A/N: Thanks, as always, for reading, reviewing and sticking with me on this adventure through the wonderful world of Minx! Thank you also for your feedback on my question regarding Bianca's term of endearment for Marissa! I really appreciated them, and they did help. You will find out what I decided on further in this chapter. Speaking of this chapter, a certain character is featured quite a bit in it. I hadn't really planned on that happening. I knew what I wanted to do, but I didn't know they would be such a large part of it. I started writing and just followed where my thoughts led me. I hope you're okay with what I did. I think a couple of you picked up on what I had in mind. This chapter picks up the following day from the previous one. Hope you enjoy this update!

/

Krystal smiled when she saw the newest customers who entered her restaurant. "If it isn't two of my favorite people! How are both of you doing today?"

"Hi, Grandma."

"Hi, Krystal. We're doing okay. How are you?"

"I can't complain. Your table is ready and waiting for you, as always."

"Do you mind if we sit somewhere else?"

Krystal was confused by Bianca's request but agreed nevertheless. "Of course not. You can sit wherever you want. Is the rest of the family joining you?"

Bianca glanced down at AJ. "Why don't you have a seat over there? I want to talk to your grandma for a minute."

AJ nodded and headed over to the table Bianca had indicated. As soon as he was settled, he pulled out the sketch pad and colored pencils he had brought along with him. He and Bianca had arrived early for his meeting on purpose. The brunette wanted them to be settled in and ready for when JR showed up. AJ loved drawing so Bianca had the boy bring the pad and pencils so he had something to both occupy and relax him while he waited.

"No, Marissa and the girls aren't coming, but we are meeting them in the park later for a picnic. We're actually meeting JR here in a few minutes. AJ wants to see him. He misses his dad. I thought it was best if we met in a public area."

Krystal shook her head and silently cursed the man who had brought pain to both of her daughters as well as her grandson. "I understand. AJ is such a sweet little boy. He's trying to see the good in his dad. I'm guessing you're hoping JR will behave himself if he's in public."

"That's what I'm hoping."

"I get why you don't want this meeting to take place at your table. How's Marissa doing with all of this?"

"She's doing okay. I mean, she's not thrilled that he's back in town, and he said some pretty nasty things when we saw him."

"I'm not surprised by that at all."

"But AJ wants to see him so that's what we're going to do. She's letting me handle this meeting."

"I'm glad to hear that. The less she has to do with him the better."

"I agree. I just don't trust him around her. Besides, she's talking to Caleb and Jack about this latest situation."

"What about it? Oh wait, you think JR's going to try for custody or increased visitation?"

"Yes, we do. Marissa has a friend at the courthouse. They've told her that JR's new lawyer has been sniffing around trying to get a feel of the judges and their stances on certain hot button issues."

"Such as same sex relationships."

"You got it."

"But surely with everything JR pulled with attempted kidnapping and bribing a judge, no judge in their right mind could seriously consider him being a better parent and change that order."

Bianca sighed. "I wish I could tell you that you're right and that would never happen, but …"

"But you can't. I hate this for the two of you and especially for my grandson. Is there anything I can do?"

"Be there for AJ and Marissa."

"You know that I will. Anything else? Maybe hold JR down while you kick the crap out of him?"

Bianca chuckled. "I'll keep that in mind for another time."

"Please do. In the meantime, how about I get you an iced tea and AJ a chocolate milk?"

"That sounds perfect. Thanks."

/

Bianca joined her son at the table and looked at what he was drawing. "That's really good, AJ. Is that the tree house you and Miranda have been talking about wanting to build?"

"We're thinking of making it a clubhouse now. It'll be easier for us to build and Max could come inside too since it won't be up high."

"That's really good thinking, Buddy. You have a really good eye and are really talented."

AJ beamed hearing the words of praise from his Mom.

"What do we have here?" Krystal asked as she delivered their drinks.

"It's a clubhouse, Grandma. Me and Miranda." AJ paused and gave his brunette Mom a smile. "I mean, Miranda and I are going to build it." He took a large drink of this chocolate milk. "Thanks, Grandma."

"You're welcome, sweetie. That's a very good drawing. Bianca's right. You're good. I'll leave you two alone. Opal and I are right over there if you need us."

Bianca nodded and glanced over at her mother's best friend. Opal smiled, but Bianca could see the determined look in the other woman's eyes. She was more than ready to jump into the fray if the need arose. "Thanks."

Mother and son chatted over the details of his sketch for a few more minutes before AJ grew quiet.

"How are you doing, Buddy?" Bianca could tell AJ was nervous, and she hated that he was going through all of this. He shouldn't have to. No child should have to.

AJ shrugged. "I guess I'm okay. I'm really glad you're here, Mom."

"Me too." Bianca gave the boy a hug.

/

"AJ! I can't tell you how good it is to see you, son." JR moved to hug the boy, but AJ got up and moved closer to Bianca. "Come on, AJ. Give me a hug. It's been a while since I've seen you. Come on."

AJ shook his head and moved even closer to Bianca. "I don't want to."

"Why don't we hold off on that, JR?"

"Why because you said so?"

"No, because it's clear that AJ's not comfortable doing that. Why don't you have a seat? We'll talk."

It was clear that JR wasn't happy about all of this but went ahead and took a seat. The way his son was looking at him bothered him. There was something about it that was vaguely familiar, but he couldn't place it.

"So, AJ, how have you been? How's school?"

AJ relaxed now that there was some distance between him and his father but still remained next to Bianca. "School's good. We're done till August. I did really good this year. Mom and Ma always make sure to help us if we get stuck with our homework."

"Which isn't very often because AJ is very smart." Bianca smiled and ruffled the boy's hair.

AJ beamed at the brunette.

The brief exchange between the two caused a pang of jealousy in JR. "Oh, I got you something." JR handed over the gift bag.

AJ glanced at Bianca for her approval to take it. After seeing her nod, he inched forward for the bag. "Thank you." He reached inside and pulled out a video game. It was one that he had gotten from Marissa's friends Brian and Stef for Christmas.

"You already have that one, don't you?"

AJ didn't want to disappoint or upset his dad so he did his best to spare his feelings. "Yeah, but the one I have is starting to skip some so we can use this one. Thanks, dad."

JR could tell by the look on the boy's face that he was making up the story to spare his feelings. There's no way I can say that he got that from me or my side of the family. We wouldn't have cared. He glanced up and his gaze met his former friend's. He knew exactly the two people responsible for that. He looked back at his son. "You're welcome." JR struggled to get his bearings back. "Hey, AJ, are you still playing baseball? Maybe we can play catch and I could teach you a few things. I'm sure it'll be nice to have someone to catch with."

"That's okay. Ma plays catch with me. She's really good too. Her Dad taught her when she was little, and when she was older, she played softball. She played in a game for firm's company picnic and had a couple hits. When she gets home from work and my homework is done, we play. She's taught Miranda too. Mimo's not as good as me though, but she's better than me at soccer. Mom's trying to teach me that."

"I'm trying. You know it's fine that you're better at different sports. It just shows that you each have your specialties." Bianca offered.

"You're still following the Phillies, right?"

AJ shook his head. "No, I like the Cincinnati Reds."

"Why do you like them?"

"Ma's Dad grew up in Ohio and liked the Reds. She grew up following them and knows lots about them. They're really good this year. My favorite player is Brandon Phillips. He plays second base which is what I play. We went and saw them when they played the Phillies. He signed a ball for me!"

"That's, that's great, AJ. What about pitching? You wanted to do that."

"My coach wanted me to try playing second base one time, and I like it better. I get to start every game. Oh, we got a dog! His name's Max like the Grinch's dog. We take turns taking care of him, and he takes turn sleeping with us."

JR listened to his son and realized that he didn't know him as much as he thought he had. He wanted to blame Marissa and Bianca but something was telling him that maybe that wasn't the case. "That's great about the dog. You're calling Bianca 'Mom' and Marissa 'Ma' now, huh?"

AJ nodded slightly. "Yeah, we all do. The three of us asked them if we could, and they said it was okay if that's what we really wanted."

"I see." An awkward pause followed while JR contemplated this information. "I hear they want to have a baby."

"JR, don't." Bianca warned. She had an idea where JR was going with this and wanted to stop him before he started.

AJ piped up. "Yeah, they do. I think it's a great idea. They're the best Moms ever so the baby will be really lucky to have them, and I'm going to be the best big brother there is."

"You already are, Buddy. You already are. Gabby thinks you're great, and you're doing a good job teaching her how to play basketball." Bianca smiled.

For a moment, JR thought to push the issue of a baby thinking he could leverage that but common sense caused him to refrain seeing how happy AJ actually was about the idea.

"Can I ask you something, Dad?"

JR snapped out of his haze. "Of course you can, AJ. You can ask me anything."

"Are you mad that I call Bianca 'Mom'?"

This took the man off balance. "Why do you think that?"

"Because you got that look you get when you're gonna yell. I don't want you to be mad at them."

"AJ, you don't need to worry about this." Bianca tried to soothe the boy.

"But it's not your fault. I don't want him to be mad at you and Ma and start yelling at you guys again. It was our idea to call you that. It's not fair for him to blame you."

JR was left speechless at he listened to his son.

"I don't want you to yell at them. I don't like it when you yell. It scares me, and Mom and Ma aren't telling me to say that."

"I don't yell that much, AJ."

"Yes, you do, and I don't like you very much when you do. You're not nice like you used to be. I like where I'm at, and I don't want you to try and take me away again. I'm happy, dad. Don't you want me to be happy?"

JR sat there stunned by his son's words.

Bianca was surprised where AJ had taken the conversation but recovered quickly. She thought it was in everyone's best interest to end this meeting. The brunette didn't really think that JR would start yelling at AJ, but she didn't really want to take that chance. "I think we should go. We need to go meet your Ma and the girls for our picnic. Okay, Buddy?"

AJ nodded and grasped Bianca's hand when she stood.

"I'll talk to you in a day or two, JR. I think it's better if we take some time before we consider trying this again."

JR glanced up at the brunette and nodded. "You're probably right. AJ, I'm sorry that I make you feel that way. I love you."

/

JR continued to sit in the restaurant after Bianca and AJ left. He had no idea his son felt that way, that AJ doubted that he wanted him to be happy. Of course he did. Nothing mattered more to him that his son's happiness. That's what he had fought so hard for.

"Out of the mouths of babes, wouldn't you say, JR?"

The blonde glanced up to see Opal standing there. "AJ thinks I don't want him to be happy."

"Well, can you really blame him? You tried to take him away from Marissa and the family the two of them had built with Bianca and the girls. He's also seen you yelling at them and saying some pretty nasty things. You disappear for a while and then pop up out of nowhere and expect him to act like nothing's happened. To top it all off, you kept throwing hateful looks at a woman he loves and views as another mother. What else would he think?"

"I really do want him to be happy. He's my son."

"He's Marissa's too, and she never tried to keep him away from you, at least not out of spite like you did. The way I see it, the only thing Marissa did was fall in love with someone else, and the two of you weren't even together any more when that happened. Marissa wasn't trying to hurt you and neither was Bianca. You should know better than anyone else that you can't help who you fall in love with. You know, I remember when you and Bianca were friends. If anybody got the bum end of the deal out of that relationship, it was Bianca. That girl has been through a lot. They both have. They deserve to be happy and have love. They found that with each other. I think it's high time you asked yourself if you really want Marissa back because you love her or because you can't have her. She's moved on. Don't you think you should too?"

/

JR needed to get out the restaurant. He needed some fresh air and needed to think. AJ's words were ringing in his ears as he walked. He finally came to the realization of how much his words and actions affected his son. He loved AJ. He was his life. He was the one thing in his life that he had ever done right, the one bright spot in it. JR had found it so easy to blame Marissa and Bianca for, well for everything, but that was far from the truth. He managed to screw that up all on his own.

Opal, as much as he hated to admit it, was right. Marissa had never tried to keep AJ away from him just to get back at him, not like her sister. No, she'd done it to keep AJ safe from him. That hard truth pained him to admit. He knew it was true though because he remembered where he'd seen that look in his son's eyes. It was a look he'd seen in his own eyes when he was younger and dealing with everything Adam had done. JR hadn't wanted to be like his father but now realized he had repeated many of the same mistakes. His son was scared of him and with good reason. There was a difference between JR and his son though. AJ had Marissa.

Marissa was a fighter. She didn't back down from a challenge, and she was stronger and more sure of herself than he had thought. She'd literally help save his life, and how did he repay her? He lied and cheated on her. He almost got her killed, and he tried to hurt her in the worst possible way by taking AJ away from her. Looking back, he wasn't very proud of himself at all for what he'd done.

Then, there was Bianca. When they were younger, they had been really good friends. How did he repay her? The sins he had committed against her were countless. The most damning was his actions when he pushed her over the balcony when she was just trying to get her daughter back. Bianca had grown up privileged like he had, but they were as different as night and day. What she had gone through? There was no way he could have survived it. If somehow he had managed to, he knew without a doubt he would not have maintained the positive attitude that Bianca had. He couldn't see himself turning a horrific incident into the positive that she had with creating the Miranda Center.

/

Bianca carried a blanket in one hand while holding AJ's hand with her other as they entered the park.

"Are you feeling better, Buddy?"

AJ looked up and smiled. "Yeah. I had to tell him that stuff, Mom. I didn't get a chance to before. I just don't want him being mad anymore. He's not the dad that I used to have, and I had to tell him he was wrong."

"You're very brave to do that. I'm very proud of you, and I know your Ma will be too. Thank you for defending for us."

AJ smiled brightly. "You're welcome. Maybe he'll be better now."

"If anyone can change your dad's mind, it's you." Bianca heard someone call her name and glanced up. Her smile widened when she saw Marissa, the girls and Max heading their way. Marissa was carrying a picnic basket and holding Gabby's hand while Miranda held Max's leash. "Let's go help them. I'll race you."

AJ grinned. "Okay!" The boy took off and Bianca followed after a few steps.

/

"And the winner is AJ!" Marissa had set down the picnic basket and gave her son a high five while the girls cheered with Max happily barking.

Bianca, who had been running at no more than half speed, joined her family. "Good job, Buddy!" The brunette glanced at Marissa and smiled softly before leaning in for a quick kiss. "Let me take that."

Marissa simply smiled and let her fiancée pick up the picnic basket before taking the blanket from Bianca in return. "Why don't the three of you go swing while we get things set up?" She unhooked Max's leash from his collar and took it from Miranda.

The three younger family members didn't have to hear the suggestion twice before taking off with Max following closely behind. The couple found a nearby spot where they could keep an eye on the kids while they set up their picnic.

Marissa spread the blanket down on the grass and Bianca quickly unpacked the basket.

"How did go?"

"It was surprising. There was one point where I thought I was going to have to end the meeting early. JR started to broach the topic of us trying to have a baby. There was something in his tone that made me think he was going to try and use that to maybe tell AJ we wouldn't love him as much with a new baby, but it didn't happen. I honestly think seeing how excited AJ was about it made JR back off."

"I'm glad JR didn't cross that line. The only thing a lie like that would do is hurt AJ."

"You and me both. AJ called me 'Mom' a couple of times in front of him. I don't even think about it anymore, but JR noticed."

"How did that go over?"

"I don't think it went over very well, and AJ could tell because he asked if he was mad about it. When JR asked why he asked, AJ told him he had a look on his face that he always gets when he's going to yell. Then, AJ asked JR point blank whether or not he wanted him to be happy. He told him he didn't like him when he yelled and it scared him. He also made sure JR knew that we didn't tell him to say any of that."

Marissa's jaw dropped. She knew how AJ felt about everything but didn't know that he would confront his father head on like he had. "Wow, I can't believe he did that. I'm proud of him that he did that but sad that he feels that way and has to deal with all of this."

"Me too."

"How did JR take that?"

"To be honest, I think it took him by surprise, and he just sat there. I wasn't quite sure how he was going to react when everything sunk in so I took the opportunity to leave. JR didn't seem to have a problem with that because he didn't raise a fuss about it. I told him that I'd call him in a day or two."

"Huh. Did AJ say anything to you when you left?"

"He said he had to tell JR that because he didn't get a chance to before. He also hopes that JR will be better now. I think he's hoping he got through to his dad. I told him if anyone did that it would be him."

Marissa smiled. "We have an amazing boy there."

"Yes, we sure do." Bianca's smile matched her fiancée's. "How did it go with Caleb and Uncle Jack?"

"We haven't heard anything new. We have affidavits from the social worker and judge from our custody hearing which is very good to have in case we need it as well as the police report from when he tried to take AJ. So, they are as prepared as they can be."

Bianca could see a hint of worry in those beautiful hazel eyes. "Hey, it's going to be okay. Uncle Jack and Caleb have a common cause and are working together which is something that doesn't happen every day. With those two working together, whatever JR's shark has up his sleeve doesn't stand a chance of succeeding."

"You're right. He doesn't. Thank you."

"For what?"

"For knowing exactly the right thing to say, for dealing with JR, for being here and most importantly, for loving me."

Bianca grinned. "All of that is easy to do, especially that last one. Honey, loving you is the easiest thing on earth."

Marissa smiled brightly. "Ditto. It's also one of the best things I've ever or will ever do."

The couple shared a quick kiss before they finished setting up dinner.

"Kids, time to eat."

/

JR glanced up when he heard voices he recognized. Without realizing where he was walking, he had wandered into the park and found Marissa, Bianca and the kids there. He hung back out of sight and watched. AJ and the girls were laughing and running as a dog JR assumed was Max chased them. He saw Bianca and Marissa as they alternated between turning towards the kids and each other. He saw the smiles on their faces, the way they lit up when they looked at each other, the love that shone in their eyes. Opal's words echoed in his mind.

"The only thing Marissa did was fall in love with someone else. Marissa wasn't trying to hurt you and neither was Bianca. You should know better than anyone else that you can't help who you fall in love with. They deserve to be happy and have love. They found that with each other. I think it's high time you asked yourself if you really want Marissa back because you love her or because you can't have her. She's moved on. Don't you think you should too?"

"They look happy, don't they?"

JR's head snapped around and saw Tad standing behind him with his gaze towards the family. "Yeah, they do. All of them do."

"It's good to see you, JR, although I have to ask why you came back. Do you plan on trying to cause any trouble for them? If you do, the only one who'll really be hurt will be AJ."

JR sighed and shook his head. His step-father knew him. "I wanted to see AJ. I missed him. Yeah, I thought about trying to cause them some problems. I hired a new lawyer to look into getting custody back."

Tad shook his head, his disappointment clearly evident. "JR …"

"Don't tell me. I know. You're disappointed. It's written all over your face."

"Have you changed your mind?"

JR didn't answer the question. "They let me see AJ earlier. Bianca was with him. Did you know that he calls her 'Mom' now?"

"Yes, I did. He started calling her that at Christmas. They all call her that now and call Marissa 'Ma'. Well, except for Gabby. She calls them both 'Mommy'. She's a little on the stubborn side. She probably gets that from her Grandma Erica."

"AJ said he was scared of me when I yelled and didn't like me when I did. He asked whether or not I wanted him to be happy. My son is scared of me and doesn't think I want him to be happy. I really am pathetic. I've been trying to blame them when I don't have anyone else to blame but myself." JR observed the couple. "They really do love each other."

"They do, and they're good together. I know you don't want to hear this, but I've never seen Marissa happier."

"You're right. I don't want to hear it, but I guess I need to. She never smiled like that when she was with me. I'm never going to get her back. I don't deserve to." There was no question involved, just a statement of fact.

"I don't know what you want me to say to that. She's moved on and is happy. You need to move on too. I want you to be happy, JR, but that happiness shouldn't come at the expense of someone else. That's something I learned the hard way."

"Yeah. That's something I think I'm finally learning the hard way too. Marissa's a good mother, isn't she?"

Tad nodded. "Yes, she is. They both are, but you already know that."

"Yeah, I do." JR continued to watch the family. They had finished dinner, and now, Bianca and Marissa were chasing the kids. Gabby had been 'caught' by Marissa who had lifted the giggling little girl and spun her around. Gabby squealed for help when the redhead began to tickle her. Bianca was tracking down Miranda which left AJ free. He dashed forward to 'rescue' Gabby by tickling Marissa.

JR could easily see they were happy, that they were a family. He swallowed the lump of bitterness in his throat. They had what he wanted, and he couldn't help but feel bitter and jealous. As much as he wanted to in that minute, he couldn't blame them. It was all on him. "You know they both almost died because of me, because I couldn't accept the truth." JR finally turned to face his step-father. "I've really screwed up my life, Tad."

"You kind of have, but it's not too late to try and fix it if you want to."

"Where do I start?"

Tad placed his hand on JR's shoulder. "You start by fixing yourself, letting go of that hatred, bitterness and anger. It's toxic. It's not good for you, and you know it's not good for AJ. Look, if you won't do it for you, then do it for him. Become the man I know you're capable of being. Become the kind of man that your son can be proud of."

"How do I do that?"

"There are people that specialize in that kind of thing. Places you can go to get the help you need. I'll help you any way that I can if you're serious about this."

JR considered Tad's words as he watched AJ for a few minutes. Maybe it wasn't too late. "I want to be better for AJ. I really do. I want to be in his life. I'll do whatever it takes to be the dad he deserves. I'd appreciate any help me you're willing to give."

Tad smiled. "That's good to hear. I'm proud of you. You want to get started?"

"Yeah, I do." JR spared one final glance over his shoulder at his son before leaving with Tad.

/

Bianca stopped mid-stride. She saw Tad and JR some distance away now leaving the park. A pair of soft arms reaching around her from behind broke her gaze and caused some of the tension brought about at the sight of the blonde man to leave her body.

"Everything okay?"

"I'm not sure."

Marissa's eyes tracked what Bianca had been watching. She saw spotted Tad and her ex-husband walking away, the older man's hand on JR's slumped shoulder. "He was here? He didn't try and talk with AJ."

"No, he didn't. I wonder why."

"Mommy! Can we have ice cream?" Gabby asked excitedly as she pointed at the ice cream vendor.

Bianca turned and caught a glimpse of AJ and Miranda quickly moving away from their little sister and chuckled. She knew they had put her up to asking for it, although she was sure it didn't take much prompting. "May we have ice cream."

"May we have ice cream, Mommy?"

"Yeah, may we have ice cream?" Marissa grinned as she batted her eyes. She knew ice cream would be a good diversion to keep the kids from seeing JR as well as a welcomed treat for everyone.

"That is so not fair ganging up on me like that! Okay, let's get some ice cream."

A cheer rang out from the family. The kids and Max raced ahead with their mothers trailing behind.

"Do you want to call Tad or do you want me to?" Marissa asked, clearly reading her fiancée's mind.

Bianca smiled. "Let me call him. For now, let's enjoy our evening."

/

Marissa heard her cellphone ring but currently had her hands full emptying the picnic basket.

"I'll get it, Honey." Bianca smiled as she entered the kitchen having returned from getting AJ and Miranda started on their baths. Gabby's bath would be tackled when one of the other two was done and a bathroom was freed up. "It's Tad."

Both women were immediately suspicious as to whether or not it really was him.

"Go ahead and answer."

"Hello."

There was a sharp intake of breath on the other end of the line and then a clearing of the throat. "Hi, Bianca."

"JR, I thought we agreed that I'd call you in a take or two."

"We did, but I wanted to talk to Marissa and you if I could."

Marissa wiped her hands and the couple stepped outside for some privacy.

"I'll put you on speaker."

"JR, what's up?" Marissa asked.

"I'm sure Bianca's told you about this afternoon and what AJ said."

"Yes, she did."

"It … It got me to thinking. Something, I hate to say, that's been long overdue. I honestly didn't realize what I was doing to AJ, and for that, I can never say how sorry I am about that. I … I'm going to go away again for a little while. I need some help dealing with this anger that I have. It's not all related to the two of you, but you've been getting all of the blame and fallout. I don't want my, our son to look at me that way again. I don't want to lose him, and I realized this afternoon that I'm close to having that happen. There's no one else to blame but me for that. So, I'm going away to get some help, some real help. Tad made some calls tonight and found a place I can go to."

The couple exchanged a surprised look.

Marissa spoke first. "When are you leaving?"

"Tomorrow evening. I'd like to say goodbye to AJ before I leave if I could. I'll be happy to meet wherever you want. I just want to see him before I leave, tell him I'm sorry and that I'm going to try and be a better person for him."

Marissa nodded to Bianca who spoke for them. "How does Krystal's at 2:00 tomorrow sound?"

"I'll be there. Thank you."

"We'll see you tomorrow." The redhead answered.

Marissa spoke up immediately after the call was disconnected and before Bianca could object. "Before you even say anything, I'm going with you and AJ. I have to. I need to see this for myself. I also need to show JR that I'm not afraid to stand up to him. I know you want to keep my stress level to a minimum right now and god knows that JR can add to that in a heartbeat. I love you for it. I'm not totally defenseless though and don't need you to fight all of my battles. I prefer you fight them with me and not for me."

Bianca sighed. "I'm sorry. I'm doing the overprotective thing again like I did when you were hurt, huh? I know you're not defenseless, far from it. You are one of the strongest people I know. I just want to make sure he doesn't hurt you anymore. He's done enough of that to last two lifetimes. I know I'm being overly cautious, and I'll try my best not to go overboard on it because I would feel the same way you are right now. Promise me if I get too over-protective that you'll let me know."

Marissa cupped Bianca's cheek and leaned in for a loving kiss. "That, I can do, Babe. And you're right. You're just doing what I've done where you're concerned."

Bianca paused and then nodded. "If he starts anything though …"

"I'll get AJ out of there and let you take over in all your Kane badassness." Marissa smirked.

"Badassness? I somehow don't think that's a real word."

"I just said it so of course it is! It's not like I can just go inventing words, is it now?" Marissa responded with a cheeky grin.

Bianca laughed. "And what does it mean?"

"It's more of a state being meant to make others quake and cower when faced with it. If you were to look it up, it would say 'see Kane death glare'."

"With you being the exception of course for the quaking and cowering." Bianca smirked.

"Of course. I'm always the exception when it comes to you." Marissa waggled her eyebrows.

"Yes, you definitely are. You are the best of exceptions." A chuckle escaped from the brunette.

"Thank you! Seriously, I'll get AJ out of there and let you deal with JR if he starts anything. Trust me, you have my word on that. I promised you that I would let you have your say with JR, and I have every intention of keeping that."

"You know that I trust you. Thank you for doing this."

"I've told you before that I understand. We'd be having this same conversation if the roles were reversed."

"Very true." Bianca gave her a quick kiss. "Come on. AJ and Miranda should be done with their baths, and Gabby still needs her's."

"I'm taking care of her tonight. Don't forget. You're reading tonight's bedtime story."

"Would you mind reading it?"

"Why?"

"Well, you do such a great job, and I know the kids really love it when you do them."

"They love it when you read too."

"Not as much when you do though."

"Spill it, Montgomery." Marissa arched an eyebrow.

"Fine, I love watching you when you read to them. You really do make the stories come alive. It's better than a movie. Please?" Bianca grinned.

Marissa rolled her eyes. "That's not fair. You know how hard it is for me to resist you when you give me that look."

Bianca batted her eyes again. "Pretty please? I promise to make it worth your while later."

Marissa gave an exaggerated sigh. "Fine, if it really means that much to you, I'll read. I look forward to your payment after the kids are asleep."