Holly J ran the options she had brainstormed past Miles II. "One thing we could do is do nothing, and hope Maya doesn't say anything to the press."

Miles frowned. "What if she puts Miles III's name on the birth certificate?"

"If she has the baby in New York, she can't do that without Miles permission, or she has to take him to court. It's possible that she won't want him around and will just leave the father as a blank."

"And our other option?"

"It sounds crazy, but we could sue her first in Toronto."

"Why would we sue her?"

"If she sues in New York, then everyone will find out, but if we sue in Toronto and can get a friendly judge who can give us a gag order, then we can keep it quiet."

"But what do we get by suing?"

"We control the litigation and we try to get her to sign the nondisclosure agreement in exchange for dropping the suit." It's not like Miles III wants custody.

"So we can either do nothing and hope she doesn't sue or sue and try and control the outcome?"

"Yes."

Miles II had to think about this. "How much time do we have?"

Holly J couldn't say. "If we're going to sue, we should probably do it before the baby's born and not after, but it's hard to know if she'll do anything and if so, when."

It was time for Degrassi Does Milan to premiere in Hollywood. Zoe Rivas appeared in a Vera Wang evening gown with Miles Hollingsworth III on her side.

"ZOE!" She turned and smiled as people took her picture. She waived to her fans, but she signed no autographs before going inside.

The photos were all over the Internet. When Tristan saw them, he had to tell Maya.

"MAYA!"

"What?" Maya had been trying to relax. She was exhausted from yet another marathon session at Cam's. He was really keeping her in shape.

"Guess who Zoe took to her premiere."

"Drake?" There were rumors that she had hooked up with him.

Tristan brought his laptop over and showed her the pictures. She was with Miles.

Maya rolled her eyes. "Good riddance."

The couple had just confirmed their relationship, although rumors had them together since 2018.

"I love my boyfriend," Zoe told some reported. "We've been together for three years, and I'm sure he's the one."

"Too bad he cheated on her the whole time."

"Don't you think she deserves to know the truth?" Tristan asked her.

"What am I supposed to do, write to her and say, I don't know you but, your boyfriend got me pregnant? She'd probably think I was a crazy fan."

Tristan thought they should do something, but Maya was determined to stay out of it. "It's not my business what they do."

"And what happens when she finds out about the baby?"

"If she finds out … that's his problem."

August

Cam went with Maya to her next doctor's appointment.

"I can't believe I'm going to find out the gender today?"

Cam was hoping that the baby would be a girl. He thought that a boy would be more inclined to go looking for his birth father, and no good would ever come from Miles Hollingsworth.

"It's nice to see you and the father together."

"He's not the …"

"Oh sorry. You two seemed so happy. I thought you were a couple."

This isn't awkward.

They put the cold gel on Maya's stomach and the technician started to look. "Congratulations, you have a beautiful baby girl in there."

Maya wanted a little princess to spoil. "Can we get two sets of pictures?"

She wanted to send one set to her family.

"Of course."

While Maya was gone, Tristan got an unwelcome visitor at the apartment.

"Is this the Matlin residence?"

"It depends. Who are you?"

"She's been served." The man handed over the papers and ran off.

Tristan called.

"What is it Tris?"

"Someone served you with legal papers."

"On what?"

"I didn't open them."

"I'll come home now."

"Something wrong?" Cam questioned.

"Someone sent me legal papers."

"Let's go."

They got a cab back to Maya's apartment. When she opened it, she shrieked. "That fucking asshole!"

It was a petition for paternity and a request for joint custody pending the results.

You are on notice that a request for a gag order has been filed, and you are not to discuss the case with anyone outside of counsel until the judge has made his ruling.

"Why would he sue you for custody?" Cam didn't get it.

Maya called her sister right away.

"Maya what's going on?"

"Miles is suing me for custody!"

"What? Why?"

"I don't know why. I just got these papers in the mail and …" she started crying. Why can't this bastard leave her alone?

"Calm down. Fax me whatever he sent you, and I'll look into it."

For reasons unknown, Tristan had a fax in his room.

They sent over the papers and Katie received them in her office. Once she read them, she concluded that they filed first for home court advantage. The question was, how should they respond.

They could file a motion to dismiss and file a case in New York. They could also do something a bit underhanded.

"You think I should go to the press?" Maya questioned when Katie called her back. "But what about the gag order?"

"The request doesn't matter," Katie told her. "Until the judge rules, you can talk about whatever you want."

"And what would I say?"

"This is all about Miles trying to control the narrative. If we can get your story out on paper and share it first, then he has no reason to seek custody. Do you think he really wants to raise a baby?"

He can hardly take care of himself. "Probably not."

"We may not even need the story to be published. Its existence might be enough to get Miles to back off."

Clare was happy to write a story on Maya. She was a reporter for the magazine New York. "My boss is expecting an art piece. Do you have any shows coming up?"

"I have two this month."

"Really? What are they?"

Clare and Maya started to work on the story. They met at Julliard where Maya showed Clare around and explained her journey to get here.

"I started playing the violin at three. It was something for me to do. Katie had just started soccer the year before and they needed something for me to do that was at the same time." She had fallen in love with the instrument quickly.

"I started joined my school's orchestra in 7th grade," which was the earliest year that she could join. "My teacher at the time told me that I had a real talent and I should try to get to a larger stage. She said that you will improve the fastest if you play with people who are better than you are."

Maya auditioned for Toronto's Junior Symphony Orchestra twice before she was accepted at 15.

"It was a great experience. I played with them for three years, and then I left to come to New York." She had gotten to travel all over the country and she had gone on the European tour when she was 17, visiting Brussels, Paris, Amsterdam, and Berlin.

"Once I came to Julliard, I realized there was so much in the world of art that I hadn't known about. I had a lot of room to grow." She found herself working with dancers and actors and doing all kinds of things she had never contemplated before.

"I started playing the trumpet and the bass. I write songs with those instruments in mind and I layer the tracks."

Her inspiration came from Beirut, Sufjan Stevens, and Miles Davis. "I really got into jazz my sophomore year." She started going to jazz clubs and started to freestyle, which was very new to her. "It's beautiful but it flouts everything I was taught about music. It's like the hunky bad boy your mother tells you stay away from; I was instantly drawn in."

Clare had heard Maya play before, but she had never really talked to her about her music. It was fascinating.

"So tell me about what you'll be performing later this month."

"I will be doing my advanced theory final." The professor would spin a wheel and everyone would have to perform a song of the artist that is chosen. "We have to be ready to perform everyone on the wheel. There are five options and you can't repeat songs, so if someone takes the only one you know, you better make something up."

Maya had agreed to go third, so she would hopefully not have her song poached.

"I will also be in the orchestra for Chicago. I'll mostly be playing the trumpet, but I do play the violin in a couple of songs."

"Do you usually take summer classes?"

Maya shook her head. "I made an exception this summer because I am trying to graduate early. I'm 18 weeks pregnant, so I want to finish my diploma before my daughter is born."

"And is the father around?"

"No. He told me to get an abortion, and when I wouldn't, he broke up with me."

"He sounds like a real Prince Charming."

"If that's how he's going to be about it, then I'd rather him leave. My daughter doesn't need that in her life and neither do I."

It was the day of Maya's final. Cam was on the ice, doing sprints and practicing his shots. He couldn't believe pre-season was in a month. It was like the summer had flown by.

"Rook!" Dallas came out on the ice too. He had been partying a bit too much and needed to get his head in the game.

"Wanna play one on one?"

"Let's do it."

They put the puck in the middle of the rink and had at it.

Dallas was bigger, but Cam was quicker. His nickname in college had been lightning bug.

Cam got the puck and sprinted for the goal. Shoot, score.

"Beginner's luck!"

"Why don't you have any?" Cam retorted.

"I see how it is."

Dallas needed a few rounds to warm up, but then he was back in the game.

After about a dozen rounds, they took a break.

"How's Maya?"

"She's nervous about her show tonight, but I'm sure she'll kill it."

"Have you thought about what you're going to do when the baby comes?"

Cam shrugged. "Continue to be her boyfriend."

"What I mean is, are you going to be the child's father, or are you going to be that guy in the background? Newborns take up a lot of attention. You're hardly going to see her unless you're around for the baby too."

"I want to be with Maya, but what if I'm not cut out to be a dad."

Dallas thought Cam should at least try. "Maybe you're not, but I can tell you that you're already 10 times better than the baby's current father. Vanessa left because she couldn't take the heat, and yeah, it sucks, but I wouldn't give up Rock for anything. There's nothing like having a kid call you Dad."

Maya was freaking out backstage. She had performed well over 100 times in her life, but this was the first time she was performing in front of Cam, and Clare was here for the article.

"If I bomb … oh GOD!"

She hardly had time to sort out her thoughts.

It was time to go out on stage. Maya sat with the other seven students in her class.

Her teacher introduced them to the audience and then he spun the wheel. Maya was hoping for Queen. She could rock out Under Pressure on four different instruments.

Of course, the wheel landed on Celine Dion.

Dear God, I'm sure Cam's going to want to hear this.

The first performer was a girl who played the piano and sang Because You Loved Me. Maya was sure that this girl had this song in her repertoire for a long time. Unfortunately, this class was graded on a curve. Maya would have to raise the bar even higher.

Cam, Dallas, Owen, and Luke were sitting with Clare, Tristan, and Fabio. Dallas had a flask of whiskey, and Luke had a flask of tequila.

"You better not embarrass Maya," Clare warned him.

"We'll be good," he winked.

Clare rolled her eyes. BOYS!

The next singer did Pour que tu m'aimes encore. Maya was glad that someone did a French song of hers. She was very glad that she was not the one to do it.

When it was Maya's turn to perform, there was a burst of applause from the drunken Rangers players.

Clare started shushing them.

Maya just shook her head. "Hello everyone. My name is Maya Matlin, and I will be performing It's All Coming Back to Me Now."

Maya started to play her violin. She took everyone by surprise when she started singing.

There were nights when the wind was so cold … that my body froze in bed if I just listened to it right outside the window.

She sang with power and she knew exactly when to soften her voice.

There were days when the sun was so cruel … all the tears turned to dust and I knew my eyes were drying up forever.

As Cam watched the performance, he became certain of one thing; he was head over heels in love with Maya Matlin. He could see it now: them moving out of the city and into a house, her singing to get their baby to fall asleep. He was all in.

After the concert was over, the Rangers came to congratulate Maya. She was certainly the best. Before they could get a word in, however, Cam pulled Maya to his chest and kissed her passionately, in front of everyone.

The photographer for the event snapped their picture. Cam didn't realize it yet, but he just announced to the world that he and Maya were together.

She threw her arms around his neck.

"Hey, watch out before you make a baby," Dallas teased.

Clare bopped his head.

They went out for a late dinner after his show. Maya was in the mood for Chinese, so that's where they went.

Luke crinkled his nose when Clare ordered tofu. "Seriously, why don't you eat meat?"

"It's healthier not do."

"It's also healthier not to drink and smoke but what kind of life is that?"

Clare shook her head. She was thinking about quitting alcohol as well.

"I don't need alcohol or cigarettes, but if someone tried to take my chicken," Maya cautioned, "I would stab a bitch."

"When are you having your baby shower?" Fabio questioned.

"I don't know," Maya told him. "I still need to find a place."

"Move in with me," Cam said to her, surprising the violinist and well everyone at the table.

"What?"

"Move in with me. I can turn my study into a nursery." It's not like he ever studies.

"You won't get sick of her crying all night."

"I'm sure I will, but what parent doesn't."

He just called himself a parent. For the first time, Maya didn't feel alone in this.

Becky was sad that she missed Maya's concert. "I had rehearsals for Chicago." Their director was crazy. "He's always giving me a hard time."

"It's because you won't fuck him," Tristan told her.

"What?"

"He tries to fuck all of his leading ladies."

"Gross," Becky made a face. She wasn't even ready to fuck Jonah and she was dating him.

"I think they're going to post the recording online," Maya told her.

Before the concert made it online, the photo of the kiss made it on TMZ.

NY Rangers New Superstar Cam Saunders has a Girlfriend.

We weren't able to make out her face, but according to an unnamed source, he was kissing Maya Matlin, a violinist and a senior at Julliard.

Once it got on TMZ, it ended up on Sports Illustrated, ESPN, everyone who followed hockey.

Holly J saw the photo and spit out her coffee. "What the hell?" How did their PI miss this? Did they fuck up by filing the suit? They could have just done nothing and let people think it was Saunders' baby. Could it be Saunders' baby?

The lawyer confronted Miles III immediately. "Are you sure this baby is yours?"

"Pretty sure, Maya didn't seem like the cheating type. Why?"

Holly J showed him the photo.

"Who the fuck is that?"

"He's a hockey player for the NY Rangers, and they look pretty cozy."

Miles' blood was boiling. He didn't want some dumb jock raising his kid. "Hell no."

Holly J didn't care what Miles III thought about the matter. She went and informed the father.

"She's dating a hockey star. How does that help us?"

"He may want to claim the baby as his own. We might want to consider settlement negotiations with them," and try to keep this out of the courts and out of the papers.

"Why didn't you find this before?"

"The PI had no idea and neither did Miles. We don't know when they started dating."

Chicago's opening night was packed. The entire weekend was sold out. Jonah snuck backstage to wish Becky luck. He kissed her hand, careful not to smudge her makeup and said, "knock 'em dead."

"That's the idea," at least in the show.

"Curtain's opening in FIVE!"

Everyone had to get in his or her place.

Clare had a playbill, but she couldn't find Tristan. "What role does he have?"

"He's playing Amos Heart." He was also one of the husbands in the cellblock tango. Owen cracked up when he learned Tristan was playing a cuckolded husband.

The lights went off. It was time for the show to begin.

Becky was a phenomenal Roxie. No one would have guessed that she was a good Christian girl. On stage, she was a naïve but manipulative housewife, trying to sleep her way into show business. She had her husband wrapped around her little finger, but her lover was playing her for a fool.

Luke was not amused when Becky did her sex scene. She was in a body suite, but Luke was still ready to knock Jason's head in.

"Oh hush up," Clare scolded. Boys are so ridiculous.

Cam understood the sentiment. If another guy tried to touch Maya like that, there'd be hell to pay.

Owen couldn't stop snickering when his brother took the stage. "He's so gay. Who's going to believe he's married to her?"

"Maybe that's why he doesn't know his wife is fucking that other guy," Luke retorted.

They started giggling.

Clare gave up with these idiots.

The dancing was Dallas's favorite part of the performance. The woman playing Velma Kelly was phenomenal.

"Do you think Maya knows her?" he whispered to Cam.

"I'm sure she does."

Dallas needed an introduction. He had to see just how bendy she could be.

Miles tried to get a ticket, but the whole weekend was sold out already.

"I'll pay double!"

"It's a fire hazard."

"Triple?"

The guy shook his head.

"I just want to talk to one of the performers."

"Pay me quadruple, and I can sneak you in backstage after the show."

Miles gladly forked over the $60.

All he had to do now was wait.

The play was very well received. They got a standing ovation and lots of flowers were tossed on the stage.

Jonah had water lilies for Becky. He kissed her after the show just to get plucked away by Luke.

"Hands where I can see them pretty boy!"

"You're such an ogre," Becky complained.

Cam didn't see Maya. "Where did Maya go?"

"I think she went to look for Tristan backstage."

Five minutes later, Tristan came to them. "I didn't see Maya."

Cam went backstage. "Where could she be?"

Maya was about to find Cam and the others when one of the ticket sellers called her over.

"What is it Tom?"

"This guy wanted to talk to you."

"What guy?"

It turned out to be yours truly. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Maya, I need to talk to you."

"You can talk to my lawyer you asshole!"

"I made a mistake."

"You are a mistake!" She hissed.

Miles was furious. His father told him that all the time. "You have no right …"

"I have no right. You're the one who didn't use a condom. You're the one who ran away like a little bitch, and then you had the audacity to sue me. You are never getting anywhere near this baby. She deserves better than to have a loser like you."

She tried to leave but he grabbed her arm. "You can't keep me from my child."

"So it's your child now. What does Zoe have to say about that?"

His face turned white.

"She doesn't know, does she? If you don't want her to find out, you'll drop this stupid suit."

She stormed off.

Finally, Cam found her. "Maya, let's go."

She took his hand in hers. "Sorry about that. I just got caught up."

Miles seethed as he saw the hockey player walk off with his girl and his baby. What the hell!

Clare's article on Maya ran the next day. Everyone had been talking about her since that kiss reached TMZ and Clare was the first to get the inside story. They broke their single day issue record before lunch.

Miles II was not happy. They didn't mention his son by name, but they already said what a jerk he had been. If his name got out, then this would seriously hurt the family's reputation. He asked if they could take any action against the magazine, but Holly J said no.

"They're not a Canadian paper. They wouldn't be bound by any gag order from our judge." Another limitation to the gag order was that it didn't apply to anyone Maya may have spoken to before she got served. Who knows in whom she had confided?

Miles was still in New York. He had to find a way to get to Maya. It wasn't fair. The baby hadn't even been born yet. What did he really miss out on?

Zoe called him. He ignored it. Not now, bitch!