Note: So here's the thing fellow Minxaholics this story isn't really working for me anymore….tough it works lovely for me….Muse butt out! The last few chapters have felt like work and I hate when writing starts feeling that way so before I go and completely ruin things I think it best to bring it to an natural end….oh great just great you go and get me injested in this story then you piss off…I think you mean invested….argh stop getting all literal I'm trying to give you a bollocking here….a what? You're what?…you quit Impact on me and now you're quitting this too…ah come on Muse Impact ended I didn't quit it!….yeah well you didn't give me the follow up like you planned….actually I'm about to…yeah yeah and the rest! You're nothing but a tease… ah whatever Muse!…you know what? I'm quitting you! So there!…hallelujah! 2013 is really beginning to look up! So this be chapter 26 folks and our final Minxaholic meeting. It has been fun and as always your reviews have been awesome, thanks for reading me.
Chapter 26
Bianca Montgomery could never be described as smug, the woman was far too humble and affable to fit that adjective. But Marissa Tasker was sure that the smile that lit up Bianca's face and put a certain twinkle in chocolate brown eyes had a definite hint of smugness to it.
"You're gloating."
The brunette stifled a giggle at the note of surprise in her lover's voice.
"Would I do a thing like that?"
Marissa met those sparkling brown eyes with a raised eyebrow, oh hell yes Bianca Montgomery was most definitely gloating. The brunette's attempt at stoic control floundered as Marissa's eyes widened in disbelief.
"You're seriously gloating right now."
Bianca laughed.
"No I'm not gloating I think it would be more accurate to say that I am pleasantly pleased."
The redhead smirked.
"Like that's not just another definition of gloating."
Bianca grinned and pulled the smaller woman to her.
"I can't help it, we just spent the best part of the last hour with your ex in a congenial discussion on how to better manage AJ's night time schedule. That means more sleepovers Marissa, more nights for AJ to spend here with the girls and you with me. Can you blame me for being pleasantly pleased?"
Marissa's face lit up; she had been too absorbed in watching her past and present interact to realise the actual consequences of said interaction.
"Oh my God you're right, I never thought of that."
Bianca began to giggle, sometimes her very smart lawyer was just a little slow on the uptake. The giggle made Marissa's cheeks begin to colour which completely charmed an already besotted Bianca.
"I love you."
Marissa smiled at the dip in tone and cupped a heart shaped face.
"I love you more."
Bianca shook her head.
"Not possible."
Marissa moved in for an exquisite kiss; oh it was possible of that she had no doubt but she would enjoy proving it to her beautiful lover.
"We'll see about that."
/
The following morning as Marissa was unlocking her office door her cell phone chirped to life with David Hayward's number flashing on screen. Marissa juggled keys, case and handbag in an effort to answer the call but by the time she did David had hung up. Before the lawyer had time to dial his number her office phone was ringing and the day was off to a busy start.
/
Bianca was smiling inanely at a poster upon Fusion's office wall. Kendall looked at the poster then back at her sister and then to the poster again before rolling her eyes in exasperation.
"Binx that's last seasons advertising I need you to start focusing on this season."
The younger brunette nodded just as inanely as she was smiling but did nothing more to further their new ad campaign. Kendall scowled.
"Earth to Binx come in Binx!"
Bianca let out a startled yelp as her sister's voice rose to a yell.
"Where? What? Why are you shouting at me?"
Kendall sighed.
"Because I doubt you'd hear me if I tried to whisper or talk calmly given that you've been miles away since you got here this morning."
Bianca blushed.
"Sorry about that. Where were we? Autumn campaign right?"
Kendall pushed back her chair and folded her arms.
"Actually right now I'm more interested in finding out what's gotten you so spaced this morning."
"I'm not spaced."
A pointed look from the older Kane said otherwise. Bianca blushed.
"Okay maybe I'm a little spaced, I'm happy."
"Jez really you don't say?"
Bianca scowled at her teasing sister.
"There's no need to be sarcastic."
Kendall smiled.
"It's a habit. I doubt I need to ask what it is that has gotten you so happy but I will anyway, so spill it sis what has the great Marissa done this time? More screaming was it?"
Bianca face turned various shades of red before settling to a flushed pink.
"Kendall!"
The older woman's impish grin only deepened.
"At your service."
Bianca scowled, then smiled, then grinned dreamily again until Kendall began to pout.
"Ah come on Binx don't keep me in suspense."
The younger woman shook her head.
"She didn't do anything. Or at least not anything new. She's just Marissa."
Bianca's smile turned silly again causing Kendall to sigh dramatically.
"So that's it?"
"No no that's not just it, that's everything. Marissa is everything."
Unlike her younger sister, Kendall Hart Slater could definitely be described as smug, right now her smile epitomised smugness.
"Which of course means I was right. Again."
Bianca looked at her sister in confusion.
"And how did you reach that conclusion?"
"Because all of these goofy grins and dreamlike smiles prove that Marissa is the one woman in the world who is making you incredibly happy."
Kendall wasn't terribly surprised when Bianca's face broke into a goofy grin.
/
It was Thursday afternoon before Marissa got around to returning David Hayward's missed calls.
"David I'm sorry every time I tried to call you back something else came up."
"No matter Marissa, you've called now that's what matters."
Marissa could hear the smile in his voice.
"You sound happy."
There was a short chortle before David answered.
"I am happy, I'm talking to my daughter. What's not to be happy about?"
The lawyer closed her eyes thinking about all the other times when she had heard something similar, would this time be different? Would David hurt her again with his selfishness? Marissa's mind took a familiar detour to thoughts of Bianca and she was reminded again of the question her lover had asked, what do you hope for when you think of David? Marissa's answer had been unequivocal; she hoped that he would be the person she knew he could be. But how could he ever be that if she didn't give him a chance?
"I was thinking maybe AJ and I could have lunch with you this weekend. At my place?"
There was a catch in David's voice when he spoke again.
"I'd love that honey."
/
On Friday night as Bianca and Marissa snuggled up on the couch in Wildwind's parlour the brunette was thrilled that Marissa had made plans with David and she was about as skilled at hiding it as she had been with her pleasantly pleased smiles. Marissa on the other hand refused to let herself get too carried away with hoping her biological father had changed.
"It's just lunch baby."
The brunette wrapped an arm around the smaller woman.
"I know but it's a start right?"
Marissa nodded.
"Yes it's a start. So what are your plans for tomorrow afternoon?"
The brunette shrugged.
"I don't have any. The girls both have play dates so I guess I'll have some time to myself."
Marissa groaned.
"Now if I'd know that I would have told David Sunday not Saturday. We could have spent the afternoon together."
Bianca giggled at the emphasis Marissa placed on the last word.
"I'm sure we'll be able to spend the evening together."
Marissa lifted her head from it's place upon Bianca chest so that her lips were against the base of the brunette's neck.
"We could maybe have a practice run this evening."
Bianca mewled as warm lips glided up her neck.
"You think you need practice?"
Marissa giggled, the sensation rushing through Bianca like an electric current.
"No but they do say practice makes perfect."
The brunette tilted her head so that she was looking into honeyed hazel eyes.
"You are perfect."
/
"Grandpa do you like my new room?"
AJ had been more excited about showing his grandfather his room in Marissa's apartment than he was about eating the lunch his Mom had prepared for them all. There were greens on the plate, loads of greens and AJ didn't much like them so he tried to distract his Mom's attention from what he wasn't eating by getting his Grandfather to talk.
David speared a piece of chicken from his Caesar salad and smiled across at his grandson.
"Sure AJ I like it, it reminds me of the room I had when I was a boy. My parents, your great grandparents they always told me that the bigger I got the bigger my room would get too. You see I wanted a big room to fly my airplanes in but the only way I was ever going to get that was by eating all those meals my Dad cooked that were full of the things that made me grow."
AJ looked again at his plate, his young face twisting with indecision.
"Does greens make you grow Grandpa?"
Marissa had to bring her napkin to her face to hide the smile that was growing there. David winked at his daughter before turning his full attention back to AJ.
"They sure do. Greens are full of nutrients that help our bodies get big and strong. Did you ever hear about a guy called Popeye?"
AJ nodded.
"Mom and Dad said he was always on TV when they were small. Grandpa Tad even has comic books with him in it."
"Well then you'll know that Popeye's way of getting strong and mighty was by eating a tin of spinach, just like this kind here."
David piled a mixture of spinach and lettuce leaves upon his fork and eased them into his mouth with a bright smile, his face growing happier and happier by the moment. AJ looked again to his plate and then did the same, chewing the nasty tasting food quickly before swallowing it. AJ gulped down several mouthfuls of milk before offering his mother a timid smile.
"I guess if it makes me big and strong then the taste doesn't matter. Right Mom?"
Marissa could only nod as her son began to eat up all his lunch before rushing off to get his latest boat from his room.
David helped Marissa clear up.
"Thanks for this honey. I had a lovely time."
Marissa smiled.
"Me too, thanks for talking AJ into eating his lunch."
David chuckled.
"No problem. He's a great kid."
Marissa couldn't agree more. David finished drying up as Marissa wiped down the small table.
"You know my place is huge and there's plenty of space for you and AJ. In a year or two that room is going to feel pretty cramped for him."
The lawyer sighed heavily before turning to look at David who held his hands up in surrender.
"I'm only putting it out there. It's an option if you ever need it."
Marissa forced herself to smile; it might seem like an option to David but it would never be for her.
"Thank you."
David's own smile dimmed.
"I did it again didn't I?"
The lawyer didn't respond.
"I rushed ahead of myself and scared you off."
"You haven't scared me off David but moving in with you would feel like I'm moving backwards not forwards. I'm ready to move forwards."
There was something in the way Marissa said those words that made David really listen.
"We're not talking about just us here are we?"
Marissa smiled and this time there was nothing forced about it. David caught the happiness that radiated from his daughter's eyes and couldn't help but feel a little of it spread across the small kitchen and settle within him.
/
Bianca's Saturday afternoon was not spent alone like she had assumed it would be. Erica Kane was waiting in Wildwind's driveway when Bianca returned from dropping the girls at their play dates. The petite woman wrapped her daughter in a tight hug before pulling away and smiling brightly.
"I believe you have some free time on your hands darling."
Bianca had an inkling that that was no longer the case.
"I'm guessing by your surprise visit that that has changed."
Intelligent eyes studied Bianca in contemplation.
"Only if you want it to."
The younger woman was startled by the less than confident tone.
"Mom is everything okay?"
Erica smiled brightly.
"Yes everything is fine. Time is precious darling and you should spend it doing the things that you like to do which are not always the same things that I like to do."
Bianca suppressed a giggle; it was hard getting used to this more considerate side to her mother.
"And what is it that you would like to do Mom?"
Erica tilted her head to one side, her hopeful smile making her daughter smile too.
"Well a pamper session at the Yacht Club Spa sounds like it might be nice."
Bianca hooked her arm through her mother's elbow and guided them back to her car.
"A pamper session sounds absolutely wonderful."
Erica settled herself in Bianca's passenger seat as her daughter started the car.
"So Marissa is spending the afternoon with David?"
Bianca nodded, the mere thought of the beautiful redhead making her smile.
"Yes they're all having lunch at Marissa's place."
Erica turned her full attention to her daughter.
"All?"
"AJ too."
"I bet JR will just love that."
Bianca snorted at her mother's sarcasm; there were some ingrained habits she could never see Erica changing.
"I'm sure he will, people are full of surprises these days."
Erica laughed.
"Ah darling you are forever the optimist, is that something Marissa shares? I got the impression from my first real talk with her that she was a little more pragmatic than you."
"I'm pragmatic when it matters."
Erica laughed again at her daughter's defensive tone.
"That you are darling, that you are. And what of Marissa?"
Bianca thought about it for a moment; when they had first met Marissa was the more optimistic one, always there with a positive comment to counter Bianca's more negative ones. Bianca's divorce had taken its toll making her less optimistic but Marissa had been there for her. They had shared a balancing act even then, shifting roles constantly to ensure the other never got too jaded. They made a good team; they always had.
"Darling?"
"Oh sorry Mom, yes Marissa is a pretty optimistic person but like everyone else she has her doubts."
"Not about you though. She was very sure of her love for you."
"And I for her."
Erica smiled.
"So should I be expecting a change in the living arrangement soon?"
"Mom!"
Erica laughed.
"What? Life's too short Bianca, you love each other so what's stopping you?"
"Mom we are not having this conversation."
The petite woman laughed some more as her daughter began to blush.
"You're right darling, it's not a conversation you should be having with your mother. No you should be having it with your lover."
"MOM!"
/
After lunch David and Marissa took AJ to the park where the young boy got to show off his new model boat. Grandfather and grandson had a laugh down by the lake while Marissa relaxed on a park bench. The redhead closed her eyes and thought back to her earlier conversation with her biological father. David had been right, Marissa had been thinking of more than just him when she talked about moving forward. Her every thought since Erica's return to Pine Valley had been about her future with Bianca. No even before Erica Kane had returned Marissa had been thinking about the future, thinking that she wanted to spend the rest of her life making Bianca Montgomery happy. Because she knew she could, if given the chance she could make the beautiful brunette so very happy.
Marissa opened her eyes at the sound of AJ's squeal of laughter to see David wade out into the lake to retrieve the straying boat. The sight made her laugh too, the infamous emotionless heart surgeon was up to his knees in murky water looking happier than Marissa had ever seen him. The redhead thought back to her parents, to Roy and Lydia Tasker and their insistence that family were the foundation of all happiness. Marissa had never doubted them until their fatal accident had left her orphaned. Or so she had thought. Coming to Pine Valley had taught Marissa Tasker a lot about the definition of family; it wasn't just shared DNA that made you family, it was shared love and respect. Family were the people who accepted you home no matter what, it was those who opened their arms to you - both when you needed it and even when you didn't.
The redhead closed her eyes again and pictured the family that made her feel most at home and there among the three laughing kids, two little brunettes and one blonde boy was Bianca Montgomery smiling at Marissa with an abundance of love. Marissa decided there and then that she was going to make that picture her reality in every way.
/
"All I'm saying Bianca is that when it's right it's right."
Bianca rolled her eyes as her mother passed her a towel in the Spa changing rooms.
"Yes Mom and I've heard it before, in fact I've heard it every single time you've become engaged. Now how many times was that exactly?"
Erica swatted her daughter's arm playfully as the two made their way into the sauna.
"And each time I've meant it because love is the most powerful feeling in the world and it's meant to be shared."
"Uh huh."
Erica pouted at the detached tone.
"Well have you at least considered the future?"
Bianca leaned back against the tiled walls and closed her eyes. Yes she had considered the future, she knew exactly where she wanted her and Marissa's relationship to go and she had said as much to the lovely lawyer several weeks ago. Marissa had been in complete agreement but neither woman had broached the conversation since then and Bianca didn't want to push things by mentioning it again. So she was waiting, waiting for Marissa to make the next move.
Erica sat across from her daughter watching the smile grow upon Bianca's face.
"Is that a yes?"
"That's a you should give up now and remember your intelligent advice from earlier."
The older woman pouted.
"All my advice is intelligent so which exactly are you referring to?"
Bianca laughed not opening her eyes.
"The one where you told me to have this conversation with my lover not my mother."
Erica sighed in defeat.
/
Hours later Bianca lay in a blissful haze contemplating whether there was such a thing as death by pleasure. Marissa lay next to her tracing circles upon her tummy and humming a song that sounded vaguely familiar. The brunette forced herself to really listen to the soft hum.
"Forevermore?"
Marissa smiled kissing the damp skin of Bianca's shoulder.
"Yes."
The haze fell away as Bianca turned her head to stare into glistening eyes.
"You're crying. Sweetheart why are you crying?"
Marissa shook her head leaning in to softly kiss worried lips.
"They're happy tears. I'm so happy right now that it's hard to hold it all inside."
Bianca pulled the beautiful redhead on top of her.
"Then don't hold it all inside, let me hold it for you."
Marissa buried her head in her lover's chest and let the tears flow freely.
"I've never felt like this before."
Bianca ran her hand down silken hair in soothing strokes.
"Tell me how you feel."
"Like everything in my life makes sense, I'm where I've always dreamt of being."
Bianca smiled.
"You mean on top of me?"
Marissa giggled and lifted her head to stare down into such a beautiful face.
"On top, beneath, beside. You're everything I've ever dreamed of Bianca."
Bianca kissed those smiling lips tenderly.
"Five minutes ago you had me questioning whether it's possible to die from pleasure now I'm wondering if maybe it's possible to die from happiness."
Marissa smiled.
"Well I'm up for testing both."
Bianca rolled them over until she was lying on top of the smaller woman.
"Oh really Miss Tasker?"
Marissa's smile lit up her entire face turning hazel eyes into pools of dark warm honey. Bianca felt spellbound by it.
"You have the most beautiful smile I have ever seen."
The redhead blushed.
"And you are the most beautiful woman I've ever met."
Bianca didn't move.
"If I could capture one moment in my life to relive for always it would be this."
Marissa's hands rose to her lover's face holding back falling hair so that she could bask in the smile Bianca was giving her.
"We could make this for always."
Bianca nodded.
"We could."
Marissa bit her lip in hesitation.
"Don't do that, I love your lips."
The redhead smiled.
"And I love you. Can we make this for always Bianca? You and me and our kids, can we have for always together?"
Bianca's smile began to wobble.
"For always?"
"Yes for always, you and me and this amazing love we have. I don't want to let it go not for a moment. You're everything to me and I want to spend the rest of my life with you."
Now there were tears beginning to form in chocolate brown eyes and Marissa began to feel nervous.
"Bianca? Tell me they're happy tears."
Bianca could only nod.
"Does that mean you want to too?"
The brunette nodded again and then frowned a little.
"Just so we're clear this for always…we're talking about…you mean….well…it's…what exactly is it?"
Marissa giggled as Bianca stumbled to a stop with a blush rising up her chest neck and face. The redhead pulled her down so that her lips could follow the path of that glorious blush.
"God I love the taste of your blushes."
Bianca moaned as lips began to tease her earlobe, her body coming alive to the warmth of Marissa's touch.
"Sweetie we were….you were….oh God that feels good."
Marissa manoeuvred them until she was back on top and looking down into that blissfully happy face.
"I was asking you in a much too subtle way if you would mind us skipping all the dating etiquette and moving right to the end."
Bianca's brain strove to regain composure.
"The end?"
Marissa nodded.
"You know the part where I say, marry me Bianca and make me the happiest woman alive."
Bianca grinned.
"Ah that end."
Marissa waited but Bianca continued to grin up at her.
"Well?"
"Well you haven't actually asked me yet."
Marissa kissed teasing lips until she had Bianca breathless.
"Bianca Christine Montgomery would you do me the honour of becoming my wife?"
Of course Bianca was too breathless to answer but her smile and the light that shone so bright from her beautiful eyes was all the answer Marissa needed. The redhead bent back to pay tribute to those smiling lips. Bianca's answer when it came was screamed out for all the world to hear.
"Yes. Yes Marissa. I will."