying pair of fierce Stuart Weitzman pumps as well. There was still plenty of time once she got back to have a massage and a body scrub. She decided that she wanted to be the one to cook for her man, so she whipped up her special spaghetti with its homemade sauce and meatballs in the bungalow's kitchen. It was one of Kevin's favorite dishes. She showered, and dressed, pulling a black shawl over her shoulders as she sat outside on the private terrace, where their table provided an excellent view of the elegant swans swimming in the moonlight. The tiles on the floor were heated and the fireplace made for soothing and comfortable atmosphere.

A waiter brought over some champagne, as a pianist provided an intoxicating musical backdrop, which helped to calm her nerves.

"Mind if I join you?"

"Huh?" Whitney asked as she snapped out of her zone. She was so absorbed by the music and atmosphere that she wasn't aware that Kevin had arrived. She looked up into Kevin's smiling aqua-blue eyes and thought she would melt. He looked exquisite as his six foot, one frame filled out a dress shirt and tailored slacks very nicely "I'm waiting for my husband to arrive, but you can sit with me until he gets here." She winked at him, going along with the role play. Kevin sat down across from her. "When were you expecting him?" he continued with a smirk on his face. "He should be here any minute now." Whitney returned his smirk. "I sure hope so. Because he'd be a fool to leave such a beautiful woman like yourself alone for just one minute." Whitney shyly looked away. "You always know what to say and how to say it."

They both focused on the pianist and the smooth, jazzy melody he produced. Whitney innately began to hum along. Anytime she heard music, her vocals seemed primed to turn themselves on. "He's good, huh?" Kevin asked. "Yeah, he is." Whitney replied as she bopped her head along with the music. She noticed that Kevin sipped a little flute of champagne. She was secretly glad to know that he wasn't drinking Tanqueray that night. She had never seen him drink like that until all of the drama occurred.

Finally the waiter brought out the spaghetti and salad that Whitney prepared, along with fresh piping hot croissants. "This looks good." Kevin said as he prepared his plate. "Does it now?" Whitney asked pointing her glass towards the food. "I made it. I know it's one of your favorites." Kevin raised his eyebrows. He knew that his wife wasn't a gourmet chef, and that was okay. But she made sure to be the best in what she could cook and the spaghetti dish was the top one. "Wow, I should have known. Thanks for going all out."

"You're welcome. By the way, I'm glad you chose this place. You know how much I love it here." Whitney smiled, as she took off her shawl, exposing her bare, sexy shoulders. She even wore her natural hair, like Kevin liked her to sometimes. She shampooed and conditioned it and it dried into voluminous auburn-colored, wavy ringlets that fell past her shoulders. Her pout sparkled in MAC glossy lip stick and her light makeup complemented her flawless, earthy tone.

"You look absolutely stunning tonight." Kevin told her. "But then again from the moment I first saw you, I thought were the most beautiful woman in the world. Sometimes I get caught up in my work, that I maybe didn't let you know how valuable you are. I mean, I'm a star, but I then to forget sometimes that I am married to a superstar."

"Kevin, you know none of that superstar stuff matters to me. And you're always telling me how beautiful I am. Hearing you telling me that is what makes me actually feel confident and sexy, not what the outside world thinks." Whitney replied as she reached out for his hand. She knew that her husband still had apprehensions with what he found out about her. "I love you so much baby, more than anything in this world. What we have is organic and real and intoxicating."

Kevin looked down at his empty plate. He knew what his wife was saying to him was true. And he was such a forgiving, laid-back kind of person. But, he had a hard time forgetting that Whitney was dealing with rather big problem. A problem that was once hidden and needed to be tooken care of if they wanted the marriage to last.

"Don't you believe in what we have baby?" Whitney went on, when she noticed him in deep thought. "I do Whit…but there's just a lot we have to look at fixing." Whitney sighed and nodded as she looked over at the pond where the swan glided, as if it had no care in the world. She was a bit disappointed in how things were going thus far, but had to remind herself that she had to be patient in gaining her husband's trust back.

They continued with small talk, but the vibe was a bit off at that point. "Did you wanna order desert?" Kevin asked once they finished up. "No thanks baby." Whitney gave a faint small. "Me either." Kevin said as he stood up. "I guess I'll walk you back then."

Whitney gave him a surprised look. "Are you not gonna come?"

"No, I'm not sure if that's a good idea right now."

"Then why was the room ordered ?" Whitney asked him as they started walking. Kevin shrugged his shoulders. "Like I said, we have some things to resolve and I'm not sure if jumping in bed together would throw it off."

"Throw it off?" Whitney searched Kevin's eyes to see what he was truly feeling. She knew her husband well enough to know that he wasn't one to pass on getting physical. "I don't think it would throw anything off….I miss you and I can't sleep without you." Kevin looked away from her intense glare. "We've never had a problem communicating in the bedroom…but maybe something outside of that caused you to not fully open up to me."

"You may be right baby and that's why I am fully committed to go to rehab, seeing a counselor…whatever it takes to get me better and to make our marriage even better."

She placed her hands in his face, making him focus back on her. "Is our marriage based on sex? Yes it is. But it's also based on so much more and I think you know that. It's the love we have for one another and the love you have for our beautiful babies. We have a wonderful family and you are my very best friend. I know that I messed up badly with you, but I am trying my best to fix this."

Kevin, as the deep thinker he was, stood with his arms crossed. Whitney patiently waited, allowing him to ponder over everything. However, it was very chilly in the December night air. She took her key and opened up the hotel door. "Come inside baby. It's chilly and you know how easily we get sick." Kevin followed her in as she closed the door. As soon as she closed the door and turned on the heat, Kevin mindlessly went over to her and embraced her by her waist. No matter how much he tried to fight it, he needed his wife, in all aspects. He placed a kiss on her forehead before placing his own against hers for a few moments. He looked at her with vulnerable eyes. "I'm sorry babe. I'm….just scared I guess." Whitney sighed as all of her stress and anxieties flowed with it. "I'm scared too." Without thinking, she pulled him into her and they shared a deep, longing kiss. They were both breathless when they finally pulled away a few minutes later. Kevin then pushed her towards the bedroom, undressing her along the way. Once she was only robed in her sexy lingerie, Whitney allowed her husband to fill her up entirely with his hands. It was driving Kevin wild to feel a mixture of her smooth flesh and the lacy material; Whitney moved her head back, inviting him to give both sweet kisses and soft bites on her neck. They both could have exploded from just the feel up itself. He suddenly pulled her away from her, needing to know this before going any further.

"Promise me that you won't keep any more secrets away from me. No matter how you think I may react." He told her as he sucked on her bottom lip. Whitney looked at him with sincerity, her almond shaped amber- eyes glistening. "I promise you baby."

No more words were spoken, as their bodies synched together to communicate. They somehow made their way into the bedroom as Whitney undressed Kevin along the way. They left a trail of their clothing along the way and knocked the paintings off the walls.

Kevin placed his wife on the bed, quietly mounting her. He kisses Whitney passionately, first on the mouth, then leaving trails from the neck to her tender, waiting breasts. Whitney can feel his manhood on her thigh, fully hard. She lets out deep moans as he sucked her nipples and she rubs himself against the folds of her love canal. She feels herself pulsating with pleasure already and decided to waste no time in placing him inside of her, which Kevin loved for her to take control in that manner.

She was already wet, but Kevin decides to tease her a bit by taking things slow. He pushes himself in unhurriedly, expanding her insides in no rush, thoroughly enjoying the feeling of joining his wife in a much needed way. Whitney places her hands on his well sculpted bottom inviting him completely in. Once he is fully entombed inside, he lifts his chest off of hers and thrusts slowly, looking into her eyes and kissing her tenderly. After a while, he senses that she wants it faster and increases the tempo. He glances down, and somehow gets even harder as he observes how his wife is fully enjoying receiving him. Whitney meets his hurried thrusts, by moving her hips to his tempo feeling every long, thick inch slide in and out frantically; part of her wants to cry from the intense passion and the other part wanted to giggle because of how it was taking all of her being to not explode right then and there from it all.

Kevin takes his fingers and intertwines them with hers, pressing his pelvis down upon hers. His forehead once again touches hers as their fleshes meet and slap together seductively. Whitney suddenly pushes him off, laying face-down, signaling what she needed to be done to her next. Kevin re-mounts her again, taking her in from behind, and deeply strokes her as if their lives depended on it. Whitney cries out into the pillow; not from pain, but from the intense delight. The heat between them blasted all over as they make love as if it is the last thing they would ever do. Finally Whitney lets out a loving moan, increasing as she comes; her entire body shudders like a tsunami. As the gentleman that he was, Kevin waited for his wife to orgasm before joining her moments later, hosing his seed into her caravan fervently. He finally laid next to Whitney and held her from behind; they immediately fell asleep for a couple of house, exhausted from putting everything out on the table, physically.

Late that night, they shared a steamy shower before getting back in bed. Whitney smiled as Kevin held her in his arms. "Baby, you know that you've got whip appeal." she told him. It was the first time they had talked in hours. "What?" Kevin chuckled. She had never told him something like that before. Whitney joined in his laughter and sat up a bit. "What I mean, is that you are an incredibly sensitive lover. Why do you think I lose my mind when we are apart?"

"Because you're spoiled" Kevin teased. "Baby." Whitney smiled as she stroked his hand and the platinum wedding band on his fingers. "You are all of that and then some." Kevin played with her hair. "Well it comes easy because it's reciprocated." Whitney softly begins to hum and they talk about Christmas presents. When Kevin asked her what she wanted for Christmas, Whitney shrugged. "I already have it. My husband and all of my beautiful babies. And I just want to get well. You are the only addiction that I want to have."

"We'll make sure that happens. If I have to set up a press conference announcing that we are both retiring, so that you can get the help that you need, I'll do it." Kevin told her.

"Like I said, I'll do whatever it takes to make this right." Suddenly she got up and cut on the radio to a station playing soft, sensual music. "Come on cowboy, let's dance!" "Dance?" Kevin laughed as Whitney pulled him up, and they danced in the nude. Whitney softly sings in sultry tone in his ear to the tune of the song. "All I want is you baby. All I need is you boy."

Kevin could only hope and pray that it was so, and that they would be able to work everything out.

.