Okay – super sincere apologies for the delay but real life came back at me with a vengeance this time. A sudden death in the family coupled with a move postponed my ability to get through this chapter but luckily I found some down time here and was able to finish. Hopefully things will slow down for a minute and I can keep going.
That said, I'm kind of blasting my way through this whole episode with JR. Truth be told I think the thing needs work but I lack the energy for it and so I'm moving on. I want to refocus on Bianca and Marissa without JR constantly butting in and ruining everything. My own fault, I understand, and I am now rectifying it.
Anyway, hope you enjoy the latest installment and please forgive what I believe to be a brush-by of what could have happened. I'm trying not to turn JR into a monster just so the lesbians will win out. I do believe there's a happy medium in there somewhere and I'm looking for it, although my lack of knowledge on the background history is tripping me up. Just another thing I'm looking to remedy.
Whatevs. Onward again.
This is Kinda Forever
JR slowly lowered his gaze from the four on the front stoop back to meet Marissa's, his eyes nearly disappearing behind thin slits. "So you're ambushing me?" he breathed softly, and this time Marissa held her breath as he spoke to avoid being knocked over by the stink of alcohol.
"Were you planning on kidnapping my son?" she asked him squarely, and she noticed his jaw tighten as he glanced nervously upward again.
"No – I just wanted to see him," he said slowly, but Marissa shook her head.
"Bullshit JR. You called AJ at school today so I wouldn't know it and told him to meet you out here alone. If you weren't planning on running off with him then what was your plan exactly?"
"I just wanted to see him okay?" JR responded, obviously working not to slur his words but failing miserably, but Bianca scoffed and stepped forward.
"Oh yeah?" she challenged him. "Then explain to us why you told him he didn't have to go to school tomorrow. Or why you told him not to tell anyone that you were coming back early. And don't feed us the same bullshit you fed him about wanting to 'surprise' us because we all know that's a load of crap."
"I did want to surprise you," JR sneered over his shoulder as he watched Tad and the others approach. They all stopped just behind Marissa and Bianca made her way over as well and took her hand. JR glared down at their embrace and smirked darkly. "Kind of like how you two surprised me with your little announcement. Have you told anyone else?" he asked before returning his attention to the four behind them. "Have you boys heard the 'happy' news yet?"
Tad and Scott both nodded slowly while Ryan looked briefly confused before seeing Bianca and Marissa's clasped hands. He raised his eyebrows and then grinned. "Well I guess I know now," he said lightly, tapping Bianca playfully on the shoulder. "Good for you. Greenlee thought maybe there was something going on. Right on."
"Shut the hell up Lavery," JR thundered suddenly as he took a clumsy step forward but before he got far both Scott and Tad were right in front of him. "Get the hell off me!" he bellowed as Tad tried to grab his shoulder, shrugging him off violently and nearly careening backward. Tad and Scott merely stood back as he attempted to regain his balance but the copious amount of whiskey in his bloodstream prevented him from finding his equilibrium and he toppled over backward.
Jesus Christ he looks so pathetic, Marissa thought sadly as she watched him hit the pavement, and when he tried to get up too quickly he stepped on the bottom of his long trench coat and crashed back down again. Tad walked over and tried to help him up but he smacked his hands away and opted to stay where he was, and for a long moment the six of them stood in silence and watched JR wallow around on the ground as he repeatedly tried to stand. After a few failed attempts he finally just sat still, slumping forward with his eyes closed and his breathing heavy. Tad knelt down in front of him and sighed deeply.
"Look at yourself JR," he said gently, and JR's angry eyes lifted up again. "Do you really want AJ to see you like this? So completely wasted that you can't even stay on your feet? What did you plan on doing tonight? Did you really plan on driving off with your son in the car? Because if you did then…"
"I don't know what my plan was," JR admitted quietly, his voice low with shaking anger as he glared past Tad toward Bianca and Marissa. "I wanted to see my son. I'm not going to let that two-timing bitch keep him away from me."
"Whoa JR, easy," Tad said, but Marissa had already stepped forward.
"It was never in my plan to keep AJ away from you," she told him firmly while JR scoffed. "Had you gone to Paris and taken care of business like you should have and then come home sober then I would have been glad to let him see you. But there's no way I'm going to let that boy see you like this. It would devastate him to know that you're drinking again."
"And why do you think I'm drinking again?" JR rumbled, and this time Scott chimed in.
"Because you're a spineless pathetic asshole who runs to the bottle every time something doesn't go his way," he said, and JR tried to jump to his feet but never made it past his knees before plummeting back down on his butt again. Scott shook his head. "See? Pathetic."
"Are you really drinking just because of Bianca and Marissa?" Tad asked him, but JR merely glared at him. "I can't believe that JR. You two haven't been together for a long time now so there's no reason why her being with Bianca should affect you like this."
"She ran out on our family!" JR yelled vehemently. "We were going to put our family back together and she ran out on us!"
"And who broke our family apart in the first place?" Marissa challenged him angrily. "You did JR. The only reason why we had to put it back together is because you broke it. But I quickly realized that it just wasn't fixable. You and I were never going to work."
"How do you know that if we don't at least try?" JR asked, and Marissa was sure she caught the low dip in his voice as his face fell, the change of expression almost impossible to see and she wasn't sure if she was making it up but she thought she saw his face soften slightly as his eyes rose to look at her. "How do you know that we can't get back everything we used to have? Remember how happy we were? Don't you want that back again? Remember how happy AJ was when you moved back in? How could you just run out again like that? Please Marissa – I'm sorry about the other day and if I could take it back I would. I promise I'll call Bruce and have him help Scott with the gatehouse. I promise I'll try to be a better man for you. I love you. I want you back and I want us all to be happy again. I want my son to have a happy home. Please… please Marissa…"
Marissa hated to admit it but listening to JR mumble in his drunken daze started to pull lightly at her heart and she glanced over at Bianca who had a strange expression on her face, and Marissa immediately recognized what it was and wanted nothing more than to wipe her apprehension away. She squeezed her hand briefly and then released it before making her way slowly over to where JR sat hunched on the ground, clearly so far gone that he wouldn't have admitted all those things otherwise. He certainly would never have ended up basically begging her had he been sober and she was duly aware of it as she knelt down next to him. As his face lifted toward hers her heart softened even more at his hopeful expression and she took a deep breath as she calculated her words.
"JR," she began slowly, and as he blinked up at her she knew that it was time to quit fighting anger with anger. "I do remember how happy we were. I do remember what it was like to be a family with you and AJ and for a long time I really thought that's what I wanted. But then I realized that you and I were never going to be what we should have been, because no matter how much I loved you or how much you loved me it was never right. We were forcing it. It was always too hard because we had to work so hard to stay happy. That's not how it should be. That's not what a true family is. That's the real reason why I left – I didn't want to keep modeling that for AJ. I want him to know how easy and unforced it can be, and I still believe that you can be a part of that. But we're not going to be together. We can't JR. We're not right and I'm just not in love with you anymore. I still care about you and I want us to raise AJ together. I want us to be able to do that because I think that's what AJ deserves. He deserves you, because you're an amazing dad to that amazing little boy and you know it. But this – this drunken stumbling slurring JR that I'm looking at is not that guy. That's the only reason why AJ's not here. He wants to see you and he should see you, but not like this."
JR stayed silent as he spoke but as soon as she said she didn't love him anymore his eyes immediately drifted back to Bianca, but surprisingly he didn't glare her down. He let his gaze fall to the ground and he breathed evenly until she finished, after which he sat silently for a long moment. Finally he said, "I want to see AJ tomorrow."
Marissa nodded slowly. "First tell me what you were planning tonight JR. The black clothes, the creeping in, the phone call to AJ at school and telling him to keep it a secret… If you weren't planning on running off with him then tell me what you were going to do. You owe me that."
JR sighed heavily and clenched his teeth. "I didn't want anybody to know I was in town because I knew you would throw a big fit about the fact that I'm drunk. Staying drunk in Paris helped me forget about you but it didn't make me forget AJ. I missed him and wanted to hear his voice so I called him. I told him he didn't have to go to school tomorrow because I really wanted to spend the day with him, and I brought a bunch of new French video games back for him that we could play together. That's it."
"Really?" Marissa asked, not really buying the whole story but the look in JR's eyes was more genuine than she'd seen in a while and she realized that in his drunken stupor they'd somehow managed to tap into a place he rarely visited, leaving him quite emotionally exposed.
JR sighed heavily and looked down again. "I admit that I thought about trying to take him away from you but you're right – you're his mom. The look on his face in the park last weekend broke my heart and I know I scared him and I'm sorry for that. I still hate what you've done and I won't tell you I'm happy for you or support you but you are his mother. I just want my time with him. He'll need a strong male influence – especially now. You may think you're a lesbian now but a boy needs a father."
"I never said he didn't," Marissa said, working to hold on to her compassion but she felt it dissipating at his backhanded attacks, but suddenly Bianca's voice cut in.
"Do you know what AJ told me this afternoon JR?" she asked him as she came to stand behind Marissa, but JR only glared up at her. "He told me that he wanted you to quit being mean and that maybe if you were part of our family that it would help. He wants you to be happy JR, and his solution to that was to include you. He wants you in his life because he loves you but he can see how unhappy you are. If you want AJ to be happy then you're going to have to get over this little flare of spiteful homophobia because we all know that's not really how you believe. Would it really have hurt you any less if Marissa had fallen for another guy?"
JR didn't respond but his jaw tightened again and Marissa rose to stand by her girlfriend. "My falling in love with Bianca has nothing to do with you and she's absolutely right – it would have been no different had I fallen for a guy. But I didn't – I fell for Bianca and you're going to have deal with that if we have any hope of co-parenting our son. But first you've got to clean yourself up again. It's only been a few days but for an alcoholic I don't think it really matters, but I still believe that you can bounce back from this and overcome it. AJ is dying to see you so if you want to see him then come over tomorrow night for dinner and show up sober. If you do – and I think you will – then we'll talk about how we're going to handle this. Those are the conditions. Can you deal with that?"
It took JR over a minute to respond but finally he nodded his head. "I need a ride home," he whispered, and Tad immediately stepped forward.
"I came with Krystal so I'll drive your car back to the mansion," he said as he walked over to help him to his feet. "I'll stay with you tonight too to make sure you're okay. I have a feeling that you're going to get sick from all the alcohol pretty soon."
Tad tried to pull JR up but he was quickly becoming nothing more than a languid lump and so Ryan and Scott came over to help and among the three of them they managed to stand JR upright. Tad scooped him under the arm and supported him as they stumbled back to JR's car, and as he loaded him inside Krystal came over and hugged Marissa tightly.
"Well that certainly could have gone worse," she said with a relieved chuckle, and Marissa and Bianca both nodded their agreement. "I think you handled that very well considering who you were dealing with. Maybe you've finally knocked some sense into that thick skull of his."
"I can only hope," Marissa sighed as she turned to Ryan and Scott. "Thank you guys so much for coming to help. I just thought that we could use a little more man power but I'm glad that we didn't really need it. But thanks anyway – it means a lot."
"Anytime," Scott said as he hugged both women in turn. "I know how crazy JR can get sometimes and I have to say he actually surprised me tonight. Let's just hope he keeps his promises and cleans up his act."
"I think he will," Tad said as he walked back over, and through the open driver's door Marissa saw JR completely passed out in the passenger seat. Tad gave her a quick hug. "If there's one thing that can keep JR from spiraling out of control it's AJ. I think the thought of being a good influence on him will pull him out of this. He just went typical Chandler for a minute, but his mother's side will win out this time I think."
"I really hope so," Marissa replied, and as Tad walked back to the car he waved to Krystal and Scott who were both walking to their own cars where they'd parked them out of sight behind the garage. Ryan walked up behind Bianca and put an arm around her.
"So – that was fun," he said sarcastically and Bianca couldn't help but chuckle as she gave him a gentle hug. "You girls really know how to invite a guy over for an eventful evening."
"Don't say we don't know how to entertain," Marissa smirked, watching as Tad turned JR's black Jaguar around and headed down the drive.
"Well I guess I'll head over to Kendall's to pick up Greens and Emma," Ryan said lightly. "You guys gonna follow me to pick up the kids?"
"Um – tell Kendall we'll be there in a little while," Bianca told him with a quick glance at Marissa. "I think we need to talk a little before we get the kids. I'll call her in a bit."
"Yeah but tell Greenlee thanks for backing up Kendall with the kids tonight," Marissa added. "I really didn't know what JR had planned so…"
"Please, no need to explain when it includes JR," Ryan said with a casual wave. "We were happy to help. And congratulations to you two. You seem pretty happy and I guess Greenlee was right… I hate it when that happens."
"Well still – thanks so much," Bianca chuckled, wrapping an arm around Marissa's waist as she led them back inside. She held the door open for her and they stepped into the darkened foyer, neither moving to find the light switch as they faced each other in the silent house. Bianca's eyes found Marissa's and she lifted a hand to stroke her cheek, silently willing her, encouraging her, to let her strong façade crack open and to let whatever terror or relief she felt fall out.
Marissa swallowed a few times and Bianca watched the delicate dip of her chin, yearning to bend forward to place gentle kisses there but she knew that it wasn't the time; she could see in Marissa's spectacularly sad eyes that she needed nothing more than for Bianca to simply stand there with her until she could release all that she'd held in since hearing about JR, and as she sniffed quietly the tears finally began to build and Bianca pulled her in close, enveloping her in her arms as she felt the first sob shake through her love's chest. She stroked her hair, she silently soothed her, she pressed every ounce of love and devotion she had inside her outward so that Marissa could feel it, so that she would know that nothing would keep her from standing there with her inside her arms until she felt past the fear and anxiety and – hopefully – reached release.
/
"Hey how'd it go?" Kendall asked as she opened the front door for Ryan. "That didn't take as long as I expected."
"No it actually went better than I think anyone anticipated," Ryan replied, watching as Greenlee approached from the dining room where the kids sat playing a board game.
"So JR wasn't drunk?" she asked, but Ryan shook his head.
"Oh no he was definitely wasted," he informed them, and both Kendall and Greenlee groaned loudly. "He just wasn't as angry or violent as they expected him to be. At least not by the end."
"What does that mean?" Kendall questioned him. "Wasn't he there to try to kidnap AJ?"
"Not according to him, no," Ryan explained as they all sat down in the living room. "He told Marissa that he just wanted to see AJ and that he didn't want him to tell because he knew they'd be mad that he was drunk. I think that's a crock of bull, but Marissa seemed to buy it. Especially after the pitiful bit of begging he did telling her how in love with her he is and how he wants them to be a family again. I thought it just sounded like a drunk pleading for something he doesn't deserve but Marissa seemed a lot less angry afterward."
"Well what did she say? Okay wait – walk us through from the beginning," Kendall requested, and Greenlee nodded her agreement.
Ryan sighed and started from the time that he had followed Bianca and Marissa from Kendall's to Wildwind after dropping the kids and repeated as much as he could remember up until Tad drove away with the passed out JR, and by the end both women next to him sat with their eyes wide and their mouths open slightly. Greenlee let out a low whistle.
"Well I guess that did go better than expected," she said. "Although maybe still not what you want."
"How did Marissa seem after they left?" Kendall asked curiously, wondering if seeing her ex in such a state had taken a deeper toll on her than she had showed. "And Bianca for that matter. Did they seem okay?"
"Well they both looked a little shaken but more relieved than anything," Ryan responded honestly. "There was a definite edge to Marissa when we got back to Wildwind but it seemed do ease after it was all over, but really the thing I noticed most was how they were leaning on each other. JR might be pissed off about it but those two are definitely a couple."
"They certainly are," Kendall agreed heartily, smiling to herself at the image of her sister so completely happy. "I only wish that JR wouldn't keep barging into Bianca's life and screwing it up every time she finds a little happiness. And Marissa too. He's done enough to her without making her feel guilty about sending him back into the bottle and trying to kidnap her kid. It's appalling."
"Well she handled herself well if you ask me," Ryan said with a tired sigh. "Her response to JR's begging was pretty classy considering the state he was in."
"Yeah if it was me I think I would have called the cops and had him arrested for driving drunk," Greenlee chimed in. "That probably would have taken care of him trying to kidnap AJ ever again."
"Well I'm glad that they had the sense to bring AJ over here so he wouldn't have to see that," Kendall added, glancing back toward the dining room where an eruption of laughter had just sounded. She smiled as she saw AJ high-five Spike. "Are they on their way to pick them up now?"
"Uh no Bianca said they needed to talk first," Ryan told her. "She said she'd call you in a little while."
Kendall sat back and brought her hand to her chin in thought, and after a moment she reached for her phone.
"Yeah I'll bet they want to 'talk'," Greenlee chuckled quietly, and Ryan nudged her. "What? You know that what they're doing is engaging in a little raunchy relieved quickie sex before picking up the kids. You know that's what's happening. Don't call her Kendall – you'll interrupt."
"You're disgusting," Kendall chided her lightly. "And I'm not calling her. I'm just texting her and telling them to take their time. The kids are fine anyway and plus they think they're on a date. It would be weird if they showed up so soon."
Greenlee had to nod in agreement and got up to rejoin the kids and Ryan followed while Kendall finished her text message.
"Take your time Binx. The kids are doing great. So glad to hear it went okay and tell Marissa she's earned a fan. Love you guys."
She hesitated only briefly before hitting the send button, resigning herself to the fact that Marissa Tasker was there to stay and so was her son and it was about time she welcomed them. She was smiling widely as she returned to the laughing party in the dining room.
/
It took Marissa a little over ten minutes before she found her voice again, the raging whirlpool of conflicting emotions she felt difficult to contend with and so she took comfort in the very best thing she'd ever known – Bianca – and simply allowed herself to stand there and silently cry it out while her love's arms held her tight and didn't move. Bianca didn't speak or try to reassure her; she didn't launch into all the reasons why JR was a filthy scumbag and she didn't demand that Marissa talk to her. She only held her, provided a warm shoulder where she could rest her head while she dampened her shirt with her tears, and loved her silently while she grieved.
And Marissa was grieving, to nobody's surprise but her own. Seeing JR in such a miserably low state had affected her in different ways than she had expected, and yet unsurprisingly it had nothing to do with sympathy or regret or compassion for the man who she had once believed she loved. Her pain was deeper than that and centered solely on the only good thing that JR had ever given her – AJ – and thoughts of how he would react if his beloved father didn't manage to clean himself up again. Because in spite of all that Marissa had told him in the moment she still wasn't convinced of anything; she didn't trust JR not to revert back to baseless homophobia out of sheer anger; she didn't trust him not to fill AJ's head with senseless lies out of spite; and most importantly she didn't trust him not to try to take AJ from her, no matter what he had said about her being his mother. She'd trusted him too many times before and been burned, and she knew better than to believe anything that came out of an alcoholic's mouth while inebriated.
And on top of all of that she was almost crushed by the billowing relief that JR hadn't succeeded in whatever he'd tried to do. Even if his plan wasn't to run off with AJ he still intended on talking to him so unbearably drunk that you could barely understand his slurred and throaty speech, and the thought that he presumed that to be okay reignited her ever-present rage at the man. But the devastating horror at the mere idea of AJ disappearing from her life nearly doubled her over in pain, and it was only Bianca's strong arms around her back that held her upright as a rattling sob rocked through her as AJ's pure blissful incredible face filled her mind.
Bianca moved only enough so that she could gently kiss her cheek, pressing her lips firmly against her skin and Marissa clamped her eyes tightly shut as more tears spilled from them and her hands instinctively clung tighter to her back. "Shhhh…" Bianca breathed as she smoothed down flowing red hair. "It's all going to be okay. AJ's safe and everything's going to be fine. I'm right here. I've got you."
And boy did she ever have her. Marissa pulled away only far enough to look at her girlfriend's impossibly beautiful eyes and once again a giant lump rose into her throat as wave after wave of crashing love washed over her. She was suddenly transfixed with those deep chocolate eyes, absolutely powerless to look away, and as if an invisible hand had reached into her chest and scooped out her heavy heartache she felt herself lighten under her gaze, knowing with paralyzing certainty that everything Bianca was saying was true simply because it was Bianca who was saying it. And most of all the thing that made Marissa's heart rate jump up to an almost alarming level was the endlessly deep, boundless and miles-wide love and adoration that resounded back to her, burning through Marissa's skin until she could feel it in her nerves. It set her arms on fire; it made her limbs feel as though they'd just awoken from sleep. It made her feel Bianca over every inch of her body until she was left staring, wide-eyed and awed, at the only person she'd ever truly loved.
A smile settled on her lips despite her tears and Bianca squinted at her, returning the gesture with a charming hint of confusion. "What?" she asked quietly, and Marissa's only response was to lean forward to capture her mouth with her own for a searing kiss and both women watched the fireworks explode behind their eyelids as they sank into one another, fingers tangling into hair as they tugged each other closer.
Bianca… Marissa thought inside the foggy eruption of love and desire, and as Bianca's arms grasped her waist and lifted her up she responded by wrapping her legs around her, allowing herself to be carried through the living room while steadfastly refusing to break away from her kiss.
Marissa… filled Bianca's mind as she carried her across the room, at first intending to get them upstairs but she knew she'd never make it so instead she eased them both down onto the couch, taking special care to move slowly and smoothly and as she settled down on top of her lover they unknowingly shared the same muddled thought;
Heaven.
/
A little more than an hour later the couple laid together on the floor in the living room, wedged between the couch and the coffee table wrapped up easily together as they gazed silently upward at the vaulted ceiling. Bianca twirled a loose strand of Marissa's hair around her fingers while Marissa absently traced the outline of Bianca's belly button, and after a minute the brunette inhaled sharply and giggled.
"That tickles," she whispered, and Marissa smiled and begrudgingly stopped her repeating path.
"Sorry," she replied as she nuzzled into Bianca's neck who sighed contentedly in response, her arms coming back around to her back as she pulled her in and Marissa brought her gaze upward and their eyes met, a pair of matching smiles reflecting one another.
After a long moment of gaping at the magnificent woman in her arms Bianca finally let her smile fade into seriousness in spite of her desire to keep staring. "So do you want to talk about JR?" she asked diffidently, and Marissa's response was exactly as she expected.
Her smile melted away and the angry lines reappeared in her eyes. "Not really, but I guess we should."
"Look I know how you must feel right now Riss but the truth is that it went better than I think either of us expected," Bianca assured her. "We expected him to show up smashed but still I know actually seeing it must have been hard, but really Riss – he could have reacted a lot more harshly than he did."
"Did you believe what he said about not wanting to take AJ?" Marissa asked quietly, and Bianca thought for a minute before replying.
"I want to," she told her with a long sigh. "Truthfully I don't think we'll know for sure until he proves it."
Marissa nodded slowly. "Well I think I'm still going to go over our custody agreement, just in case. Something's telling me that part of the reason why he folded was because he was too drunk to react properly. That whole speech about wanting me back? I feel like that never would have come out of him had he been sober and I think he lost his resolve because he spiraled down." Bianca listened and nodded her agreement, but Marissa caught the edge of apprehension that returned to her eyes. "What?" she questioned, and when Bianca didn't respond she added, "Please baby. Tell me."
Bianca took a deep breath. "I don't want to make you think I don't trust you…"
Marissa's eyebrows furrowed at that. "Why would I ever think that?"
"Well… even I have to admit that when JR was talking about wanting to be a family with you again it tugged at my heart a little and I could see that it was doing the same to you. I know that's why when you responded you were much gentler with him. It just – I don't know. I guess I'm just petrified of losing you now that I know what it's like to have you and…"
"Bianca stop," Marissa interjected, placing a finger softly on her lips to silence her. She propped herself up on an elbow so that she could look at her properly and locked her gaze. "I am going to tell you this now, and I'll tell you every single day that comes after if I have to, but I am in this for the rest of my life. No one – no one – has ever made me feel the way you do. I have never loved more deeply or felt so much, and I've never been more positive of anything before. It's the easiest thing I've ever said actually, telling you that I plan on spending my life with you, because the terror that you feel about losing me is exactly how I feel about you. Probably even more. So don't worry because I'm not going anywhere. No amount of begging exes will ever pull me away from you. I know what I've got. This is kinda forever."
"Kinda forever huh?" Bianca asked, tears streaking into her hair and Marissa's tender hand wiped them away.
"Kinda," she told her as she leaned down to kiss her tenderly, and as she pulled away Bianca brushed back her falling hair and smiled.
"Perfect," she whispered. "You're perfect."
"I'm perfect for you," Marissa smirked. "I guess that's why we're so perfect together. Fucking perfect."
"Exactly," Bianca agreed, and Marissa watched her amusement transform into wonderment, the way it softened her eyes and smoothed her features and she gasped as yet another flood of adoration blanketed her. But she could tell Bianca had something else to say and so she waited in silence. "You know sometimes I still just can't seem to wrap my head around this," she said finally, tracing Marissa's jawline with her fingertips and the redhead hummed serenely and shivered. "I just can't seem to fathom the amount of happiness you bring me or how much I seem to love you. Or how incredibly lucky I am that you feel the same way about me. I've thought that I was happy before – more than once actually – but with you… now I know that I was never really happy before now because anything less than this just isn't good enough. You're better than every dream I ever had in my head and you're right – this is kinda forever. For the rest of our lives we'll be this happy as long as we're together."
"Absolutely forever," Marissa breathed, leaning down once more to claim lips that responded with fervor and before long they were lost in a repeat show of love, devotion, and – sometimes – a quiet, nearly inaudible chant of the other's name mixed with the three words neither would ever tire of hearing.