A/N: Thanks for continuing to read, review, and follow! I appreciate it. I picked up a bug earlier this week that knocked me out of commission for a couple of days. I actually got 10 hours of sleep one night if you can believe that, and it helped me back on the road to recovery. As a result though, you get a slightly shorter update. This chapter picks up where the last one left off. Hope you enjoy this update!
/
"So, how did it go with Jo?" Bianca knew how much Marissa had wanted to talk to her friend about things. The two had a similar background and understood each other in a way that no one else really could.
"Good. We had a really good talk. I told Jo all about the will and the letter."
"Any thoughts from her?"
"She thinks we were right in how we handled it and agreed with our thinking. AJ's smart, but he's also young. There's a limit to what he can understand or even should have to understand at this point. When we were done talking about all of that, we moved onto her."
"So you were right. There was something going on with her." Bianca hadn't been so sure of that, but she knew her wife and trusted her instincts because Marissa knew Jo better than she did.
Marissa nodded. "Yep. She thinks something is going on with Greg. She said he seems distracted, and it's got her worried."
"I hate hearing that. Any thoughts on what you can do to help?"
"Yeah. I need to have a conversation with Greg and see what is going on with him."
"Are you sure you should do that? Do you really think it's a good idea?"
"I don't think she'll be too mad at me, but I have to do something, B. If the situations were reversed, you can bet that Jo would definitely be calling you."
"You're probably right. There's something more though, isn't there?"
Marissa sighed. It still amazed her at how well Bianca could read her. "Yeah, there is. I made a promise to Jo years ago."
"What kind of promise?"
"That I wouldn't pull any punches when it came to someone she was involved with. You see, Jo had a boyfriend that summer before she went away to college. She was crazy about him. He seemed nice enough, but something bothered me about him. I saw how she felt about him though and kept my mouth shut. She was happy, and I wanted nothing more than that for her."
"What happened?"
"The relationship went to hell in a handbasket, and she was hurt, badly, not physically but emotionally. After the breakup, Jo found out that most of us felt the same way about. There was just something off there, but we pushed that aside because she was in love. We had all decided to get along with him for her sake, and while she appreciated what we were trying to do, she wished we would've been straight with her. I promised her then and there that I would be, no matter what. It's a promise I intend to keep."
"I get it. When are you going to call him?"
"Later today. I don't want this to simmer for too long. Jo's already been dealing with this for a few weeks now. The sooner this gets resolved, the better. I think that's true for Greg as well. I'll need you to cover for me while I slip away to make the call."
"You got it, whatever you need."
"Thank you." Marissa gave her wife a loving kiss. Before it could become more, they heard a cry over the baby monitor.
"It seems our youngest needs some attention. I'll get him. You get some more rest." Bianca gave her wife a quick kiss before getting out of bed.
/
After lunch, Jessica and Jo headed over to their new home to check on the minor renovations they were having done. This gave Marissa the perfect opportunity to call Greg. So while the older kids were finishing up their homework, the redhead ducked outside with Max and walked down the trail that lead to the pond further down on their property. The last she wanted was for the kids to overhear her conversation and start asking questions, and since it was a nice day, the fresh air was definitely welcomed. Marissa took Max with her because he was always up for a nice, long walk.
"Hi, Marissa. How are you doing?"
"Hi, Greg. I'm good. You?"
"I'm doing okay."
"Just okay, huh? Jo did mention that the dean is doing his best to make your life hell."
"Yes, he is. I can't do anything to make the man happy. It felt like he was really trying to push me out so I started looking for another position. When I found one, I thought he'd be happy to see me go and would ease up some. Man, did I have that wrong. It's like he's offended that I wanted to leave, like I'm doing it to hurt him instead of making my life better."
"I'm sorry to hear that. That really stinks."
"Thanks. I can tell you that I can't wait for Thanksgiving to get here. I can definitely use a few days off and away from him. More importantly, I can't wait to see Jo. I know she's only been gone two days, but I miss her already."
"She misses you too."
"Even though I miss her, I'm glad you all went out. Jo said she had a blast."
"It was pretty fun."
"Good! She deserved it. I haven't been in the best of moods because of the dean, and I'm sure Jo can sense it. I'm sorry. I've been doing all the talking. What did you need?"
"Well, I wanted to talk to you about Jo."
"Is everything alright?"
"Why don't you don't tell me?"
"What do you mean?"
"Jo thinks that maybe something else is going."
"Like?"
"Like maybe you're rethinking the job and move here."
"Why would she think that?"
"She says you've been distracted, preoccupied. Jo knows the dean is being a huge jerk, but she feels something else is going with you. It's got her worried."
"Why hasn't she said something to me?"
"She said she's tried, but the conversation always seems to get interrupted."
"Dammit."
"What's going on, Greg? Are you regretting things?"
"No! I'm not regretting anything. Leaving this place and moving to Pine Valley with Jo, those are the best decisions I've ever made. Well, other than deciding that I want to marry her."
"That's something else I wanted to ask you about. I hope I'm not overstepping, but why haven't you asked her yet?"
Greg sighed. "Honestly? I haven't found the right ring. I've been looking all over. I seriously think I've been in every jewelry store in New York City. Nothing seems right though. Then, there's the proposal itself. I want it to be perfect, special, romantic, epic. I want it to be epic. Jo deserves nothing less."
Marissa relaxed hearing Greg's answer. It was a huge relief to her. "I agree with you that Jo deserves the best. You want some advice?"
"I would love some! Please!"
"You're overthinking it."
"How so?"
"I've been where you are. I wanted to have an epic proposal for Bianca. You should've seen some of the ideas I came up with. We're talking renting a marquee at the movie theater here. That didn't seem enough though. Then, I came up with the idea of doing something in New York. Maybe, I could have something on one of the marquees on Broadway or in Times Square or Radio City Music Hall. I even thought of a skywriter or doing it during a game on a jumbotron. You name it, I thought of it."
"Those are some pretty good ideas."
"Yeah, I know. The thing is that when I stopped and really thought about it, they felt off. It didn't feel like us. Was it epic? Yeah, it was, and Bianca deserved epic. What she deserved and what she wanted were two different things though. So, I changed my thinking. What would Bianca want? What would I want? Did I really want to share that moment with anyone else other than Bianca? The answer was simple. No, I didn't. This was our moment. It needed to be intimate and just for us."
"So, what did you do?"
"Bianca was out of town for work. The day she was coming back home, I had Kendall watch the kids, and I set up a dinner on our patio for just the two of us. Just as I was getting ready to ask her, she beat me to the punch and popped the question first. I obviously said yes, and then, I promptly turned around and proposed to her." Marissa chuckled.
"Huh. Bianca was planning on proposing to you to the whole time you were planning things, and then, she jumped ahead of you. I love it. That's perfect."
"Yeah. That moment felt to right to her too. You're right when you say Jo deserves the best. She absolutely does. If you keep waiting and trying to plan something epic though, you could actually miss out on the perfect moment."
"You're right. I could. By taking so long to plan it, I'm making her doubt everything, doubt us. That is the last thing I want to do. Okay, I think I got something. I still don't have a ring though. I just can't figure that part out. I hate to say it, but I could really use a woman's opinion."
"Hmmm, I might be able to help you with that. What's your week look like? Could you carve some time out for ring shopping?"
"I'll make time."
"Okay. I've got court a few days this week, but Bianca has a trip scheduled to check on the Miranda Center there. I'm pretty sure that she'd be happy to help. She loves shopping, and with Erica as her mom, she comes by it honestly."
"You really think so? That would be great if she could."
Marissa could hear the relief in Greg's voice. "I'll check with her, and we'll get back with you."
"Thanks, Marissa. I can't tell you how much I appreciate this. I'm glad you called and told me what was going. I'll be calling Jo later so we can really talk. I'm also not going to let the dean keep getting to me. I'm putting a stop to his games."
"Good. If you need any legal advice on that, let me know. I'll be more than happy to help. So, I didn't overstep?"
"No, not at all. You gave me the nudge I needed. I'll never be able to thank you enough."
"Just keep Jo happy. That's all the thanks I need."
"You have my word that I will. Okay, I need to go. I have a plan I need to flesh out. Thanks again."
"You're welcome. Take care, and I'll get back with you about Bianca."
Marissa breathed a huge sigh of relief as she disconnected the call. With that done, she called out to Max, who was happily chasing some ducks along the pond, and headed back to the house. She needed to let Bianca know what she had just volunteered her for.
/
When she returned from her walk and conversation with Greg, Marissa found Bianca in the kitchen. "Hey."
"Hey. Do you want something to drink?"
"Water would be great. Thank you." Marissa took a seat at the kitchen counter.
Bianca set a glass of water in front of her wife before she took a seat next to her. "How did it go?"
"Pretty well. In addition to being stressed out at work because of the dean, Greg's been worrying about the proposal. Specifically, how to do it. He's been trying to come up with something epic."
"Ah. That's something we both can relate to."
"Yeah. I told him the story of our proposals and some of the ideas I had prior to coming to my senses."
"And you gave him some advice." It wasn't a question but merely a statement of fact because Bianca knew her wife.
"I did, but only after I asked if he wanted it. I told him he was overthinking things and that it was natural to want to do something on a grand scale for Jo because I agreed that she deserved it. So while that was true, he needed to weigh that against what she would actually want."
"And whether or not something that grand was worth the stress he was putting on himself."
"Exactly. Greg seemed to listen and was already coming up with a plan."
"That's good. I'm guessing it will be something less epic and more in line with them."
"I think you're probably right."
"Whatever he comes up with, I'm sure will be perfect for them, just like ours was for us."
Marissa grinned and gave her wife a quick kiss. "Definitely. Ours was pretty damn perfect, and I wouldn't change a thing."
"Neither would I. Although, seeing my name in lights does have a certain appeal." Bianca grinned.
"You are a definitely Kane woman. I'll keep that in mind. Getting back to Greg, he also told me that he was going to call Jo later today."
"That's really great to hear."
"Yeah. There's one more thing. I kind of volunteered you to help him with something."
Bianca raised an eyebrow. "Kind of, huh? What exactly did you volunteer me for?"
"Greg is in desperate need of help in picking a ring out for her. He said he's been to every jewelry store in New York City and has come up empty."
"That's impossible. The only person I know of that's accomplished that particular feat is my Mom."
Marissa laughed. "That doesn't surprise me at all. So, I told him that you were going to New York this week for Miranda Center business, and that I would check with you to see if you would be willing to help him."
"Well that's a no-brainer. Of course I will. Not only do I get to go shopping with someone else's money but it's to find an engagement ring. This is going to be fun."
"I thought you might like that. I told Greg one of us would call him back with details."
"Why are you calling Greg?" Jo asked as she and Jessica walked into the kitchen.
Marissa was quick on her feet. "Bianca's going to be in New York checking on things for the Miranda Center there. I called Greg to see if he would be available to meet her for lunch."
"Why didn't you call, Bianca?"
"I was on homework duty so I asked Rissa to call him for me while I had the older three's attention and focus. Once you have it, you can't stop. It's hard to say when you'll be able to get it back." Bianca had definitely learned to think quickly over the years herself. Besides, it was partially true.
"Tell me about it. Greg said he was going to call you later. So, how's it going at the house?"
Jo seemed to accept the couple's explanation and decided to go with the change of subject. "It's going good."
The four women then continued to talk about the renovations and finalizing Jo and Jessica's move into their new home.
/
"Bianca!"
The woman in question turned her head and smiled as the man who called her name approached. "Greg! How are you doing?"
The two exchanged a hug before Greg offered his arm.
"Lunch?"
"Definitely. I'm starving." Bianca happily took it, and the two walked toward the restaurant.
"Much better after talking with Marissa. She has a way of setting people straight, doesn't she?"
Bianca chuckled. "That she does. It's kind of what makes her such a good lawyer."
"That, I don't doubt. I felt even better after I talked with Jo." Greg sighed. "I can't believe I was letting all of this get in the way of us. I was so focused on work, moving, and coming up with this epic engagement plan that I didn't see the effect it was having on Jo. I'm an idiot."
"I wouldn't say that. You just had a lot on your mind. You're going through some big life changes. Cut yourself a little slack." Bianca nudged the man's shoulder.
Greg chuckled. "I'll try."
"Good. Besides, you and Jo are talking now, and that's what's important. Now, we just have to find you the perfect ring."
"Thank you again for doing this. Like I told Marissa, I think I've been in every jewelry store in the city and haven't had any luck."
"You're welcome again. I doubt that, no offense. I think that distinction belongs to my Mom. Even if it were true though, I have a few tricks up my sleeve."
"Meaning?"
"Meaning, I know some people. It's very helpful having Erica Kane as your mother sometimes. Don't worry, we'll find the perfect ring for Jo. Sound good to you?"
"Sounds great to me, after I treat you to lunch though. Deal?"
"Deal." Bianca smiled as Greg held the door of the restaurant open for her.
"Good. Over lunch, you can tell me what your minions are up to."
/
Across the street, someone observed the pair as they disappeared inside the restaurant. It had been years, a lifetime, but there was no mistaking who the brunette was. "Bianca."
/
A/N: Yep, my evil side decided to make an appearance. You just never know when she's going to show up and keep you all on your toes! Who could it be? Feel free to guess. On another note, the part about the promise Marissa had made Jo is based on a promise I made a very dear friend. It's hard to balance what you should and shouldn't do sometimes. Some friends and I kept quiet with how we felt in large part because we knew it probably wouldn't have changed her mind. They got married, and he turned into a major asshole. She got out of it, and eventually, she met someone new. Before we met him, I promised her that we would be honest, no matter what. Fortunately, he's a really good guy and treats her very well. They were married over a year ago and are very happy. See you soon!