When Bianca came home, she saw that Miranda, Gabi, and AJ were all setting the table. Gabi was the first to see her mom.
"Mama!" Gabi called out to Reese, "Mom is back!"
Reese emerged from the kitchen, making a b-line towards Bianca. Reese instinctively cradled Bianca's head in her hands lovingly as she gazed into her eyes.
"How did it go?" Reese asked.
Bianca hopelessly shrugged, "I don't know…I'm not sure where she stands, but I'm not going to let her disapproval bother me or sway me. I love you, and that's all that matters to me."
Reese tenderly kissed the top of Bianca's forehead, "I love you, too. My dad was talking about me spending Christmas Eve with him in New York this year."
Bianca did her best to seem unbothered by that bit of information only because this conversation meant that they were talking about what would be happening after Reese went back to France.
"So if you're going back to France and you come back to the States for the holidays, you want spend Christmas with your father?"
Reese shook her head a solid, 'no' to clarify, "Not Christmas, only Christmas Eve. Whether I'm able to stay in Pine Valley or have to go back to France, I plan on being in Pine Valley on Christmas day," Reese explained.
"Oh," Bianca looked away.
Reese gently guided Bianca's head to look at her, "I want you with me."
"What?" Bianca's eyes were full of surprise. "You want to spend Christmas Eve in New York with me?"
"Yes. New York is beautiful during that time of year. Plus the last time that we were there, it was under some pretty shitty circumstances. If I have to go back to France, then I want to meet you in New York when I come back…on my old stomping grounds," Reese smiled.
"Wouldn't you want to spend that time with your dad?"
"We'll have our time. I want spend time with you in New York on Christmas Eve night. We'll go back to Pine Valley to spend Christmas Day with the girls. What do you say?"
Bianca smiled, "Your old stomping grounds?"
"My old stomping grounds," Reese nodded with a laugh. "Yeah?"
"Yeah," Bianca smiled, "I could use a change in scenery."
"I love it when a plan comes together," Reese pulled Bianca into a kiss.
"Get a room!" Gabi groaned as she walked past her mothers. Bianca and Reese laughed together.
"Manners young lady," Forrest called to his granddaughter as he walked past with plates as he helped to set the table.
Just then the doorbell rang. Reese pulled away from Bianca, "I'll get it."
Reese opened the door to Greenlee who smiled immediately upon seeing Reese, "Happy Thanksgiving," she hugged Reese tightly.
"Happy Thanksgiving. You're just on time. Dinner's almost ready."
"I skipped the heavy lifting?"
"Every bit of it."
Greenlee nodded, "Mission accomplished. I came bearing pumpkin pie," she handed the desert to Reese.
"You brought us pie?" Reese inspected the baked good in her hands.
"Don't get too excited, I slaved over a hot cash register to get that," she winked at Reese. "Keep your door open. Zach and Kendall were right behind me." Greenlee walked in to greet everyone.
Reese stepped out of the door to see Zach and his family walk up the driveway just as Greenlee mentioned previously. Reese arched a brow, noticing that they came in two separate cars.
"I was at work," Zach called as if reading Reese's questioning thoughts, "we happened to pull up at the same time," Zach further explained as the boys rushed a head of him to the house,
"Hey Reese!"
"Hi Reese!"
Both boys called before running into the house. Reese chuckled before giving Zach a hug.
"Happy Thanksgiving," she patted his back.
"Same back to ya."
Reese then hugged Kendall, "Happy Thanksgiving."
"What he said," Kendall chuckled before releasing Reese from their hug.
"Everyone is setting the table so dinner should be ready at any minute."
"Great. I'll go see what I could help out with anything," Zach gently went past Reese to enter the house.
Kendall gave Reese a glance and made Reese frankly worry for whatever it was that she was ready to tell her, "What's going on Kendall?"
"Nothing's going on…ish."
Reese arched a brow, not believing her.
"Okay, something is…ish. How is it that you can tell that I'm hiding something?!"
"Both you and Bianca have the same expression when you get the same way. Blame it on your genetics. Talk. What's going on?"
"I'm sure that Bianca told you about seeing our mother today."
"Yeah."
"After Bianca left, I had a…conversation with her. When I asked her if she was still coming, she said 'We'll see' then left.
"Erica said 'we'll see'…sounds like a general answer to me."
"My mother isn't a general woman. Saying 'we'll see,' will mostly mean to say that you are in for a night of unpredictability."
"Meh well, predictability is overrated."
Kendall gave Reese a lopsided smile, "You're being way too understanding about all of this."
Reese looked over to Bianca and could stop the feeling of love overwhelm her, "Bianca's worth anything that I have to go through if it means being with her," She looked over to Kendall, "unpredictability is a given that we'll have to face."
Greenlee approached Kendall and Reese, "You two look as though you're having a kumbaya moment. You're coming to the table to eat or not?"
"We're coming," Kendall looked over to Reese, "shall we?" she gestured the way to the table.
"Let's eat," Reese led the way to the dinner table where everyone else sat together.
oooOOOooo
Sitting around the table carrying on with their friends and family as they ate Thanksgiving dinner was everything Reese hoped for. For the first time in seven years, Reese was able to spend Thanksgiving with the girls and with Bianca. Back in France Reese avoided any attempt to even celebrate the holiday for two reasons: 1. She was alone and 2. Thanksgiving isn't celebrated in France anyway. The fact that she got to be with her family was a blessing that she felt eternally grateful for.
Reese got up from the table, "I'm going to the kitchen really quick to grab the wine," she announced.
Reese made her way into the kitchen and spotted the wine on the counter, which she immediately grabbed. Just as she was about to make her way back into the living room, she heard a knock at the back door of the kitchen.
Reese opened the door to see her former mother-in-law Erica Kane on the other side. Erica still carried that over flowing confidence with a hint of intimidation. Erica didn't smile at Reese, but she didn't frown at her either. Instead Reese received a serious stare from Erica.
"Hello, Reese," greeted flatly.
"Hello, Erica. Please, come in," Reese forced a smile all the while praying that it wasn't going to be downhill from here.
Erica flowed into the kitchen confidently as she looked around the room and then gave Reese the once over. "Bianca's tells me that you two are seeing each other again."
Way to cut right to the chase.
Reese nodded, "We are."
Erica arched a skeptical brow, "Why did you take the job at Centric? Was it to win Bianca back after all of these years?"
Wow! The woman truly did believe in saving the small talk and cutting directly to the chase.
Reese forced another smile on her face. Obviously Kendall, Bianca or both women informed Erica of Reese's reasons for being in town. "I took the job because of two reasons: One – Homer and Ava wanted me for the job specifically. Two – Miranda and Gabi only see me every other summer or holiday. Having this job come at my door was a blessing for me in order to be closer with my kids."
Erica narrowed her eyes, "So you're saying that Bianca wasn't even part of your thought process when accepting this job? You didn't think at all of how she would feel about you taking this job?"
"I thought about what Bianca would think. I agonized over it before ultimately accepting The Riley's offer to build their lab here in Pine Valley. Like I have stated before though Erica, being closer to the girls was the guiding decision in accepting this job. Getting back into a relationship with Bianca was the last thing on my mind."
Reese felt herself begin to reflect back to when she was first in Pine Valley fighting for the validation of proving to everyone why she belonged with Bianca. This time around was didn't need the validation and she was staying firm in her convictions. This time around she was unshakeable.
Erica kept a neutral demeanor as she began her conversation with Reese, "Kendall explained to me that the job that you're working on is winding down. So you're almost done."
Reese nodded, "Almost."
"If you're here temporarily, then what happens when you have to go back to France? Surely you don't want to give up your job in France to come back here. After all, it was getting your current job that caused you drop the custody suit for Gabi."
Reese kept her composure although her felt her patience being to wear thin with Erica's questioning and caddy side comments.
"I didn't drop the suit because of my job. I dropped it because I didn't want Gabi to became a prize between Bianca and I or feel as though she would have to choose someday between the two of us. My job was natural assumption as to why I stopped fighting for custody. As for what happens after I'm done with the lab build here, Bianca and I discussed it and we are determined to make our relationship work this time."
Erica crossed her arms as she kept that skeptical glance plastered on her face, "You know, Bianca found happiness again with Marissa after you both broke up. I tell you she was at her happiest."
Reese swore that she could see a smirk being to form on Erica's face. In that moment Reese had enough of Erica's prodding.
"Erica, I know that Bianca was with Marissa and that they were very happily in love with one another. I get that. I'm not jealous or bitter about it, if that's your aim to make me feel. I'm not going to respond to comments about Marissa from you or JR so it's useless throwing the memory of Marissa in my face."
Erica's resolve softened for a moment, "You mentioned JR…you spoke to him since he's woken up?"
Reese squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, kicking herself for mentioning him at all. "Briefly. He was trying to get Bianca and talk to her at an event at the Miranda Center."
Erica frowned, "I never heard Bianca mention it."
"That's because she doesn't know that he showed up. I stopped him outside of the door before Bianca could see him. I warned him to stay away from Bianca, and that was that."
Erica stood in disbelief, "And you weren't tempted to tell Bianca?"
"Why would it tempt me to tell her?"
"To look like her hero."
Reese tilted her head in confusion, "I'm not trying to impress Bianca with heroics. I would appreciate it if you didn't mention JR coming to the Miranda Center to Bianca. I don't want her upset."
Erica was dumbfounded with how Reese was so genuinely worried about Bianca's well being and so accepting of her past with Marissa. For years after the divorce, Erica painted Reese in a wretched light.
They were interrupted by the sound of the kitchen door swinging open by Bianca. "Reese, what's taking you…" Bianca trailed off upon seeing her mother in the kitchen with Reese.
"Mom…you're here."
Erica smiled at her daughter, "I am."
Bianca instinctively stood next to Reese and threaded her fingers through hers, "Was she grilling you?" A protective voice asked the question.
Reese simply smiled, "We were just catching up."
"Catching up?" Bianca asked unconvinced.
"Yep," Reese grabbed the bottle of wine that she originally came in to fetch, "Honey, I'm going to bring this back to the table and give you and your mother a moment," Reese squeezed Bianca's hand supportively before leaving the kitchen.
Bianca furrowed her brows at her mother who stared at her innocently. "Reese may have covered for you, but obviously I know you too well to even buy the whole catching up story."
"I was just trying to understand why you got back together with Reese is all."
"Well? Are you satisfied with what she had to say? What am I saying? Of course you weren't! Mom, I get that you don't care for Reese, but I'm the happiest that I have ever been in a long time and I-"
"She's right for you."
"…Really am in love—" Bianca had to stop herself cold in the middle of her rant to process what she missed her mother just say. "Wait. Did you just say that Reese is right for me? You actually said that."
Erica reluctantly nodded her head, "I did. Reese is truly committed to you and I do have to admit that you and Reese are right for each other. I always have told you and your sister that as long as you were happy, that was all that mattered. It's time for me to put up or shut up on that oath."
Bianca stood up straighter. "Oh…thanks. We're still having dinner. Are you going to join us? Reese's dad is actually here, too."
"Really?"
"Yeah. He and Reese recently reconciled. It's a long story that I'll explain later, but are you joining us?"
Erica chuckled, "I am here after all, aren't I?" She grabbed Bianca's hand as they both went into the living room to join everyone for dinner.
Bianca felt a weight lift from her chest as they greeted everyone and began to eat together. Bianca glanced over to Reese who gave her a supportive wink as she poured wine for all of the adults at the table. This Thanksgiving was certainly a thankful one.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Sorry it's taken me so long to post. Personal family issues came up making writing damn near impossible. Anyhow. Here it is and I will do my best to buckle down and get the next chapter out.
