CHAPTER 37
Reese watched Gabi giggle happily as she played with her new puppy that she named Harley and couldn't help the smile that came upon her face watching the cute display. As Reese smiled warmly at her daughter, her father stood next to her with the same smile on his face.
"I know that I got you into a bit of trouble with Bianca, but seeing this as the outcome," he pointed to his granddaughter playing with her puppy, "was completely worth it."
Reese hugged her father, resting her head on his shoulder, "I know. Luckily for you, I didn't stay in trouble with Bianca. Also, for the record she's not upset with you either."
Forrest nodded, "Good to know. I didn't see you give Bianca her present yet – not that I'm being nosy."
Reese sighed, "I haven't forgotten it."
Forrest furrowed his brow, "What's the issue then? You wanted to give it to her privately?"
"Something along those lines. I rather not go too much into it."
Forrest held his hands up, leaving it at that. "As you wish. Where is Bianca anyway?"
"She and Miranda decided to take advantage of the spa gift that Aunt Vera gave them and went out."
"The spa's open on Christmas?"
"The one that they went to is. City that never sleeps," she smiled. "I, in the meantime need to get things ready before Bianca comes back."
Forrest smiled, "Would this have something to do with your gift?"
"If I say yes, would you make sure that Bianca and I aren't disturbed? I'm setting up the bedroom to mimic our first date in France," she explained.
"Of course. I could take the girls to a play in the city. Lion King Live or Annie…I should be able pull some strings."
"Thank you."
He tapped his foot for a moment in hesitance before asking sincerely, "When did do you know that you loved Bianca?"
Reese bit the side of her bottom lip in thought for a moment before responding. "With Bianca, it was pretty much automatic love at first sight. The moment that I knew – really knew that I loved her was right before our first real date. After I meet her and she first took me home and tended to my injury, I made up an excuse to see her the next day and brought Miranda a toy. The day after that I came to her place with croissants from a popular bakery. By day three I finally summoned the courage to tell her that I really liked her and wanted to go on a date with her. She responded by saying, 'I thought that you would never ask.' And kissed my cheek before saying she would. I felt an electricity go through my body just from that kiss on the cheek…and I knew."
Forrest looked on in amazement, "Just from a kiss on the cheek you knew?"
"Just from a kiss on the cheek," she repeated with a nod. "Didn't you ever feel that way with Mom?"
Forrest twisted his mouth momentarily, "Once upon a time. There was a time your mother was nothing like the woman you remembered. She was open and always laughing, and making you laugh. That was the woman I married. When her father died, it was as if he took the best part of her with him because she became as bitter and as spiteful as her own mother."
Reese frowned upon learning this information. Reese never got to know her grandparents on her mother side – they both died before she was born. The only grandparents she knew were her paternal grandparents.
"Claire was already pregnant with you when her father died. Your grandmother died a week before you were born."
"They died in less than a year of each other?"
Forrest nodded, "Yeah. Claire didn't have relationship with her mom. Vera didn't either. They were closest to their father."
"Then how come Vera didn't end up like mom?"
Forrest smiled, "Because thankfully Vera marched to the beat of her own drum and never allowed the toxicity of her relationship with your grandmother mold her into her mother. Claire wasn't so lucky."
"Why are you telling me this?"
"I don't want you to go through the rest of your life bitter towards your mother. I'm not defending her, but I think it fair to understand her background to know why. I don't want you to be haunted by trying to figure out the 'why?' you know? Thankfully you take after your Aunt Vera and marched to the beat your own drum as well. You never let your mother or my influence mold you into anything other than who you wanted to become. I want to make sure that it stays that way."
"It will," she assured. "Thanks, Dad."
Forrest cleared his throat, "Don't you have a room to decorate like it's a French restaurant," he quickly smiled.
Reese rolled her eyes at her father knowing that he wasn't the overtly mushy type and if he came close to crying, he would crack a joke or veer away from the topic somehow.
"Thanks for the chat," she kissed her father on his cheek and headed to her bedroom to complete her surprise for Bianca.
oooOOOooo
After coming home from her spa day with Miranda, Forrest quickly whisked Gabi and Miranda off again, telling Bianca that he was taking them to see The Lion King on Broadway. Reese soon after took her by the hand and led her to their bedroom that was decorated similarly to how it appeared for their first date at Crèmerie Restaurant Polidor.
As the dinner went on, Reese presented Bianca with her Christmas present: a charm bracelet. Bianca wasted no time putting the jewelry on as Reese helped to clasp it around her wrist.
"This is beautiful, babe. I love it."
"If you love it, then mission accomplished," Reese shrugged.
Bianca tilted her head a bit confused, "You don't seem completely happy with the gift…which is funny considering that you gave it to me," Bianca laughed lightly.
Reese took Bianca's hands in hers, "Sweetheart, don't think that I don't like the gift that I gave you. Bianca, trust me when I tell you that, that is not the case at all. I love you so much and I want be able to give you something that represents that. I guess that I may be asking from too much of a charm bracelet to do exactly that."
Bianca got up from her seat walked over to Reese. Reese naturally backed her seat back a bit from the table and Bianca moved her leg over to sitting straddled on Reese's lap in the chair.
"You could've given me anything that I wouldn't have been disappointed. I know that you love me. I don't care about the kind gift you give me as long as it comes from you," she lovingly held Reese's face in her hands.
"I doubt that you would feel that way if I bought you a pack of socks," Reese joked.
"Make sure that you put thought into the type of socks I would like and I wouldn't mind a pack of socks at all." Bianca quipped back as she gently rested her forehead lovingly against Reese's.
Reese looked into Bianca eyes as she smiled at her, "You amaze me from everything you are to everything you do. You always have. I'm so lucky to have you."
"We're lucky to have each other," Bianca captured Reese's lips into a passionate kiss. Quickly their kiss began to develop into more and by the time their tore their lips from one another they were both breathless.
Bianca tenderly palmed Reese's breast while Reese tenderly squeezed at Bianca's bottom.
"We're also lucky that even now we can't get enough of each other," Reese commented as she kissed and suckled upon Bianca's neck.
"Mm! So lucky!" She moaned as she could feel Reese pull her dress up with one hand while unzipping the back of it.
Bianca held her arms up as Reese helped her take her dress off. Bianca unclasped her bra, exposing her bare breasts to Reese. Reese hungrily took a breast to her mouth, sucking greedily and then after some time had elapsed, focused the same amount of attention to the other breast.
Bianca cradled Reese's head as her head rolled back along with her eyes to the feel of Reese's ministrations on her body.
Soon Reese craved bare body contact to Bianca, as she quickly took her shirt off. Without giving Bianca much of a warning, Reese lifted Bianca who now was straddled with her legs around her.
"Don't let go," Reese instructed, "I'm carrying you to bed," she said before laying her down gently.
Once on top of Bianca, they both wasted no time in getting Reese out of her pants and underwear. Bianca pushed Reese over to lay on her back.
"This time, I'm in control and I'm going to make sure that I have your eyes rolled back screaming my name," She seductively whispered into Reese ear.
Reese swallowed in anticipation of Bianca taking charge of making love to her.
"So you think that you can make me scream?" Reese asked teasingly.
"It not a matter of what I think, it's a matter of what I am going to make happen," Bianca's hand went between Reese's legs to tenderly and slowly motion circles on her nub.
Reese sucked in air loudly as a small moan escaped her mouth, "Oh…"
"Oh," Bianca echoed, "I haven't even started yet," she whispered harshly into Reese's ear. "See, if I were to apply more pressure, here," she rubbed harder causing Reese to moan, "And then put a finger here, and here," she plunged too her fingers into Reese now soaking folds.
"Bianca!" Reese screamed her name with a roll of her hips onto Bianca's skilled fingers.
Bianca smiled as she watched the sweet torture that Reese's body was going through as her head went back and her eyes began to roll.
Reese then reached her hand between Bianca's legs and began motioning her fingers in and out of Bianca's heated slit. Now Bianca was the one to have her eyes roll back from the intensity of being touched.
Reese then flipped them over so that she was on top of Bianca as they now were grinding their nether lips against each other. As they continued moaning, picking up speed with each and everything rhythmic hip thrust Bianca began to whisper hot breaths of seductive promises into Reese's ear of what she planned to do to her body for the rest of the night.
"Baby, come with me," Reese pleaded.
"Reese!" Bianca cried as she buckled wildly beneath Reese.
Bianca and Reese screamed loudly together as they both reached orgasm together. As they came down from the climax they both experienced Reese remained on top of Bianca, languidly delivering passionate kisses upon her lips.
"That was so good," Bianca moaned.
"God, yes," she kissed Bianca's throat. "I love you."
"I love you, more." They kissed again another lip lock.
Reese sighed happily, "I love how you took control…very authoritative," she kissed Bianca's nose.
Bianca smiled. "Well, I have to keep you interested."
"Believe me, I don't think that there ever could be a time where I'm never interested."
"Good to know." Bianca looked around the room quickly then back to Reese. "Do you remember being a child and watching TV? What kind of character did you gravitate to?"
Reese arched a brow, "Well, that's a pretty random question. Why are you curious?"
Bianca shrugged, "I guess that I was wondering. I always liked the strong female leads, but I remember watching the movie 'Fried Green Tomatoes' and feeling so connected to Idgie Threadgoode…but I saw myself as Ruth Jamison."
Reese immediately began laughing. "Baby, you more than likely felt attracted to Idgie, but saw yourself as Ruth. I remember reading the book back when I was a teenager and the book made it pretty obvious that Ruth and Idgie were a couple. The movie totally downplayed it."
"Hollywood," Bianca shook her head.
"But I'll admit that when I saw the movie, I was attracted to Ruth while I saw myself as Idgie," Reese smiled.
Bianca grinned, "Seriously?"
Reese simply nodded her head, "Towanda," she whispered the character Idgie Threadgoode's personal battle cry.
Bianca smiled, "I also sort of wanted to be like the character Murphy Brown…and date her," she smirked.
Reese laughed aloud, "I remember idolizing her!"
"Me too!" Bianca clapped excitedly.
Reese quirked her brow to Bianca, "Jo from 'The Facts of Life' felt like my kindred spirit."
Bianca now laughed aloud, "Really, your kindred spirit? A little much, no?"
"Growing up, I felt as though I was the only girl in the world who was into things that were considered boy-like. I was a huge tomboy – most of my friends were guys, I loved taking things apart and building them…it felt lonely because no other girl I knew was like me at all. And then I saw Jo from the Facts of Life and I remember thinking, 'That's me'…for thirty minutes of watching that show I wouldn't feel like an outcast."
Bianca turned to face Reese as she lovingly touched her cheek. "You're no outcast anymore."
"No," she kissed Bianca's hand. "Thank God for that. I love you, Bianca."
"I love you, too Reese."
Reese sat up, "I should probably check on the girls' puppies. I did promise to make sure that they were doing fine in their kennel together." She placed a kiss on Bianca's forehead. "I'll be back with chocolate strawberries."
"Mm! That sounds heavenly."
"Did I mention that the chocolate and strawberries are going to be separate?" She smiled knowingly to Bianca as she wrapped a robe on.
Bianca licked her lips already knowing where Reese's inventive mind was going with this.
"Hurry back," Bianca urged.
"I plan to," she kissed Bianca once more before leaving the bedroom.
Bianca sat up on the bed, wrapping the blanket around her body. She glanced adoringly at the charm bracelet that Reese gave her as her gift. Bianca ran her fingers through her hair when she felt a tangle. Bianca spotted Reese's suitcase beside the bed on the ground. Feeling too lazy to head over to the bathroom a few feet way, Bianca pulled the suitcase onto her lap and looked for a spare comb. Bianca felt for a comb when her hands grabbed something else.
Intrigued, Bianca pulled her hand out of the suitcase to see that she pulled out a small round velvet box. When she opened the box she found a ring.
Bianca's eyes became as huge as saucers upon seeing the ring, "Oh…"
"Bianca!"
Bianca jumped upon hearing her name as she quickly closed the ring case and stuffed it back into the bag.
"Yes?!" she practically shrieked.
"Dark chocolate or milk chocolate?" Reese called.
"Um…uh…surprise me!" She darted her eyes.
"Alright!"
Bianca thought back to how Reese seemed so unsatisfied with the charm bracelet she had given her and it all made sense. Reese wasn't satisfied with the gift because she wanted to give her an engagement ring, but must have decided against it maybe at the last moment.
Still sitting in shock with her hand on to her mouth, she once more sighed out, "Oh…"
Author's Note: Hey everyone! Thanks for your patience, the time that you all take to read each and every chapter, and reviews. I will do my best to post, but as I have stated before it may be a wait, as I make sure that I feel right with posting it. Please leave feedback and I will post shortly.