A/N: Thanks again as always for continuing to read, review and follow! I really appreciate it and all of you. I got a bit into a rhythm towards the end of this one so it's a little longer than some of my more recent ones. This chapter picks up where the last one left off. Hope you enjoy this update!
/
"The pleasure is all mine. I have heard many good things about you. Ah, I can see the resemblance to your mother. Erica is a beautiful woman, and the apple has not fallen far from the tree at all." Rafaela's English was perfect, and her accent only added to her charms.
Bianca blushed. Who wouldn't at receiving such a compliment? "Thank you. I do apologize for being late."
"It is not a problem. This Center you were talking about. Is that the Miranda Center?"
"Yes, it is. You've heard of it?"
"Of course I have. It is unfortunately something that is needed not just here but in many places. I hear wonderful things about it. Perhaps, I could visit during my time here?" Rafaela asked.
Bianca smiled. "Perhaps. I'm sure I could arrange something. After all, I do know who runs it."
"Thank you. I look forward to that very much." Rafaela smiled brightly.
Greenlee witnessed the exchange and sighed in relief that the two were hitting it off. She had been a little concerned they might not, but it seemed that the model was definitely working her charms. Greenlee briefly wondered if she should be concerned about that but let the thought pass for now. "I've made lunch reservations for us. After lunch, we can come back here, and we can give you a proper tour of Fusion."
"That sounds like a good plan to me. Bianca, will you be joining us on the tour?" Rafaela asked.
Bianca was torn. She had only allotted time today for the earlier meeting with Greenlee and then lunch. Her schedule for the Miranda Center was packed. On one hand, a tour would require reworking that schedule and most likely have her getting home later than it looked like she was already going to be. On the other hand, she wasn't quite ready to leave Fusion for the day. Rafaela was more engaging than she had thought, and she found that she wanted to get to know her more. Marissa would understand if she was late. "I'd be happy to."
"Wonderful! Let's go to lunch. I'm starving."
Liz looked at Rafaela and laughed. "You're always starving."
"Thankfully, you have a high metabolism and work out like a fiend." Ashley noted.
"True, this way I can eat what I want and still keep my figure. Lucky for the two of you."
"Most definitely."
Rafaela looped her arm through Bianca's. "If you don't mind, I would like to ride with you. I see those two all the time."
"Uh sure. That's fine. We'll meet you at the restaurant." Bianca threw over her shoulder as she was pulled out the door.
"I'll just grab my keys, and we'll be off." Greenlee headed to her office.
Liz and Ashley shared a knowing look. They had seen the glint in their client's eyes before and knew it meant that this was going to be an interesting trip. Trouble always seemed to follow her whether she meant it to or not.
/
"Mommy?"
"Yes, Monkey."
"When's Mommy coming home?"
That's a damn good question, and I wish I knew the answer to it. Marissa pulled out a pair of pajamas for her youngest daughter. "I'm not sure, Gabby. Besides doing her regular job at the Center, she's helping Aunt Kendall and Greenlee with something at Fusion. Because she's doing that for them, she has to work a little later at the Center. She would be here if she could though. Do you understand?"
Gabby nodded. "Yeah, I guess so. I just miss her, and I really wanted to show her what I made in art class."
"I know, Monkey. You can show her in the morning though."
"Okay." Gabby easily accepted the compromise.
"Good. Are you okay to put on your jammies yourself or do you need some help?"
"I can do it myself."
"You're getting to be such a big girl. I'm going to see if AJ and Miranda need anything, and then, we'll be back for a story."
/
Marissa sunk down onto the mattress completely exhausted. The redhead had cleaned up after dinner, helped their older kids with their homework, played a couple of games with them to keep them occupied from missing their other mother, gotten them ready for bed and read them a story. This was in addition to working on the project she had with Kendall, trying to work out some in an attempt to shed some of the baby weight she had gained with Danny, taking care of him as well as Kendall and doing a little cleaning around the house. With the impending dinner with Rafaela on the very near horizon, Marissa was trying to keep the house as clean as possible to save herself some time for when the visit actually happened. She didn't want to be rushing around at the last minute trying to get everything done.
The redhead reached over to the nightstand and checked her cellphone having left it there to charge while she was reading the kids a bedtime story. There was no new text from Bianca. The last time she had heard anything from her wife was after dinner and then it was just a quick text saying she would be home in about an hour. That was going on close to four hours ago. Marissa's emotions were at war with each other. Part of her, a large part, was worried that something might have happened to Bianca and that she was injured. The other part of her was angry that Bianca wasn't home yet and that she hadn't bothered to contact her since that quick text which was obviously wrong on the time of her getting home, and most importantly of all that Bianca had simply forgotten about her. After all, she had forgotten about Marissa's appointment that morning and hadn't mentioned it at all today.
It came down to the question of if Marissa texted her wife would she seem too clingy? That was something she definitely didn't want to be, but she needed to know that everything was okay. Marissa decided the one need outweighed the other and sent a quick text.
"Hey, I haven't heard from you in a while. Are you okay? Just wondering when you think you might be home."
The reply came five minutes later. "Sorry. Things ran late with Rafaela. On my way now."
"Things ran late with Rafaela?! What the hell does that mean?! You were just supposed to have lunch with her today. Have you been with her all this time?!" Marissa angrily asked aloud as she read Bianca's text. The redhead closed her eyes and tried to calm herself down. She trusted her wife, but she had no clue what to make of this.
Marissa rubbed her temples in an attempt to stave off the headache that was beginning to form. She honestly was at a loss. Again, her emotions were warring within her. Part of her wanted to talk to Bianca, and part of her didn't. She was hurt and angry, and this combination of emotions was directly behind her impending headache. Unfortunately, she couldn't really take anything for it because she was still breastfeeding. Marissa gave up. Maybe some sleep would help. She turned off the lamp and pulled the covers up. This day was definitely not ending the way she had hoped it would.
/
Bianca pulled into the garage and quickly hurried inside. She couldn't believe how late it was. Time had gotten away from her and flown by. Bianca was greeted by Max when she walked through the door connecting the kitchen and garage. She dropped her things on the counter and scratched him behind one of his ears earning her a lick on her hand as his tail thumped happily. Her stomach growled, and she remembered that she had skipped dinner. Bianca opened the refrigerator and found the plate Marissa had made for her. The brunette placed it in the microwave to heat up. She then quietly made her way upstairs to check on the kids. After giving each of them a quick kiss, she returned to the kitchen to have dinner.
While she ate, Bianca reviewed her day. Meeting Rafaela had been exciting. The model was not only beautiful but also intelligent and caring. She seemed truly interested in the Miranda Center and asked questions that were both thoughtful and insightful. Their lunch meeting had drug on longer than was originally planned. The group finally left when their server returned to check on them for the umpteenth time, and they realized how late it had gotten. The tour of Fusion was a success, and again, Rafaela impressed everyone with her knowledge of the company and asked a great number of questions. When they had reached the end of the tour, Bianca noticed that her cellphone had died. She left the group in order to allow Greenlee and Rafaela's people the opportunity to begin negotiations.
For her part, Rafaela decided to head back to her hotel for some rest and possibly a workout in the facility's gym. She and Bianca parted ways with the promise of setting up a tour of the Center very soon. Bianca hurried back to the Center, plugged her cellphone into a charger and threw herself into her work there. When Aya stopped by to see if the brunette needed anything before the office manager left for the day, Bianca again realized how the time got away from her. After sending Aya home for the evening, Bianca sent a quick text to Marissa telling her she would be home soon. She really had planned to leave not long after that text, but a call from Greenlee waylaid her as she gave her the requested recap of the time spent with the model. That call had her playing catch up yet again on paperwork for the Center.
With her dinner finished, Bianca placed her dishes in the dishwasher, turned off the lights after making sure everything was locked up and the alarm set, and padded down the hallway.
The lights were off in the couple's bedroom when Bianca entered the room. Not wanting to wake up Marissa, the brunette grabbed her pajamas and ducked into the bathroom to change. Bianca carefully got into bed, making sure not to jostle her sleeping wife. As soon as her head hit the pillow, Bianca was asleep. She had no idea that Marissa was really awake.
Marissa had actually heard Bianca enter their bedroom. Normally, she would have let her wife know she was awake, but tonight, there were too many conflicting thoughts swirling through her brain to do so. She honestly just didn't feel like talking.
/
Unable to lay in bed any longer, Marissa got up and ducked into the bathroom. She hadn't gotten much sleep at all the night before between Danny waking her and her own brain being unable to shut off once it had been started, and she knew it was pointless to try for any more now. Marissa decided that maybe a short run might help clear her head. The redhead glanced at Bianca before she left their bedroom. Her wife had slept through Danny waking up so Marissa had gotten up every time. It was just one more thing added to a growing list.
Marissa closed the bedroom door and checked on the kids. She looked at the clock in the kitchen and saw that she had another hour before the kids needed to get up and start getting ready for school. The redhead grabbed her iPod before heading outside. Marissa put her earbuds in, fired up the device, and began to do some warm up stretches. It had been far too long since she had taken a morning run, and the redhead wanted to make sure she was properly warmed up. When she felt she was ready, Marissa started on her run with Max happily running by her side. It had been a while since the dog had a good long run as well.
/
Bianca woke up to the sound of her alarm and was surprised to find it was morning and not the middle of the night like she had expected. Maybe, Danny was starting to sleep through the night. Otherwise, that would have meant she had slept through his cries for a late night feeding, something she had yet to do, which meant that Marissa would have had to have taken care of him. When she had gotten home the previous evening, Bianca had set her alarm to go off slightly earlier than her normal time because she was hoping to get into the office early today to make up for her missed time from yesterday. The brunette turned to find Marissa's side of the bed empty, and she wondered where her wife was. It wasn't quite time to get the kids up yet. Bianca shrugged, got out of bed and made her way to the bathroom for a shower.
The couple's bedroom was still empty when Bianca had finished her shower. She thought that maybe Marissa was with Danny or getting the kids up and ready for school. It was about that time after all. Bianca couldn't shake the feeling that she was missing something. Her thoughts were interrupted by her cellphone notifying her of a text. Bianca saw it was from Rafaela and opened it up to read it. The model was going to be at loose ends today and was hoping to take Bianca up on her offer of a tour of the Miranda Center. Bianca sighed. So much for my plans for today. The brunette texted back that she could work something out and asked if 10:30 would work. She received a reply immediately saying that the time was perfect. With that settled, Bianca was glad she had thought to call Susan last night and had asked her if she could drop the kids off at school today in addition to picking them up as previously planned that afternoon. Bianca got dressed and finished her hair and makeup. Still not seeing Marissa as well as not hearing any movement from upstairs, the brunette went to check on the kids.
AJ, Miranda and Gabby were still sound asleep when Bianca went into their rooms. Luckily, they were still in the 'safe zone' meaning they wouldn't be late as long as they started moving right then. Bianca again wondered where Marissa was when Danny started crying.
/
"Morning, Red."
"Morning, Kendall." Marissa waved to the boys and Zach which they returned before her brother-in-law drove off. The redhead was just finishing up her run and happened to meet her sister-in-law at the front door as she was arriving. Marissa realized her run had been taken longer than she had thought. That was probably due to the fact that her side started hurting on the way back to the house causing her to walk the remaining distance. Marissa let them both inside and set her iPod on the mantel while Kendall headed to kitchen.
"Kendall! How did you get inside? I didn't hear the door."
"Good morning to you too, Binx. Morning, gang."
"Morning, Aunt K!"
"I'm sorry. Morning, Kendall."
"Better. Red let me in."
"Marissa let you in?"
"Yes, I did. Good morning all." Marissa greeted her family as she joined them.
"Where have you been?"
Bianca's question had more of a harsh tone to it than she intended, and it immediately struck Marissa the wrong way and had Kendall picking up on the tension between the couple
"I went for a run, if that's alright with you. I needed the exercise and so did Max. At least I was only a little late getting back and not gone for hours with no word unlike some people. Thanks for bothering to text me last night, by the way. Next time, I'll remember to ask for your permission if that makes you feel better."
"Of course you don't need my permission. I was just wondering where you were. And I told you last night that my cellphone's battery died during the meeting with Rafaela. Time got away from me because we were gone for so long, and I got behind on paperwork as a result. I didn't realize it was so late until I got your text. I was wrapping things up when Greenlee called for an update."
"Right, and you couldn't think to call or even text again."
"Who's Rafaela?" AJ asked innocently.
"She's a famous model that Greenlee and I are hoping will come to work for us. Your Mom is helping us with that." Kendall answered.
"Is she pretty?"
"She's beautiful and fascinating, and she's travelled all over the world. Rafaela is from Brazil but went to boarding school in London so her accent is a mix of those two worlds." Bianca then went on to relate what she had learned about the woman.
The longer Bianca talked about Rafaela, the more irritated Marissa became. While Bianca was oblivious to this fact, it did not go unnoticed by Kendall. She was silently willing her sister to stop talking about the woman and even tried to change the subject a few times to no avail.
A knock at the front door had Bianca pausing.
"I'll get it. I wouldn't want you to have to interrupt this fascinating conversation." Marissa said through gritted teeth.
When the redhead left the room, Bianca looked at her sister clearly confused by her wife's attitude and tone. "What was that about?"
Kendall raised an eyebrow. "Seriously?"
/
Marissa opened the door and was surprised to see Susan on the other side. "Good morning, Susan. Um, what are you doing here so early?"
"Good morning, Marissa. Bianca called last night and asked me to take the kids to school today. She said she was going into the office early. I know I'm early myself but …"
"She called you last night?"
"Yeah, it was about …"
Marissa's blood was boiling. While her wife had seen fit to actually call their babysitter, she didn't have enough time to call Marissa. The redhead knew this wasn't Susan's fault so she wasn't going to take it out on her. "You know what? That's fine. Come on in. Everyone is in the kitchen. You can grab a quick bite it you want."
"Did I say something to make you upset?"
"No, no, you're fine. You didn't do anything wrong."
/
"Susan, good morning." Kendall greeted the younger woman. She was desperately hoping her appearance would break up some of the tension enveloping Minx Manor this morning. When she saw Marissa's face though, Kendall knew those hopes had been dashed. So much for that.
"Hi, Kendall. Hi, kids."
"Help yourself to some coffee. I can whip you up some eggs if you'd like."
"No thanks. I don't want you to go to any trouble. I'll just do some toast, and I can get that myself."
"Okay, if you're sure. Bianca, could I have a quick word? That is if you're done talking about your girlfriend."
Kendall shook her head. This is not going to be pretty.
The brunette noted the time. "I really need to get going now, or my plans for an early start are out the window."
Marissa's expression let it be known to all who saw it that it wasn't really a request.
"Uh sure. I need to grab my bag anyway."
Kendall and Susan glanced at each other and knew something was going to hit the fan.
/
Marissa headed to the couple's bedroom, and Bianca followed with no idea as to what her wife was upset about.
Once the door was shut, Bianca decided to jump in. "What's going on with you today? Why do you keep calling Rafaela my girlfriend?"
"Seriously? Fine. Let's start with a question of my own. Is there something you want to tell me?"
"I can't think of anything. You're going to have to help me out here."
"How about the fact that you're going into work early and that you asked Susan to take the kids to school?"
"I told you about that in my text last night."
"No, you didn't."
"Are you sure about that? I'm almost positive I did."
"Don't believe me? Check my cellphone. Speaking of which, let's talk about texts, shall we? You were able to make the time to call Susan but not me. Care to explain what the hell is up with that?"
"It was a last minute decision, and I thought it was best to actually talk to her about coming over and not take the chance of her missing the text. And, oh my god! I didn't send the text. I was going to, but that's when Greenlee called. I am so sorry. I would've sworn I sent you that."
"Again, you didn't, and you couldn't call? You called her but not me."
"I'm sorry. I forgot."
"You're doing a lot of that lately. It really makes me wonder if you were even planning on letting me know you were going in early. Do you plan on working late again tonight or should I just wait for you to make time to text me with that information?"
"Of course I was going to tell you. I got behind on work yesterday because of …"
"Because of Rafaela. Yeah, I got it."
"Uh yeah. So, I thought I would go in early to catch up, but I think I'm going to be late again. Rafaela sent me a text this morning, and she wants a tour of the Center today. So, my plans of being home on time are pretty much shot."
"Are you god damn kidding me?! You're seeing her again today after the hours you spent with her yesterday? What happened to you didn't want to be a tour guide, and you were only going to spend so much time with her? What the hell, Bianca? You couldn't say no to her? Interesting. You don't seem to have a problem saying no to your family right now. Do you want to know what I did last night? I kept trying to explain to our kids where you were."
"Kind of like I did this morning when you were nowhere to be found? What the hell was going on with that? The kids could've been late for school had I not checked on them when I did." Bianca was getting ticked off now.
"Really?! I went for a run which is a helluva lot different than wining and dining some supermodel. I wanted to clear my head and get some exercise in the fresh air. And before you mention the treadmill downstairs, it's not the same as getting outside. I've been stuck inside for weeks. I can't go out anywhere because Kendall can't go running around and needs someone with her."
"You said you were okay with Kendall being here, that you wanted to help. Were you just making that up or did you mean it? Because I'm sure Zach can take off and stay home with her until she has the baby."
"Of course I meant it. Why would I lie? I love Kendall and want to help her. I'm just saying that I went for a run to get some fresh air and thought you would be okay with the kids while I was gone. I didn't know I needed your permission to do that. You don't seem to think I need to know what you're doing."
"I never said you did. I just didn't know where you were. It would've been nice if I knew."
"Yeah, it would be nice to know, wouldn't it?"
"I was at work. I'm trying to help them out too."
"By spending more time than you said you wanted to with Rafaela."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
Marissa shrugged. "She calls, you jump."
"I do not. Why the hell would you think that?"
"What are you doing today that wasn't originally on your schedule? Don't worry. I'll answer that for you. You're giving her a tour. Why? Because she called today and asked for it."
"Oh my god! You're jealous! That's what this is all about?! That's just ridiculous." Bianca couldn't believe it.
Marissa gritted her teeth. "No, that's not what this is all about. I went for a run, and unlike you, I wasn't gone for hours on in with no word. It was the first time I left the house by myself since my follow up appointment with Dr. Abbott."
Bianca grew pale with the realization that she had forgotten all about that appointment. It had completely slipped her mind with everything going on.
"Ah, you remember now. Everything's fine, by the way."
"I'm …"
Before Bianca could finish, there was a knock on the door. Kendall poked her head before stepping inside. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but um, Susan is getting ready to leave. The kids are outside by her car. They wanted to say goodbye before they left."
"I didn't know it was that late." Bianca glanced at her wife. "That's just great. This couldn't wait until tonight?"
"I didn't know when you would be home. You know what? Go ahead and just go. I don't want you to be late for Rafaela. It wouldn't do to keep her waiting." Marissa walked by Kendall and slammed the door on her way out. It was surprising that it stayed on its hinges.
Bianca just stood there stunned. She was unsure of what the hell had just happened.
"Binx …"
"Not now, Kendall. I don't have time." Bianca ripped the door open and headed out of the room.
/
Marissa took a deep breath before she walked outside with Max on her heels. She hugged each of her children and gave them a kiss. "Okay, guys."
Miranda looked at her redheaded mother nervously. While Kendall and Susan had shielded them from the couple's blowup, the kids knew something was going on between their mothers, something bad. "Ma, is everything alright?"
"Everything is fine, Miranda." Marissa managed a smile in order to reassure them. "Have a good day, and learn lots. I'll see you all tonight." With that, Marissa headed around to the side of the house calling for Max to join her. She was in no mood to see Bianca at the moment.
/
Bianca caught a glimpse of her wife walking around the side of the house with their dog. She had to admit that she was relieved. Bianca wasn't ready to deal with Marissa again just yet. The brunette turned her attention to the kids and set her bags on the ground so she could give them each a hug and kiss. "Have a good day. I promise I'll be home earlier tonight."
"Mom, are you and Ma okay?" AJ had to ask. He, like his sisters, was worried.
"Yeah, of course we are, Buddy. The three of you don't need to worry about anything. I'll see you later." Bianca glanced at Susan while the kids scrambled into her car. "Thank you for today."
Susan wanted nothing more than to ask if the couple really was alright because she wasn't buying the pat answers they had given the kids. She spotted Kendall over Bianca's shoulder and knew from her expression that it was best to drop the subject. "Any time. Have a good day."
Bianca picked up her bags and walked around the opposite side of the house that Marissa had, towards the garage.
Kendall watched the scene play out before her and knew there was no way she could sit back and do nothing.
/
A/N: Yeah, I left it there. What can I say? My evil side is back. I have to admit that I found myself getting mad during our girls' argument. Don't hate me too much about that. Okay, I'm off to run some errands before starting the next chapter. To all of those of Irish descent, myself included, an early Happy St. Patrick's Day to you!