The girls have spent the last two days catching up and preparing for Lucy's big day. It was true, wherever they go, they would see a black sedan following them around. The girls are still not used to it, but for their friend and her daughter, they've pretty much ignored its existence. Right now the girls are heading to the park. Rosie wanted to have a picnic and who are they to deny a child what she wants. They are driving in two separate cars since the 8 of them can't fit in Lucy's SUV. Sasha, Rosie, and Janel are together, while the others are in the SUV.
"I'm so happy to spend time with you and Rosie. It's been a while since the three of us spent time together," Janel said smiling at the two.
"Who's been busy? Right, Rosie? Mommy Janel never has time for us anymore," Sasha said encouraging her daughter to say the same.
"Yes. Mommy Janel doesn't have time for me anymore," Rosie said.
"Using your daughter to put a guilt trip on me, that's real nice, Sash," Janel said.
"Well, it's true. Ever since you know what, you have been so busy at Hotchkiss Technology. I hardly see you anymore," Sasha said matter of factly.
"It's just been 6 months babe, and you know why I'm doing all this work. It's for you and Rosie, remember?"
"I know. It's just that when we were in protective custody we spent every second together. I kinda miss that. Plus Rosie really misses you."
"Using your daughter again, are we? Just admit it, you're crazy about me," Janel teased.
"My daughter can hear you, keep the naughty humor to yourself," Sasha said.
Janel can't help but smile. She certainly did miss this duo. She has been really busy the last few months, but she's doing all of that for Sasha and little Rosie. Her team in Hotchkiss Technology is creating a program that will reveal if a person is lying or not based on the pattern of their voice. The goal is to use this program for the trial and she has not completed the final alterations on the algorithm yet. The trial is next month, and they are running out of time.
Sasha noticed the sudden change of mood in her girlfriend. She reached out her hand and caressed the brunette's cheek.
"Hey, I was just joking."
"I know. It's not that."
"Then, what's wrong? Your mood changed."
Janel let out a sigh before speaking.
"The trial will start in a few short weeks and I'm not close to finishing the code revisions. I want to finish it before the trial starts. We need to have enough time to test the program, I have to make sure that there's no glitch, no errors. I can't make a mistake. I just can't. "
"And you won't. I know you won't. You're one of the best in your field babe, and you've got a great team. You won't fail."
"But what if I will? What if he gets away? What if he harms you and Rosie?
I don't know what I'll do if that happens, especially knowing that I could have done something to prevent it."
"Hey. Will you stop that? Stop doubting yourself," Sasha said a little too loud, making her daughter glance up at the women.
"Mama? Why are you shouting at mommy?" Rosie asked innocently.
Sasha looked at her daughter who stopped playing with her dolls at the back seat.
"Oh no, hun. I'm not shouting. I'm just trying to cheer on your mommy Janel because she is feeling a little sad," Sasha explained to her daughter.
"Oh okay. Don't shout mama. It's not nice," Rosie said then got back to her dolls.
Sasha smiled, she has a very caring and sweet daughter, she is truly blessed.
"Your daughter just scolded you," Janel said laughing.
"And it's your fault."
"I know how I can make up for it," Janel said giving Sasha one of her naughty winks.
"Glad you're back to your happy self. I like what you're thinking, but we can't."
"We can't.. what?"
"We're not in Beacon Heights, babe, where Rosie has her room. We're sharing the whole room with the girls."
"See you're the one with a dirty mind," Janel laughed clearly teasing Sasha.
"What? Of course not! I just.."
"You're so guilty. Actually, I was talking about taking you to dinner tonight. Just you and me. But if you want to do something else..." Sasha blushed at her girlfriend's words. It's going to be an exciting evening she thought.
The girls have been busy with the preparations and with catching up that they have not really discussed the current situation of their, up until two days ago, MIA friend. This is about the right time to talk about it since the blonde is in the other car with Janel.
"Who would have thought Janel and Sasha would eventually end up together?" Ashley said to her friends.
"Yeah. And that Sasha's got a 3-year-old daughter now," Troian added.
"I always thought it was going to be Lucy who's gonna have a kid first," Ashley said.
"Why me?" Lucy asked giving Ashley a questioning look.
"Well out of all of us, you have the longest relationship with Ian. And you're finally tying the knot. So yeah. You're on top of my list," Ashley said laughing.
"Can you guys imagine what Sasha's going through now? And what she'd gone through? I'm amazed that she hasn't gone insane yet," Cece said.
"It's crazy just to think about it. Your future husband getting killed, leaving you with a daughter, and being hunted down by unknown people. I'm wondering how she's coping," Ashley added.
"It's Janel," Shay simply said.
"What do you mean, it's Janel?" Lucy asked.
"Well. Janel has always been there for her. Since that day we broke up. Janel has always been by her side. Up until they were at BHU, up until now. Janel supported her and I think Janel is the reason Sasha's still sane," Shay said. She has always thought that Janel is a very important part of Sasha's life. Now they are officially together, Shay couldn't be happier for her ex-girlfriend, turned friend. She's glad that everything worked out fine between them. She has Cece, and Sasha has Janel.
"We're almost there, muffin. Are you excited?" Sasha asked her daughter who looked excitedly at her.
"I am super excited mama. I've got a lot of playmates today."
Sasha looked happily towards her daughter. This is the first time in 6 months that her daughter will really get to have fun. True, there's still the bodyguards following them, but being in Rosewood makes Sasha feels safe and secure.
"Rosie. Look out the window," Janel said.
"Mommy! We're here. We're here. We're here!" Rosie exclaimed in excitement.
"Stay on your seat, Rosie. Mama will come and get you," Sasha said.
Rosie waited excitedly for her mom and when she was allowed to get out of the car, she immediately ran towards the swing shouting for her mommy Janel to come and push her.
"You stay with Rosie. I'll get our things," Sasha said.
"Don't you need help?"
"I can handle it, babe. It's just a blanket and a picnic basket. I'm practically bigger than you," Sasha teased.
"Mean much?" Janel said laughing as she walked off and head towards Rosie.
The other girls just arrived and are now getting out of the car.
"This place brings back memories," Troian said.
"Yeah. I can still remember the countless times we would just go here, have a little picnic and just talk for hours," Lucy said.
"Or when we would seat on those swings and just cry about stuff at school or silly things," Shay added.
"And here we are, some things never really change I think," Troian said smiling at her friends.
"Ladies, let's go?" Sasha shouted and waved, motioning for them to head towards her direction.
"We can see Rosie is already enjoying herself," Shay said to Sasha.
"Yes. Help me with these guys? Let's set up near a shade or something," Sasha said.
"Let's go. We want to make the most of our time together. It might take us another wedding for us to see each other again," Cece said referring to her and Shay's wedding.
"Yeah. Totally," Ashley said laughing and the other girls laughed with her too.
************************************
Hi everyone!
Happy Holidays! This is my little Christmas gift for all of you guys. You all have been patient with my story and had been with me in this journey since I started this story. I will try to update more in the coming year. I know that this year has been a tough one for everyone, so I hope all of you are staying safe, positive and inspired. Things may have been bad, but we all should look forward to a new year and keep moving forward.
You all inspire me to continue writing, with every like, comment and add, you warm and touch my heart. If you have any requests about how you want the story to go, just leave a message or comment.
Thank you and I love you all!
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year
Fephzie <3