~ Golden Ocean Resort ~
Later that evening, they all gathered in a restaurant on the third floor of the main building.
"Everyone!", Penny called and put her left hand on a display, so that her sparkly engagement ring can be seen. "We are engaged!"
"Wow! You too?!", Bridgette exclaimed.
Penny was unable to hide her confusion. "What do you mean?"
"We are engaged also!", Bridgette said enthusiastically and waved her left hand, showing her engagement ring.
"And we are pregnant!", Felix shouted while pulling Sophia closer to him.
After a second of complete silence, they all burst into laughs and congratulations.
It was a lively dinner.
Ben said how he was thinking of proposing and how to do it, and when JoAnna invited them here he knew that this is a perfect place. This is the place where he and Penny reunited after a long separation, and he found out that she is pregnant. A perfect place. So, he proposed, and she said 'yes'.
Penny told them that she has no plans for a big wedding. Her belly is already showing and if they go for something big, by the time they organize it, she will be huge.
"I always dreamed of a huge princess-style wedding, but due to the circumstances, we will have a small gathering. Please expect invitations soon. I want us to do it before I turn into a whale.", Penny said while rubbing her belly. "We will have a bigger wedding later, after junior is born. Uhm… not so much bigger in terms of how many people are invited, but it will be more… princess-y."
Ben confirmed with a dreamy smile on his face, still high on the fact that Penny will be his wife. "Mhm… we can have a wedding on every anniversary."
Penny turned to Emma. "Emma, since I arrived at Los Angeles, you were always by my side and I am happy to call you my best friend. Will you be my maid-of-honor?"
Emma smiled brightly. "Yes, yes…" She went to Penny and hugged her. "Thank you for this honor! For a moment, it sounded like you are proposing to me."
They moved to probe about wedding plans Steve and Bridgette have, but they just said how they still need to think about it. Currently, they don't have any plans and they are not in a rush.
Felix watched his sister and pressed his lips into a line, unsure how he feels about this. He is happy for Bridgette, she is so excited that she is almost glowing. At the same time, she is getting married, starting a life of her own. Ah, his baby sister is all grown up!
Bridgette was sitting next to Sophia and Sophia used this chance to ask: "Will you tell Sylvie about your upcoming wedding?" Sophia knows that Bridgette is in touch with her mother.
Bridgette confirmed. "Yes. I don't know if I will do it over the phone or we might make a trip to visit her."
After Felix's wedding, Bridgette visited their mother once in the hospital. Sylvie had some strange muscle damage (courtesy of Stella) and it took a long time for her to be able to move. She can walk now, but with a limp. Bridgette finds it interesting that Sylvie never clarified how she managed to hurt her body like that, it was almost like she is afraid to talk about it.
Bridgette is in touch with her mother, but only over the phone. Sylvie is mostly grumpy and hostile, and whenever her temper flares up ending a phone call is simple.
Their talks are short, and every time Bridgette mentioned Felix, Sylvie would go into rage and Bridgette didn't get a chance to tell her that Felix and Sophia have a daughter. On the other side, if she hears that they named the baby Cecilia, that might cause another explosion because that is the name of Damien's mother.
"Oh, we should invite father here!", Bridgette told Felix. "We can have a party where we will tell him that I am engaged, and you have another baby on the way!"
Felix agreed. "Sounds great."
"Before we make any future plans on that…", Sophia interjected. "I would like to have a checkup and confirm that everything is fine with me and the baby..."
JoAnna leaned into Jeff embrace and grinned. "Sarah will totally be bummed for missing this. I don't know what the two of them are doing, but this is... better."
Jeff laughed.
…
Pam and Leah returned to their suite.
"Ah, it was a very good evening!", Leah exclaimed. "So many good news."
"Yeah…", Pam sighed.
"What is up with you?"
Pam shook her head.
"Many good news…", Pam mumbled.
"Are you still upset that I am leaving?", Leah guessed what the cause of Pam's sour mood is, despite dinner in a celebratory atmosphere.
Pam didn't dare look at Leah, fearing that she will not be able to stay composed. Lately her feelings are all over the place and every day she is more and more attached to Leah and looks forward when she will see her. Without any warning, Leah became center of Pam's life and now Leah is leaving? Just like that?
"Leah, don't you feel anything for me?"
Leah looked at Pam with a complex expression. "Honestly… I do."
Pam's face lit up, but it was only for a moment, before she realized that even with their feelings in the open, Leah is still going to leave her. "Then… How can you leave?"
Leah was surprised by these questions. It almost felt like they are lovers of many years and Leah is breaking up unexpectedly. Leah knew that Pam has feelings for her, but she didn't know it's to this extent. Sure, they clicked well and are getting along great, and it's undeniable that there is some chemistry, but they met only recently.
As much as Leah wants to stay and see where this might lead, she also does not want to deny herself fulfilling her travel needs which she ignored because of Isabella. If she does not go because of Pam, isn't she back to neglecting her needs because of a lover?
"Pam, me leaving is something I need to do. For myself. I am suppressing myself for a long time and I finally get to be free and I crave for that feeling of doing whatever I want and not hiding or apologizing for it."
"If you stay with me, that would limit your freedom?"
"Pam, please… don't make this more difficult than it is. I really hope that we can part on a good note and that would leave the possibility of us picking up where we left once I am back."
Pam pressed her lips into a line, gave a small nod and walked into her bedroom.
Leah looked at the closed door of Pam's bedroom and she wanted to go after her, but she didn't. Leah knows that if she does that, it will only make things more difficult.
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