"Really? Are you guys serious?" Victoria questioned with obvious glee looking between Amy and Zach.
"Yes", Amy responded with a smile as she blushed.
"I'm so happy for you", she pulled her into a hug.
"Me too! Congratulations dear", Stella joined in on the hug.
"Thank you."
"Don't you want to wait until Roserie is a year or two so she can be-"
"No", Zach replied firmly, interrupting whatever his father was saying. Richard gave Zach a knowing smile as he patted him on the shoulder.
"Wow, just when we were about to take our leave but look, you just gave us another reason to extend our stay", Victoria's face lit up with a smile. "This is going to be amazing!"
"You don't need to stay here to plan their-" Henry grunted when his wife harshly elbowed him.
"Dad's right", Zach agreed. "You can help Amy with the wedding plans without living here. Both of you."
Victoria's smile quickly turned into a frown. "Are you kicking us out?"
"Yes", he replied without batting an eyelid.
"It's about time", Henry nodded, ignoring his wife's glare.
"Amy still needs help with the baby", Stella tried, not wanting to be separated from the girls.
"You heard the man", Richard interjected as he shifted Roserie onto his other shoulder, patting her back too.
"But she's still recovering", Stella whined earning a disapproving gaze from her husband.
"Don't worry", Amy looked between the two ladies. "We're hours away from each other, we can get together anytime. And besides, I can't rely on your help forever. I need to learn to adjust to my new life plus I'm not doing this alone. I have Zachery. And I know you'll both be one call away."
"Now that's a nice way to put it", Victoria pouted with a sigh before shooting a glare at her son.
Roserie started to cry from Richard's arms before he immediately handed her over to Amy.
"Wait, how long do we have until the wedding?" Stella asked.
"We were thinking in three months", Amy replied while comforting her daughter. "When she's a little older."
"Will that be enough to invite everyone? Gosh I have so many people to reach out to! My gosh! Some of them won't even be in town-"
"Mom", Zach cut in. "Amy and I want something small and private."
Stella and Victoria's jaws dropped dramatically. The latter looked like someone had emptied a bucket of cold water on her head. Something small and intimate? Being her very impressive children's wedding, of course she wanted to go all out!
And she knew it would not only make the news, it would shake the world. What's more, she felt giddy just at the thought of seeing Kris's face after witnessing how majestic the wedding of the great chairman of Frost Corporation will be. An obvious victory is it would be! And they what, want something small and private?
"You might give your mother a heart attack at this point", Henry said with a shake of his head.
"Work out a list of those you want to invite, I'll have a look when you're done", he replied before taking Amy's hand. "She's had a long day, I'll take them up to rest."
"Sure", Henry nodded away, giving way to the couple. They all watched as the trio made way to their room.
Victoria finally snapped out of her trance as a sour realization dawned on her. "Did that punk just treat me like an employee?"
Meanwhile, when the couple reached their room, Amy went to lay on the bed beside her daughter while Zach left to freshen up. Roserie curiously stared at her mother who made funny faces at her. Little by little, gummy smile bloomed from her small mouth, lasting much longer than the first time.
"Awww, my little cupcake is so cuuuute", Amy gushed over her, kissing her chubby cheeks in the process. Roserie cooed in response and Amy imitated her sound.
Zach came out later, changed into fresh new clothes and could not help but smile as he walked over. Amy had a happy smile on her face. "She smiled again, but I think it's still new to her."
"Mm", he agreed and moved to join them when he caught Roserie's gaze following m and taking in his face. "Hello princess."
Another gummy smile when she recognized his voice and face making him smile proudly. Amy felt like she could melt in that moment. "Oh my gosh! I can't take this! Can we make another one?"
She paused, realizing what she said and looked at her man who was now staring at her with a heated gaze. "Don't tempt me woman."
Amy gave him a bashful smile, blushing before looking back at her daughter. He reached out to caress her cheek causing her to look at him. "Are you okay? I know today was a lot."
Her smile slowly faltered knowing what he meant. He may have listened in on their conversation but he was still worried. It broke his heart when he saw her cry over their broken relationship. Her situation with Esmeralda was really affected.
"It was, but I think I needed it, especially after what Dylan said. It's just sad, really", she added. He nodded in understanding before she broke into a smile, a genuine one. "Thank you, for being there for me. I can't imagine ever going through this alone. It's a little more bearable with you."
"I'll always be here for you, always", he promised. She lifted herself and pressed her lips against his accepting and sealing the promise.
"And about that woman", Amy continued after breaking the kiss. "I still don't know if I should meet her."
"You're not ready to?"
"I don't know if it's a matter of being ready or not. Esmeralda was one thing, but she is a whole other case. I don't know what good will come from us meeting now." She had on a sad smile as she looked down, stroking Roserie's cheek. "Plus she's a smart woman, she must have figured out who I was when Esmeralda leaked my information to them."
Zach fell into thought. Was Amy right? If she was, does that mean that woman tried to kill her despite knowing her true identity? That thought alone helped him understand Amy's reasoning and he could not help the anger that bubbled up inside him.
What he wanted to know was, what on Earth was that woman thinking and doing to a child she had supposedly longed for over the years?
At the women's penitentiary
Some of the women had gathered in the TV room watching the current news trending: History repeats itself: The Mastermind behind the Greco case known as the The King dies during an altercation with the FBI. All this was possible thanks to the nation's new found hero: A.J.
Stephanie May looked over her shoulder to sneer at Gwen who was leaning against the door frame. She was still resentful for giving her the black eye. Gwen watched the news intently. When the anchor moved on to the next hot news, she shot a threatening glare at Stephanie that made her cower in fear before turning to leave.
Gwen's lips suddenly curved up as she muttered under her breath, "A.J...."
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