A week later, Billy stood outside of a cemetery holding an umbrella watching a trickle of mourners emerge from Wanda's funeral. When he finally caught sight of Amanda she had her arm around a much taller young woman he assumed was Wanda's birth daughter Chastity. The two women did not see him until he stepped forward.
"Billy!" Amanda stopped in her tracks. Chastity glanced at him briefly with tear filled, grief stricken eyes before covering her face and wailing.
"Jason!" Amanda called out and a young man jogged forward to steady Chastity who seemed like she might faint. "Take her to the car," Amanda ordered. "You all go on without me. I'll be there in a bit." Jason followed the directive and led Chastity away as she stumbled beside him.
"Oh my god, you're here," Amanda rushed into Billy's arms. "That was awful, we had to keep Chastity from jumping into the casket."
Billy held her tightly, kissing the top of her head. "I would have been here and helped with the arrangements, the funeral, everything."
"I know but I had to focus on Chastity and if you were around, all I would have wanted to do was this," Amanda squeezed him tighter. "I really wanted to be there for her, completely. Chastity is inconsolable. We were afraid for a while that she might hurt herself. In fact we're still keeping an eye on her."
"I'm here now, so tell me what you need for me to do."
Amanda instructed Billy to follow the small caravan to the rented space where they had the wake and now the post funeral reception. Billy learned at the reception that Wanda was originally from a rural area in Florida and had only come to Madison to be with her husband who died without a life insurance policy leaving her to raise Chastity alone. She mainly relied on Social Security and every once in a while she'd foster a child. One of which was Amanda. Wanda kept to herself and did not make many friends. Mostly all of the funeral goers-among them Tina, Wanda's sister, her husband and their two sons Jason and Otis-had flown in to pay their respects.
"So you see Chastity really doesn't have anyone now that Wanda is gone," Amanda explained to Billy later that night. Tina was keeping an eye on Chastity so Amanda could talk to Billy. They were at a cozy all night diner.
"She has family in Florida," Billy responded. "Besides she's a grown woman. I admire your generosity, but..."
"I have no choice but to forgive her. All she's done for the last week is mourn her mother and beg for my forgiveness."
"Forgiveness and keeping someone like that in your life are two separate things. She took the worst thing that ever happened to you and used it against you for years. Now you want to bring her back to Genoa City because she doesn't want to go to Florida with her relatives."
"Who she barely knows," Amanda explained.
"She can get to know them."
"Also there's another reason," Amanda toyed with the handle on the mug in front of her. " As far as I knew Chastity did nothing all day but occasionally drive Uber and play around online. What I found out is that she has a pretty popular hair channel on youtube. All of those braids on her head took 36 hours to install. She streamed the process then edited it down. You should see the hits on that one video. I want her to meet with Theo to see if maybe she has a marketable product for Chancellor Media."
"Ah, so I see," Billy nodded. "Still, I think this should be a temporary arrangement."
"Just until Chastity adjusts to her mother being gone and she's taken the first steps to forging a career and her independence."
Billy stood and slid into Amanda's booth beside her. "So," he said, laying his arm along the back of the booth behind her. "I am really looking forward to you coming back to Genoa City. I really missed you. Ten texts a day is no replacement for having you there." He kissed her cheek very close to her mouth and Amanda shivered.
"Please don't remind me of how many times a day I text you. It's embarrassing." She wrapped her arms around his lean waist and put her head on his shoulder. "And I have a feeling I'm not going to let up when I do come back so prepare yourself."
"I love hearing from you. Text me as much as you want. It's never too much."
"I am so so so glad you're here. I feel better like a weight has been lifted."
"You know you are an amazing woman. To care so much, to do so much for Wanda and Chastity. I'm glad she apologized to you."
"I also had much to atone for. There's something I never told you about Chastity I was so busy pointing out how she used to mess with me when we were kids. I didn't mention how from the very beginning, from the first day I moved in with them, she referred to me as her sister. Not foster sister, not that orphan kid or that girl like I was referred to in other homes. She called me her sister and through all of our fights and even into adulthood she never stopped. I was always the one who reminded her that we were not really related. These last few days we talked and she told me that she and Wanda were so close and when she was a kid she was afraid that I might replace her, that Wanda might grow to love me more, so she acted out but that she was always glad to have me in her life from the first day we met. She says she hopes that now we can be sisters. Really."
"How do you feel about that?"
Amanda grabbed a napkin from the table and wiped away a few tears. "Three weeks ago, I would have told her to go to hell, but now I feel more open to embracing things I already have. If that makes sense. I'm more receptive and so grateful. I have you and I have a sister too...and…"
"And?" Billy waited for her to continue.
"And there is so much more I need to talk to you about but I am about to fall asleep face first right into my herbal tea."
"Now that the funeral is over, I'm taking care of you now." Billy took out his phone and called Tina, who said she would take care of Chastity for the night. Amanda went with Billy to his hotel room.
"I am sooo tired. I haven't been drinking coffee. I need a thousand naps," she said crawling on to the bed with her jacket and shoes still on. Billy took off his jacket and joined Amanda pulling her into his arms.
"You shouldn't have worked so hard," he admonished. "I would have made all of the arrangements."
She played with a button on his expensive designer dress shirt. "You mean you would have snapped your fingers and one of your Abbott minions would have made all of the arrangements." Her eyelids fluttered closed. "I appreciate your help but let's face it you're not an arrangement maker. You're a Baller…." she yawned loudly "Shot...caller…20 inch blades on the Impala." She yawned again. "I'm so tired, I can't even remember my Biggie lyrics…" She was drifting off to sleep in mid sentence. "I really wanted to make all of Wanda's arrangements myself. The last thing I could do for her."
"It's over now." He cradled her head against his chest. "Get some rest. Just so you know, those Abbott minions are paid executive level salaries."
Amanda chuckled. "I know you're good to your staff. I'm just playing with you." She paused and opened her eyes. "Billy, there is something I have to tell you."
"What's that?" He stroked her back and looked down at her with such warmth and caring Amanda's breath caught in her throat.
"That night in your room when we had the accident."
"I am so sorry about that. I've been wanting to explain my reaction. While it wasn't planned I had a glimpse of us having a child together and I didn't want anything to take it away. I know I was being ridiculous."
"You wanted me to be pregnant?" Amanda perked up. "I thought you were angry about the entire situation and trying to do the quote unquote right thing."
"Not until the moment of truth did I realize that I wanted it more than anything. I want us to have children, a life, everything together. Not out of obligation but from genuine desire to be with you."
Amanda's heart filled hearing Billy say he wanted to build a life with her, but she had to be completely honest with him about everything. She touched his face. "Billy, you know I love you more than anyone else in this world. But I don't know if I'm ready to have a baby or if I want to have a baby, but guess what, you were right. My period was due the next day and it never came, then I was so busy with Chastity and making funeral arrangements. So this morning I took a pregnancy test."
Billy sat up. "And what was the result?"
"I guess I was wrong about your super sperm. One time without a condom on a day when I should have been the least fertile and BAM, I'm knocked up."
"My god, I'm so happy, " Billy grabbed her tightly. "I didn't hurt you did I?" He asked, loosening his grip.
"No, don't be silly, but I have to be honest Billy, I'm scared about having this baby. Also we need to confirm it with a doctor before it's official. Then there's birthing classes, I have to set up a nursery, I have to decide on what kind of birth to have. All natural or in the hospital. I already stopped drinking coffee, but there are other dietary changes I want to make. I know I want to nurse, but for how long? I get overwhelmed just thinking about all of it. It's so much."
Billy left the bed went to his jacket and removed a small velvet box. He walked to the foot of the bed. Amanda was sitting with her legs folded under her eyeing him curiously. Billy kneeled down and opened the box to reveal a huge diamond ring. "Amanda Sinclair. You have my entire heart. I love you. You don't have to make any more decisions by yourself when I'm right here. Marry me…"
That Monday morning, Theo Vanderway made his way to Billy's office feeling dejected. He was currently experiencing some sort of dry spell and he hadn't had a good idea in weeks. Perhaps it was due to Lola relocating to Florida. But they promised to remain friends and spoke a few times a week via video chat. He missed her but he was coping. Probably the problem was that he was still smarting from being fired from Jabot. Once he was hired at Chancellor, he thought he'd redeem himself by producing a tie in concept with Jabot, but Billy kept blocking. Albeit he made some valid points, still were all of his ideas that bad?
Billy had summoned him to his office for an impromptu meeting. Theo arrived early to schmooze and flirt with the floor's receptionist, Samantha, who doubled as Billy's assistant. His plans to flirt fell flat when he saw that Samantha was already engaged in conversation with someone, a woman he'd never seen before.
Literally at first glance the woman stole his breath away. Was she a model? With heels she was close to his height, but she was much curvier than your average stick figure model. His practiced eye told him that all she possessed, the perfectly proportioned breasts and ass were all natural. Her hair was in small braids that hung down to her waist, complementing her smooth creamy toffee hued complexion. She appeared to be in her mid to late twenties.
When the beautiful mystery woman concluded her conversation with Samantha she turned and caught him staring. Theo kicked himself, he hadn't got caught checking a woman out in years. He was really off his game. She regarded him with cool hazel eyes, which he found as alluring as the rest of her. She pursed her lips and rolled her eyes at him as if she had no idea why he was staring. As if she was not aware of her beauty.
Samantha disappeared down the hall and the woman sauntered over to the seating area and elegantly folded herself into a chair before taking out her phone.
With his hands in his pockets and his friendliest smile, Theo approached the woman. "I've never seen you around here before," he said. "Do you work here or…" he shrugged hoping she'd fill in the blank.
"Who wants to know?" The gorgeous woman asked a slight frown, creasing her forehead momentarily before her stunning hazel eyes dropped back to her phone.
"Forgive me for not formally introducing myself. I'm Theo Vanderway, "And I do work here in marketing for the media division." Now that he was getting a closer look she did not appear to have on any makeup. She would be perfect for Ashley's "Barely There," no make up-makeup campaign which was launching first in Paris. In fact half a dozen ideas for this beauty flashed through his mind in an instant. It was amazing what the right muse could do for a creative soul like his. He felt like he was coming alive again.
"That's nice," the beautiful woman said, glancing up at him again, only to roll her eyes and return her attention to her phone. "Didn't anyone ever teach you that it's rude to stare."
Theo laughed without humor. She was right, but he couldn't keep his eyes off of her. "My apologies. I thought you might be new and I could give you some insight on the company culture. I could tell you who's nice, who's an ass and that sort of thing."
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Amanda and Billy approaching. When he turned his head to look at them, Amanda momentarily touched Billy's arm and Theo could see the glint of a huge diamond engagement ring on her finger. So the rumors about them were true, he smirked. Not that he needed to hear rumors. Billy and Amanda no doubt thought they were being discrete, but anyone with two eyes could see them gazing longingly across conference tables at each other.
Amanda smiled when they reached Theo, "I'm glad to see the two of you are getting acquainted," she said her eyes roaming from him to the mystery woman.
"Theo," Billy said. "I'd like for you to meet your new intern, Chastity. I think the two of you will work very well together. Show her around and get her settled with a desk, computer and everything she'll need."
"What?" Theo asked flabbergasted. It was one thing to admire a beautiful colleague-especially one with an obvious attitude problem-when passing her in the hall or in the cafeteria area or in a meeting. But as his intern? No way. He started to protest, but Amanda and Billy were already walking away. He returned his attention back to Chastity who sucked her teeth and said, "Trust me, I'm not happy at all about this either," before she rolled her eyes at him again.
"So what do you think? Will they kill each other?" Amanda asked once they were a safe distance down the hall. "Theo didn't look too thrilled and Chasity says she wants to learn the ropes, but she's never worked in a corporate environment before."
"Well, we'll just keep an eye on the situation," Billy replied. "I know one thing it should be very entertaining."
"Most definitely," Amanda replied and lifted her fist in the air, which Billy tapped with his own before they both began to laugh
"That reminds me, what are you doing for lunch?" Billy inquired as they stood outside of Amanda's office.
"I have no plans why?"
"So glad to hear you say that. Come with me." He offered her his arm, and she threaded her arm through his. They went outside to a waiting limo, which took them to the private jet. They were married that night in Nevada.
Six months later, Ashley selected Chastity to be the face of Jabot's "Barely There" campaign in Paris. Chastity said she would accept the position only if her mentor and BFF Theo came with her, which Ashley readily agreed to, hiring Theo to manage the campaign for Jabot.
The following spring, Chastity planned and hosted Billy and Amanda's official wedding ceremony at a beautiful venue in Paris on Billy's birthday when their daughter, Destiny Sinclair Abbott turned nine months old.
The End