A/N: Thanks for reading, reviewing and following as always! There was something I needed to fix in this chapter so I'm reposting it. It involves a conversation between Bianca and Marissa. Some of you might have caught it. I did after the fact and it bothered me enough that I had to fix it. Hope you enjoy this update!

/

Almost as soon as Bianca was out of sight, a voice interrupted the redhead's thoughts.

"Just what in the hell are you doing here?!"

Marissa turned and saw an angry blonde that she recognized all too well and slowly stood. She did not want to be sitting down and facing the woman. That would put her at too much of a disadvantage. I did not need to see her. Keep it together and don't lose your temper. You are not going to let her do anything that might hurt the baby. She's also not going to ruin your day.

"Shelly, what are you doing here? Bob told you that you're not allowed in here for at least a couple more months. He's tired of all the trouble you've caused around here." Terri had hustled over to block the other woman's path as soon as she saw her enter the restaurant.

"I was walking by and saw her in here. So, I'm not allowed in here, but she is? She's the reason there was a problem the last time. I mean seriously, what the hell, Terri? Why in the hell is she here anyway?"

Marissa held up her hands to show she meant no harm. "We're just passing through and thought we'd stop by. We don't want any trouble."

"We? Who's we? Oh, let me guess. You've got your whole gang here again because you can't handle anybody by yourself."

"It's just the two of us, and trust me, I have no problem handling you all by myself and neither does Marissa." Bianca moved quickly to stand in front of Marissa, the Kane death glare in full force causing the blonde to take a step back.

"Shelly, that's not what happened and you know it. We went over all of this before. They didn't do anything wrong. Todd caused all the trouble because he couldn't take no for an answer from Marissa. She wasn't interested in him. She's with Bianca. They were here for their bachelorette party. Remember?"

"Yeah, that's what they said, but how do you know it's true? How do you know they're not lying, making it up to make themselves look better? And why does she keep stepping in front of the other one and not letting her defend herself? Why she'd sucker punch me?"

Terri rolled her eyes. "Oh for the love of …"

"Bianca didn't sucker punch you. She hit you straight on, and she was doing it to protect me. I don't know what I have to say to make you understand that I was not and am not interested in him. I love Bianca. I don't want anyone else." Marissa placed her hand on Bianca's back reassuring her that she was safe and also not leaving her.

"Protecting you? Why you can't protect yourself?"

"She's more than capable of protecting herself from you or anyone else for that matter. When you love someone, you protect them no matter what and you do it even if they can protect themselves. I'll promise you this. There's not a chance in hell that you'll harm a hair on her because you'll have to go through me to get to her, and that won't be easy. I won't be backing down one inch." Bianca's steely gaze remained steady.

Terri continued to watch the standoff. She knew that someone had already called the police, and they were on their way. The server didn't want any trouble in the restaurant though, and she also didn't want the couple to get into any trouble. It really wasn't the way to start off a honeymoon. "Shelly, look, they're married. They got married yesterday."

"What?"

"Look at their hands. They have wedding rings on. I saw their wedding pictures. I saw their kids."

"Married? Their kids?"

"Yes, they're married, and they've got kids. You want to know why Bianca is so protective of Marissa? It's because she's pregnant. She was pregnant when they were here before. You know when you shoved her and could have caused her or their baby to get hurt."

Shelly visibly deflated in shock. "How … how … how do you know that?"

"Sean told me. Marissa told him so he knew why Bianca did what she did." Terri looked at the couple. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to blurt it out. Sean said you were keeping it quiet. It's just that Shelly wasn't going to let it drop."

"It's true?" The blonde looked at the couple and noticed that Marissa had a hand resting on her belly protectively.

Bianca nodded. "Yes, it is. You could've hurt her and our baby because of what you did, because you couldn't see reason, couldn't see past your unfounded jealousy."

"But you don't look it."

"I'm just over three months. You can believe me or not, but I don't have any reason to lie about it. It's one of the most incredible things that has ever happened to me."

"Oh my god, I didn't know. I could've …" The blonde felt instant remorse as she sunk into a nearby chair. She realized that her actions could have taken a truly tragic turn. And that's when she finally saw it. The love between the two women was undeniable. Neither willing to back down or leave the other alone to take the blame or whatever else may have come their way. She saw the trust and faith that they had in each other. That was a real relationship. It was the exact opposite of what she had with Todd. Others had tried to tell her that over the years, but she had refused to believe them, refused to see what was so obvious to her now. "I'm an idiot. I'm so sorry. I … I could've. I can't even say it."

Terri sighed in relief, beyond grateful that the tense situation had been defused. "Yeah, I won't lie to you, you are an idiot, but at least now, maybe you can do something about it. You need to get a hold of that temper of yours before something really bad happens. You were lucky this time, but next time, you might not be." Terri turned to the couple. "Are you alright?"

Marissa nodded as she pulled Bianca close to her. She could feel the tension in her wife slowly leave her body. "Yeah, we are. Thanks."

"Hey, Terri. What's up? I got a call that there might be some trouble here."

"Hey, Sean. Everything seems to be under control now." The server was still keeping an eye on Shelly.

The police officer quickly surveyed the room spotting Shelly as well as the couple. "Shelly, you're not supposed to be in here. You know that, right?"

"Yeah, I know. I'm leaving." The blonde got up and turned to the couple. "Look, I'm sorry for any problems I might have caused you. It looks like I have a lot of thinking to do about the people in my life and those relationships. Congratulations and good luck. I really mean it." With that, the blonde turned and left.

Sean looked at the couple. "Is everything alright?"

"It is now, thanks to your sister." Bianca offered.

"Are you sure? Do I need to go have a talk with Shelly?"

Marissa shook her head. "No, you don't. We're good. It's good to see you."

The officer took a short sigh in relief. "It's good to see both of you. How have you been? What brings you back here? And do you want to clue me in on what happened here?"

Terri chuckled. "Well, you could let them answer one question before you ask another. Sit down. I'll get you your lunch." She looked at the couple. "I know your order will be ready by now."

Bianca indicated to a chair at their table. "Come on and join us. We'll try and answer your questions."

When all three were seated, Marissa started. "Okay, where do we begin? Bianca and I have been really good. Never better, I'd say."

"I would agree with that wholeheartedly. We just got married yesterday."

"Yesterday? That's great! Congratulations!"

"Thanks! We're really happy. We're headed to Bradford for a few days. As we were driving by, Rissa saw the exit for Shamokin, and we just had to stop."

"I'm glad you did. I can tell you're happy because you're both beaming. Shelly didn't do anything to mess that up, did she?"

Marissa shook her head. "No, not really. She was surprised to see us and probably would've caused some problems, but Terri stepped in."

"What'd I do?" Terri returned with not only the couple's order but her brother's as well.

"Stepped in with Shelly."

"I did what I could, but I could tell Bianca wasn't going to let anything happen to you."

"No, I wasn't. She wasn't going to get close to her."

"I'm fine, B. I'm not going to break. If you didn't know, I'm pretty tough."

"I'm well aware of that, but I'm not taking any chances."

"When Terri told her we were not only married but also that I was pregnant, Shelly really backed off. I think things finally sunk in for her."

"Terri, come on. I told you that in private."

"I know you did, and I'm sorry, Sean. I apologized to them already, and I really am sorry. It was the only thing I could think of that might get through to Shelly. Nothing else was."

Bianca smiled. "It's okay. We're good. Don't worry about it. It's over, and I really don't want to talk about her anymore. I want to enjoy these chili cheese fries with my wonderful wife."

Marissa sighed happily. "I can do that. Don't get upset with her, but Terri told us that you've talked to Dr. Roeth."

Sean looked at his sister and shook his head. "Yeah, we have. She was pretty positive that she could help us. We're trying not to get too ahead of ourselves, but yeah, we're a little excited."

"That's really great news. You have to make sure you let Bianca and I know how things go."

"Definitely. So, tell me about the wedding."

/

"Welcome to the Bryant Inn. My name is Lanie. Are you here to check in?"

Bianca smiled at the young brunette behind the front desk. "Hi, Lanie. Yes, we are. We have a reservation for Bianca and Marissa Tasker-Montgomery."

The clerk typed in the names. "I have it right here. Ah, you're in the honeymoon suite. Am I safe in assuming that the name is appropriate for you?"

Marissa grinned. "Yes, you are."

"Congratulations!" The clerk took out a map for the sprawling resort. "Your suite is right here. As you can tell, it's in a more secluded location. If you'd like, we can have a cart to take you there."

"Your website said there was a path to the suite?"

"Yes, there is. It's very scenic. If you take the door to your left and follow the path, it will lead you right to your room."

"I think that's what we'll do."

"Okay. Let's finish getting you checked in." The clerk took Bianca's credit card and ran it through and then had their keycards for their room programmed. "If you just sign here for me please." Bianca did as instructed. "Very good. Here are your room keys. The dining room serves breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner and is located just down this hallway. Room service is also available 24 hours. If you'd like to make an appointment for the spa, the number is in a packet in your room along with the various services they offer. The pool is located over here. There are various trails with differing degrees of difficulty for you to hike, and they travel along our private lake. If you'd like to go into town, there are a variety of wonderful shops and restaurants for you to visit along with the Bradford Winery. All of this information is included in the welcome packet in your room. Do you have any questions for me?"

Bianca looked at Marissa who shook her head. "No, I think we're good right now."

"Alright. If you think of anything, please just ask. We'll have your luggage delivered. Enjoy your stay, Mrs. and Mrs. Tasker-Montgomery."

"Thank you!"

With that, the couple headed off towards their room.

/

"I can't get over this room. It's beautiful and just look at this view." Marissa marveled at the spectacular sunset as she stood on their suite's private patio.

Bianca wrapped her arms around Marissa and rested her chin on the redhead's shoulder. "It's incredible but not as incredible as you though."

"Talk like that will get you anywhere."

"That's really good to know."

Marissa leaned back into Bianca's embrace and sighed happily. Being in her wife's arms was truly her favorite place to be. "So, what would you like to do now, Mrs. Tasker-Montgomery?"

Bianca grinned wickedly and lowered her voice an octave as she husked into her wife's ear. "See if you can guess."

Marissa shivered as Bianca began trailing kisses along her shoulder and neck. A soft moan escaped as Bianca found her pulse point. "I guess we'll be having a late dinner then. I do love your ideas." Marissa tuned and captured her wife's lips fervently.

The couple quickly lost themselves in each other as they picked up where they had reluctantly left off that morning.

/

The next day started late as the newlyweds were enjoying their time alone immensely and just couldn't bring themselves to have it come to an end. Once they finally did drag themselves from bed, they had brunch and planned some of their day. A couple's massage was scheduled for later with the time before spent exploring one of the trails on the grounds. After the massages, they decided to spend some time by the pool before a late dinner.

Bianca heard Marissa groan. "Rissa, is something wrong?"

Marissa exited the bathroom. "I think the top to my swimsuit shrunk some. Look, I'm barely fitting in it now, and it was just fine when we were in Florida."

Bianca smiled as she drank in the view of her wife. "It hasn't shrunk, honey. Your breasts have gotten bigger."

"Seriously? That can't be. I mean, my bras still seem to be fitting okay." Marissa began to examine herself in the mirror.

"Well, the bikini top was slightly smaller than your bras to begin with so it makes sense you would notice when wearing it first."

The redhead started thinking, and it seemed that her breasts were slightly larger. "You really think I'm bigger?"

A lustful grin spread across Bianca's face. "Oh yeah, trust me on this, you are. I'm well acquainted with their size and shape among other things."

Marissa raised an eyebrow clearly amused by her wife's reaction. "Why yes, you are. I have to say I really enjoy that you are too. I suppose this is one of the perks of the pregnancy that I read about and you should probably enjoy it while you can."

Bianca laughed. "Well, if you insist." The brunette turned serious. "You do know that it doesn't matter to me though."

"I do, and it's just one of the many reasons of why I love you so much." Marissa leaned in for a loving kiss. "Am I suitable enough for the pool? I won't be breaking any decency standards?"

"Unfortunately, you are suitable and decent enough. If you weren't, I would have to keep you in here away from the prying eyes of the public. Come on, let's go. Expect to be ravished completely later tonight."

"I look forward to it and definitely plan on returning the favor."

/

A rumble of thunder woke the couple up early the next day. They glanced out a window and saw the sky was gray and had opened up for what looked like a torrential downpour curtailing their plans to explore the town that day. Marissa very easily persuaded Bianca they should stay in bed for a while longer, not that it took that much effort to do so. Actually, it only took soft lips and gentle caresses to do it. When they did make it out of bed, they ordered breakfast from room service.

After breakfast, Bianca pulled out a file and handed it to Marissa.

"What's this?"

"It's the firm's partnership offer to you." Bianca continued before Marissa could offer the slightest protest. "Before we left, I saw that you had left it in our bedroom, and I decided to bring it for you to read. I know you're curious about it, and today is the perfect day for you to check it out. I've got something to read to keep myself entertained while you read that. When you're done, we can talk about it."

Marissa shook her head. Bianca knew her so well. She was curious about the offer, but she wasn't willing to take time away from their honeymoon to satisfy that curiosity. Her wife was giving her the perfect opportunity to do both. The redhead sighed and knew it would be useless to debate it. "Huh, it looks like you've got it all figured out, don't you?"

Bianca smiled. "Yes, I do. Now, get to reading. I have other plans for you later that don't require any reading at all, just action."

Marissa laughed as her wife waggled her eyebrows. "Yes, ma'am!" The redhead fetched her reading glasses along with a pen and notepad from their suite's desk. She then settled back on the bed and was soon in her lawyer mode.

Bianca settled herself next to her wife with her tablet and began reading. Every once in a while, her eye would catch Marissa making notes. The brunette would find herself distracted during those moments. She couldn't explain why exactly, but she found herself mesmerized by Marissa in this mode. Her focus was intense and complete, and damn if she didn't find it sexy. Bianca knew that she would be able to distract her wife in a heartbeat if she wanted. It was something she'd done numerous times before, but this was important. This was an amazing opportunity for Marissa, and Bianca really wanted this to work out for her. The brunette wasn't worried about her wife putting her job ahead of her family in the least bit. The fact that she'd left the file at home more than proved that point. Bianca wholeheartedly believed this was something Marissa deserved, and she was going to support her just like the redhead was supporting her return to school. The brunette's main concern was making sure that Marissa took care of herself. Again, this was something Bianca had every intention of making sure that happened.

/

"You're staring."

Bianca snapped back to reality not realizing she had lost track of time while watching the redhead and thinking about everything that needed to be done. She chuckled finding hazel eyes sparkling with amusement having busted her. "Sorry, it's that bad habit I have. I could tell you that I'll try and break it, but that would be a boldfaced lie because I have absolutely no intention of ever breaking it. How could I really be expected to when it would involve me not gazing at my beautiful wife?"

Marissa sighed. "Wow, and you say I'm the charmer."

"I've learned from you. So, tell me about the offer."

"It's good. I mean it's really good. They want to expand the family law department, and I would be over it. You know how I feel about family law. I would also still take on cases. That's something that I really didn't want to give up. I love that interaction with my clients."

"I know you do, and you're so good with them. That's something I know firsthand."

"I get to choose a couple of lawyers to come work for me. If I take this and they're interested, I'd like to ask Brian and Lisa."

"That makes sense. They're good. You work well with them and respect them. I know how much they respect you."

"I do. I forgot to tell you. When I was dancing with Caleb, he told me they are going to make Brian an offer of becoming an associate and Lisa a junior associate."

"That is fantastic! They're going to be thrilled."

"Yeah, I think they will be too, and they deserve it. Caleb told me something else that was pretty interesting. The firm is going to be starting a daycare center for the staff. It'll be opening early next spring."

"Really? That is pretty interesting. Did he say why?"

"He said that a number of the staff are starting families, and it just made sense for the firm to do this. I thought it was interesting that he brought it up."

"Huh."

"What is it?"

"When I was dancing with Uncle Jack, he asked when we were going to add to our family. It seems Mom has gotten an idea about that for some reason."

Marissa chuckled. "Why am I not surprised by that? I thought we were being good about not giving anything away, but maybe we weren't."

"I think we were. It's just you know how my Mom is. She probably overheard something and her mind just went there. I don't think they know for sure that we are pregnant. They're just guessing and maybe some wishful thinking on their part."

"I think Krystal might be in this with Erica. Think about it. They've been on their very best behavior and getting along with each other for quite some time. Given their history, the one thing that would bring them together would be a grandchild."

"You're right. What about Kendall and Greenlee?"

"Kendall knows we're trying. I don't see her breaking that confidence. The others may put pieces together, but she wouldn't volunteer that information. Greenlee knows we're trying as well. She was really there for me when I had my freak out earlier this year. I don't see her breaking our confidence either. While she doesn't know as much as Kendall does, she's probably put a lot together regarding our trying again."

"You're right about Kendall. She wouldn't break our confidence about something important, and she knows just how important this is to us. It's a different story if our Mom guesses, but Kendall still wouldn't give away any details. I think you're right about Greenlee too. I will be forever grateful to her for calling me that day. They might all suspect that we actually are expecting but aren't 100% positive. If they were, we'd know, trust me. I think they're dying to know but are respecting our privacy enough to wait until we tell them. And yeah, Greenlee probably has pieced more of this together on her own without help from anyone. She'd make a great secret agent."

Marissa laughed. "She really does like the cloak and dagger stuff, hiding behind plants and bushes."

"Yeah, she does. I don't know if we should be concerned by that or not. So …"

"We need to tell them when we get home but after we tell the kids."

"Yep. Maybe we can set up lunch with them. I really want our families to know first."

"So do I. Lunch sounds good. I can talk to Caleb and Jack afterwards, although, Jack will know because of your Mom unless he comes to the lunch. Either way, I still want to talk to them privately."

"I understand that, and it makes sense to me. Okay, we kind of got sidetracked there a little. Tell me more about the offer."

"There is an increase in vacation time and all of my benefits across the board as well as my annual bonus. This is what they are offering in the way of salary." Marissa handed over a piece of paper to Bianca.

The brunette's eyes widened seeing the number. "Whoa, that is one heck of an increase. If you ask me though, I think you're worth 10 times that, but I'm completely biased."

Marissa laughed. "Yeah, I'd have to agree with you being biased. Honestly though, it's an extremely generous offer. What do you think? I need you to be completely honest with me."

Bianca thought for a minute after reading over Marissa's notes. "There's not a doubt in my mind that you are more than capable of doing this. I think the most important question is 'do you want this'. Will this make you happy professionally?"

"I'm glad you're making that distinction about being happy professionally. In my personal life, I've never been happier. I have you, the kids, our little one soon, a beautiful home and Max the best dog in the world. Those are the things I've always wanted the most, and I'm so lucky that I have all of that, blessed that I do. In my professional life, this is the next step."

"The next step? What else do you have in mind?"

"Honestly? I've kind of always dreamed of having my own firm, a small office where I get to decide the clients and cases that we take and can cut out all of the office politics that come with a large firm. Don't get me wrong, I love what I do but …"

"But you want something more down the road, something that suits your style and personality more. I get it. I'd say take the offer then. It will give you the contacts and experience for when you do break out on your own. And when you're ready to take that step, I'll be right there next to you cheering you on, supporting you however you need me to."

Marissa smiled. "Thank you. That means everything to me."

"It's no more than what you're doing for me with school. We're a team, remember? Who knows, maybe by the time Miranda's graduated from law school, your firm will be established, and you'll be ready to have her join you." Bianca grinned at the way hazel eyes lit up at the thought of Miranda working with her.

"Maybe but only if she wants that. I won't force my dreams on her."

"I know you won't and so does she. I wouldn't be surprised if it happens though. She's already showing signs of a budding debater. So, these notes are items you want to negotiate?"

"Yes, they are. Are you sure about this?"

"I'm positive. I have all the faith in the world in you. Plus, this is just too good of an opportunity to pass up."

Marissa smiled brightly. "I really am the luckiest woman in the world." The redhead set her papers and glasses on the nightstand before taking Bianca's tablet and glasses and doing the same with them. "That's enough work. I think it's time we get back to the honeymoon."

Bianca's smile matched that of her wife's. "I do love how you think and couldn't agree with you more."

/

The rain cleared the next day, and the couple headed into town to explore. They spent time in many of the shops and found something for all of the kids including Spike and Ian. They then went to the winery where Bianca sampled a few of the wines made there. They selected some for Kendall and Zach as a thank you for watching the kids and Max. Bottles were also picked up for Erica, Greenlee and Krystal. They also purchased Bianca's favorite one to keep and share after the baby was born and Marissa was done breastfeeding.

On their last night, the couple went dancing after enjoying an exquisite dinner and absolutely decadent dessert of chocolate lava cake at the resort's restaurant. They headed home late the next morning arriving early Friday evening. Kendall and Zach were scheduled to bring the kids home the following night. This allowed the newlyweds to spend their first night at Minx Manor as a married couple in private. Bianca and Marissa took full advantage of their evening alone, both knowing that things would change for them in just a few months with the arrival of their little one.