A/N: Thanks for continuing to read, review, and follow. I appreciate it! This chapter skips ahead a couple of days. Hope you enjoy this update!
/
Jessica and Jo walked into Krystal's and spotted Bianca at her and Marissa's usual table at the restaurant. The brunette had her laptop and was completely focused on whatever she was reading on its screen. "Hi, Bianca."
The brunette glanced up and smiled at the mother and daughter as she gave them each a hug before they sat down. "Hi. Was your trip in okay?"
Jo and Jessica were in town for a walkthrough of a house their realtor had found for them, and they would be staying with the Tasker-Montgomery family for a few days while they were there. They had arranged to meet Bianca and Marissa at Krystal's for lunch to get a key to Minx Manor.
"Not bad." Jessica glanced around the restaurant. "Where's Marissa? I thought she was meeting us."
"She's running late. The morning court session was running long, but she sent me a text saying she should be here in about fifteen minutes. This gives me a chance to ask you both a big favor, and it's something I don't want her to know about just yet."
"Well, I don't know about Mom, but I'm intrigued. What do you need?"
"As you know, our anniversary is this Sunday, and we have dinner planned with our families this Friday. I just want to say again how happy Rissa and I are that both of you will be here to join us for that."
"We're happy to be here for it too. I'm sorry Greg couldn't make it. He wanted to, but the dean isn't thrilled about him leaving after next semester so he's making life difficult for him."
"Don't worry about it, Jo. We understand. I just really hate to hear that about the dean."
"The end is in sight for Greg so we're choosing to focus on that."
Jessica nodded. "Yes, we all are, and you are doing a very good job helping him through this, Jo. Now, Bianca, what's this favor?"
"I was wondering if you could watch the kids for us Saturday, and that would include overnight and until Sunday afternoon."
Jo smiled. "Overnight, huh? You must have something special planned."
"I do have something special planned, and we have to be there at 5 o'clock. Afterwards, I have dinner reservations and have also booked the honeymoon suite at the Yacht Club." Bianca smiled.
"That sounds lovely."
"She doesn't know everything I have planned, especially the overnight part."
"What about Sunday?"
"I'm planning Saturday, and Rissa is taking care of Sunday. I have no idea what she has planned. The only thing she's told me is to dress really casual, as in wearing jeans."
"Hmmm, sounds intriguing." Jessica glanced at her daughter who nodded. "We'll be more than happy to watch the children. I'm looking forward to spoiling them."
"Thank you so much. The kids can't wait to see you, and you won't believe how much Danny's grown."
"Hey, sorry I'm late." Marissa rushed in and greeted Jessica and Jo before settling next to her wife and giving her a quick kiss. "How was your drive in?"
"It was good. There were no problems with traffic."
Before their conversation could continue further, a server arrived to take their orders. Once that was done, Marissa reached into her purse and pulled out two small boxes. She handed them to Jessica and Jo.
"These are for you and also part of why I was late other than court."
The mother and daughter looked at each other before opening their boxes. Inside each was a set of keys.
"Those are for Minx Manor. Bianca and I were talking and realized that we should have given these to you a long time ago."
"Marissa, you didn't need to do that."
"Of course we did, Jessica. You're family, and should have your own set whenever you're staying with us. This way you can come and go as you please. Besides, we trust you. Just no wild parties, Jessica." Marissa grinned.
Jo cracked up. "I have to tell her the same thing when I go out of town."
"Yeah, I'm sure you have to worry about that all the time." Bianca laughed.
Jessica sighed. "The two of you are so much alike sometimes that it's not even funny. I don't know what I'm going to do with either of you."
"You love us, and you know it. I'm pretty sure you wouldn't change us even if you could." Marissa spotted Krystal. "Oh, I need to ask Krystal about Friday. She's in charge of bringing dessert. I'll be right back." With that, the redhead walked across the room.
"What kind of dessert?" Jo asked.
Jessica smirked. "Oh, I bet I know. She's making her chocolate cake, isn't she?"
Bianca smiled sheepishly. "Yes, she is. Are we that predictable?"
"Only when it comes to your sweet tooth. Have things calmed down at the firm for her?" Jessica asked. Marissa had called the Sheltons and told them everything that had gone on recently with Meyers after the fact. Both women were livid, especially Jessica, but were glad it was resolved in the firm's favor and more importantly, that Marissa was safe. Jessica wanted Bianca's take on everything now though. She wanted to make sure that both Marissa and Bianca were truly okay.
"Yes, they have. The deal with Meyers Tech is signed, and Meyers is gone. He left the next day actually. Charles, he's the COO, and the rest of board had their PR department on it immediately, and they put a pretty good spin on the whole situation."
"I have to agree with you on that. The press could've had a field day with everything that happened, but other than a couple stories, there hasn't been much said. Of course it probably helps that their stock didn't take a dive." Jo noted.
"Very true."
"And how are the two of you doing?"
"We're good, Jessica, honestly. We talked about everything, and it really helped put things back into perspective for us."
"I'm very glad to hear that. Now, what is this big surprise you have planned for her on Saturday?"
"Well …"
/
"Hi, Krystal."
"Hi, Marissa. It's good to see you."
"Good to see you too. Is everything still good for Friday?"
"Yes, I will have the cake ready and bring it with me."
"Perfect." Marissa glanced over her shoulder to make sure Bianca couldn't hear her. "And Sunday?"
"It's all set. I'll be in Sunday morning and will have everything ready by lunchtime for you. Bianca doesn't know?"
"Nope. She is planning Saturday, and I am taking care of Sunday. I'll drop a couple of things off here early Saturday if that's okay."
"She's going to love what you have planned. That's sounds fine for Saturday."
"I hope so. I better get back. I don't want her to get suspicious."
Krystal nodded. "I'll go check on your orders."
"Thanks!"
/
"Is everything set for the dessert on Friday?" Bianca asked as her wife came back to the table.
"Yep. Krystal has it under control. I have a feeling Bianca may have asked you all ready, but would you mind watching the kids on Sunday?"
"You're right, she did, and we're more than happy to."
"Mom's already planning on spoiling them."
"Why does that not surprise me?"
"They are actually going to watch them overnight for us on Saturday." Bianca confessed.
Marissa grinned. "And why is that?"
"I reserved a room for us at the Yacht Club."
"The honeymoon suite?" Marissa asked hopefully.
"Yep! And that is all I'm going to tell you." Bianca smiled seeing hazel eyes light up hearing part of her plan.
Marissa rewarded Bianca with a quick kiss. "Do I have the best wife or what?"
"I'll call it a tie." Bianca said with a goofy grin.
/
Kendall swayed as she gently rocked Lexie. Her daughter was a little fussy because she had been woken up from the power nap she had taken on the Slaters' drive over to Minx Manor. The little diva did not appreciate it at all and had made it known to everyone. When Kendall saw Jo, she motioned for the doctor to join her.
"Hi, Jo."
"Hi, Kendall. Hi, Lexie. She's beautiful."
"Thank you. I think so too, but I'm completely biased. I will admit that she is a handful though. I wouldn't mind her being a little bit more easygoing like her cousin."
Jo chuckled. "Danny is pretty laid back like his Mama, but just like her, you wouldn't want to push him too far."
"Very true. I've seen Marissa's temper, and in her defense, she was justified in each case."
"I have no doubt about that. She was always like that."
"Ladies."
"Hi, Greenlee. How are you doing?"
"Pretty good. How about you? Marissa said you and Jessica found a place you really like."
Jo nodded. "We have, and we've made an offer. Keep your fingers crossed."
"Definitely. Where is it?"
"Not too far from here. Mom wanted a little land. She had the most amazing garden back in Devon, and we can't really have one where we live in New York. Mom's had garden envy ever since she saw Bianca's. Greg wants a little room to move also. He has pool and grill envy."
Kendall laughed. "What about you?"
"I'm not ashamed to admit that I have pool envy too. While it doesn't have a pool right now, there is room for one."
"When you have it built, we'll be more than happy to help you christen it." Greenlee grinned.
"Done! So, what do think of Bianca and Marissa's plans to celebrate their anniversary?" Jo asked.
"Binx definitely stepped it up in the romance department. Red is going to love what she has planned."
"I think Bianca is going to like what Marissa has planned too."
"We need to do something to help them celebrate." Greenlee stated.
Jo looked at Kendall. She'd heard about some of things the two had done in the past. "Should I be worried about this?"
"Probably. Odds are good that we'll have fun though."
"We?"
Kendall and Greenlee glance at each other and smiled.
"Yep! I think you've earned the opportunity to be included. Don't you, Ethel?"
"Definitely, Millie! Come with us, Ruthie. We've got planning to do."
Jo looked confused but followed the pair. "Wait. Who's Ruthie?"
"That would be you." Greenlee grinned. "I think I can find a uniform in your size."
"Huh?"
/
Bianca watched from across the room as Jo, Kendall, and Greenlee were engrossed in a conversation. She quickly glanced at her wife when she felt an arm makes its way around her waist.
"Hey. What's up?"
"Do you think we should be worried about that?" Bianca motioned over to the three women on their sofa.
Marissa's gaze followed her wife's. "Well, that could be bad, but I don't know that we can stop it. I say we just roll with it though. We can always bail them out if we need to."
Bianca laughed. "I guess you're right."
/
"Are you sure you're okay watching them overnight?" The closer it got to leaving the kids, particularly Danny, the more nervous Marissa got. This was the first time she would be away from Danny overnight, and she was anxious. It wasn't that she didn't trust Jessica, because she did. Marissa trusted the woman with her life, more importantly with the lives of her children. She just couldn't help but be a little apprehensive about leaving him. Marissa felt like that the first time she had left AJ overnight, and he was a couple of years older than Danny at the time.
Jessica just smiled. She didn't take it personally because she had been there herself many years ago when she had left Jo overnight for the first time. So, she definitely understood. "I'm positive. We'll be just fine. You're only a phone call away if we need you."
Marissa sighed. "I'm sorry."
"There's nothing to be sorry about. What you're feeling is perfectly normal. I felt like you are right now, and so did your mother. Lydia was a nervous wreck, but she got through it, and you will too."
"Thanks."
"You're more than welcome. Now, go enjoy yourself. You deserve to have a wonderful evening with your wife."
"I can't tell you how happy I am that we're back in each other's lives."
Jessica hugged the woman who was her second daughter and fought back grateful tears. "I feel the same way. I'm blessed. Now, go. Bianca's waiting for you." The older woman held up a hand as Marissa started to speak. "We'll talk again it a couple of hours when you and Bianca call."
Marissa rolled her eyes. "That obvious, huh? Okay, I'm going, and I'll talk to you around the kids' bedtime."
/
"How did you find this uniform?" Jo asked as she smoothed out the wrinkles that had formed on the drive over from Kendall's.
"That's not important." Greenlee waved off the doctor's question.
"And the keycard?"
"Not important either."
"You might as well give up, Jo. She's not going to tell you." Kendall smiled.
Jo sighed. "Fine. I give."
"Good. Now, let's go. The honeymoon suite is just down this way."
The trio paused in front of the suite's door. Greenlee pulled out the keycard and swiped it, and the three women entered.
Jo whistled as she took in the suite. "Wow. This is really nice."
"You should check out the bathroom before we leave. Let's get to work. I figure we have about an hour before they'll get here. Jo, you have the cake?" Kendall asked.
"I do." Jo held up the small cooler that held the top tier of couple's wedding cake. It had been carefully wrapped and frozen since their wedding.
"How did you sneak it out of there?"
"I had Mom distract them while I got it out of the freezer. The tricky part was packing another cooler with a fake cake for Marissa. She wants it for tomorrow, but didn't want Bianca to know." Jo laughed.
"What's so funny?"
"Marissa took that cooler over to Krystal's so she could pack it up with their lunch tomorrow. I was there when Krystal opened it up to make sure everything looked okay. The expression on her face was priceless. I quickly explained what was going on, and she was completely on board with it. Thankfully, Marissa didn't see anything."
Greenlee glanced at the doctor. "I'm impressed, Jo."
Jo shrugged. "Well, it's no keycard, but what is? I've got the wine you asked for too."
"Excellent!" Kendall smiled as she removed two crystal wine glasses from the bag she was carrying and then took the bottle of wine from Jo. "They picked several bottles up on their honeymoon, and Bianca loved it. Since Marissa was pregnant and then nursing, she wasn't able to have any. They decided to save it and open some for their anniversary. Binx took a bottle for tonight."
"Marissa took one as well and dropped it off with Krystal along with the 'cake'. Good thing they're not driving." Jo paused for a moment. "Don't get me wrong on this, but I thought Bianca would've made special arrangements for the room."
Kendall nodded. "She did, but the hotel is kind of limited with what they can do. They've actually already been here. The flowers are their contribution. Greenlee and I knew Binx wanted more but didn't want to put the staff out so we decided to give her a little help. My baby sister has it going on where they are now though."
"Speaking of flowers, I've got it covered." Greenlee grinned as she held up a bag. "I'm going to distribute these."
The trio froze when there was a knock on the door.
"Kendall? Greenlee? Are you in there?"
They relaxed once the recognized the voice. Kendall opened the door and welcomed the late arrival inside. "Rafaela, it's good to see you again."
"It's good to see you too. Jo! How are you?"
"I'm fine, Rafaela, and you?"
"Very good, thank you. Oh, Maura won't be able to join us. A patient went into labor, and she was on call."
"I'm sorry to hear that, but duty calls. She is the best OB/GYN in Pine Valley." Kendall said.
"That she is." Rafaela stated proudly. She then noted how the other women were dressed. "Were we supposed to dress up for this?"
Greenlee smiled. "These are just to make sure no one is suspicious of us being here. I wasn't sure of your size so I wasn't able to track one down for you. Plus, I wasn't sure if you would be willing to wear one of these."
"Are you kidding me? Of course I would wear one. This is very exciting, and I am very glad you included me. I will send you my size for your next adventure."
"Great! I will definitely keep this in mind. While we don't have a uniform for you, we can still come up with a name."
"Name? You all have, what would you call it, code names?"
Kendall nodded. "Yep, we do. Jo is Ruthie."
The doctor smiled and gave a small wave in acknowledgement. "I'm not sure why, but it's what was assigned to me. I kind of like it."
"I'm Millie, and Greenlee is Ethel."
Rafaela laughed. "I like it. So, what will my name be?"
Greenlee studied the model for a moment. "Hmmm, I'm thinking Rosalind or Rosie for short."
"Rosie." Rafaela repeated and then smiled brightly. "I like it, a great deal! So, what can I do to help?"
"You can help Ruthie. Ethel and I have our parts under control."
The model nodded and set about her work. "So, they roped you into helping too?"
Jo laughed. "Yeah, they did, and I'm glad to help. Bianca and Marissa are worth it."
"I couldn't agree more. They most definitely are."
/
"Can I take this off yet?"
Bianca smiled as she glanced over at her wife. Marissa was wearing a blindfold and sitting next to her in the limo the couple had rented for the weekend. Bianca wanted to keep this a surprise for as long as possible.
"Not yet. We're almost there though. So you can take it off soon." Bianca laughed seeing the scowl on Marissa's face and leaned in to kiss it away. "You're worse than the kids sometimes."
"Am not." Marissa pouted before taking advantage of her wife's closeness and pulled Bianca in for another kiss.
Neither realized the car had come to a stop until they heard the driver clear his throat.
Jimmy glanced in the rearview mirror and smiled at the couple. When Lisa had told him that Marissa had inquired about whether or not he was still driving a limo on the side, Jimmy readily agreed to drive for them this weekend. It had been a while since he had seen them, and he was more than happy to help them celebrate their anniversary in some small way. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but we're here."
"Wipe that grin off your face, Jimmy."
"How … how did you know?" He looked at the redhead, and the blindfold looked to be firmly in place.
"I can hear it in your voice. You had that same tone in Shamokin a few times. Plus, I'm a Mom. It's one of our super powers." Marissa teased.
Jimmy chuckled. "Pretty cool super power to have. You have to admit that I had every right to be amused then." He exited the car, opened the door on Bianca's side and offered her his hand to help her out.
"Thanks, Jimmy." Bianca glanced away from the car, and saw that everything was in place. She turned back to her wife who was waiting patiently in the car for her. "Okay, Rissa, slide towards me."
Marissa did as instructed and held out a hand for Bianca to grasp.
"Watch your head."
When Marissa was out safely and standing next to her, Bianca took a deep breath and removed the blindfold.
Marissa blinked a few times as her eyes adjusted to the light. Hazel eyes grew wide with first surprise and then unadulterated joy at what she saw.