Oh hai! Sorry it's been taking me some time between updates. I have no real excuse so I'm not gonna make any. I hope you all enjoy. I'm gonna go sit in a corner as punishment now.
Steven stood in his garage, steadily punching at the large punching bag hanging from the roof. He felt anger stewing deep in his gut, imagining the way they had embraced.
"I bet she's tried to sleep with her, that fucking slut." He muttered to himself. He punched the bag harder, wishing against all hope it was that woman's face instead of just a plain red surface. It remained the same. His fit collided harder, imagining it was her face or her body and took some satisfaction in it. She was interfering with what could be a perfect relationship. Punch. She needed to leave. Punch punch. She needed to back away from Bianca because she didn't want her like that. Punch punch. She wanted him; not her. Him! Punch crack! He hissed, feeling his wrist pop. He bent it, cringing at the feeling; it wasn't broken just sore. He decided he would go inside and gather his thoughts. Maybe he could think of a plan to get rid of that witch.
Marissa laughed as Gabby tilted her head back and dropped a long piece of spaghetti into her mouth. She had sauce all over her chin and cheeks causing Marissa to reach over without thinking. She grabbed her napkin and wiped the girl's face, smiling and rubbing her nose against hers.
"You are so cute." She said so only Gabby could hear. The little girl smiled shyly, holding her fork out for Marissa who laughed and took a bite of the yummy pasta.
"Hey! I got an 'A' on my spelling test!" Miranda said suddenly. Marissa turned her attention to her, keeping one hand near Gabby. The little girl got down and scrambled over into Marissa's lap, grabbing her plate and getting comfortable.
"You did! Who helped you study?" Marissa asked, genuinely interested.
"Gabby, sweetie, you can't sit on Marissa's lap while she's trying to eat." Bianca said trying to get Gabby's attention. Marissa glared at her playfully.
"Shh, we're having dinner." She said wrapping an arm around Gabby's little body to keep her where she was.
"Mommy and Aiden!" Miranda said proudly.
"Aiden? Is that a new friend?" Marissa asked, wiping Gabby's face again with an affectionate look.
"Uh huh, Steven is his daddy," Miranda started.
Bianca watched the way Marissa interacted with her girls. Her heart swelled with happiness and she couldn't help but look back down at her food. She felt as if she would cry; either from pain of never being able to have this or from seeing it and being so happy.
"Hey, you okay?" Marissa asked quietly. Bianca looked up and smiled,
"Everything is perfect." She said honestly. Marissa smiled and leaned in a little, causing Bianca to react purely on instinct and lean in as well.
"Hey, that's my garlic bread!" Miranda giggled as Gabby stole a piece of bread. Bianca's eyes widened and she pulled back, clearing her throat.
"Do you think you can handle bath time for the girls while I clean?" she asked. Marissa's seemed to pout but nodded.
"Of course I can. Anything to spend more time with my best girls!" she said blowing a raspberry on Gabby's cheek. Bianca forced a smile as she listened to her little girl giggle.
Steven stood under the spray of the shower, letting the hot water sooth his sore, tense muscles. He imagined what it would be like if Bianca was behind him, rubbing his back and kissing the back of his neck; relaxing him a little more. He leaned his head against the wall of his shower, shivering at the feeling his was imagining. He felt a stirring deep in his stomach and sighed in pleasure. His hand drifted lower.
Marissa kissed Miranda on the forehead then gave her an Eskimo kiss.
"Goodnight, my Princess. I love you." She said softly. Miranda smiled brightly.
"Love you too, Ms. Marissa. She said turning over and clutching her teddy bear. Marissa smiled, her heart warning a little before moving to Gabby's bed and repeating her actions.
"Goodnight, little Angel. I love you." She said. Gabby grinned and yawned.
"Love you too, Ms. 'Rissa." She said already falling asleep. Marissa sat there a few more minutes, just enjoying being around them before making her way out into the hall. Bianca was just making her way down the hall and looked up, her sleeves rolled up.
"I didn't mean to make you put them to bed, I-" Marissa held up a hand to hold off any apologies.
"No, shh." She said quietly. She stepped closer to Bianca, reaching out and grabbing her hand. Marissa felt happy and light, as if she could conquer the world. She lifted Bianca's hand to her chest, resting her chin against it. "It's okay, I wanted too." She said quietly. "They're sleeping and having peaceful little dreams." She said. Her smile was bright as her eyes bore into Bianca's.
"Good." Bianca said in relief.
"Thank you for letting me take care of them tonight." Marissa said softly. Bianca smiled softly.
"You're welcome. They miss you so much." She admitted quietly. Marissa took a step closer,
"I miss them." She said. "I miss you." Bianca's breath caught.
"Marissa…" her voice trailed off. Marissa moved closer still, bringing Bianca's hand down and gripping it between them. Bianca swallowed as Marissa reached a hand up to cup her cheek.
"Do you feel this, Bianca?" a pause. "Do you feel the same way I do?" she asked quietly. Bianca's mind went into panic mode.
"H-how do you feel?" she asked trying to stand tall. Marissa wet her lips.
"I feel like… my heart is going to beat out of my chest." She said, her voice rising a little. She sniffled. "I feel like I'm going to go crazy every time I'm near you and I just…" she trailed off. Her thumb stroked Bianca's face gently. "I feel these things for you, Bianca. I feel so many things and I'm tired. I'm tired of holding it in." she confessed.
Steven turned over in his bed, reaching out to the other side and running his hands along the cool sheets. If he looked hard enough, he could imagine Bianca lying there and smiling at him. He smiled back, closing his eyes and wishing she were really there.