A/N: Welcome back and thank you for the reviews. I heard that Rufus and Ivy are done, yay! Hopefully that means a Rufly reunion? We will see, but for now enjoy more CeCe.
Chapter Fourteen
"I see that and maybe I shouldn't have made her choose all those years ago." Rufus is astounded, what made CeCe have a sudden change of heart?
"Is this some sort of an apology?" Rufus asks.
"Don't be ridiculous, you saw how many drinks I have had today." Figures, Rufus thinks to himself.
"I appreciate whatever this is and think you should tell Lily what you just told me."
"I will when I think my daughter is ready to hear it. Now, let's go rejoin the family. Lily probably thinks I have killed you by now." Rufus chuckles and they drop the dirty dishes in the sink before going into the living room.
CeCe sits down in a chair that was left open for her by the kids while Rufus takes a seat next to Lily on the couch.
"What did my mother have to say?" Lily whispers to Rufus as the kids are still debating which board game to start with.
"We will talk about that later," Rufus whispers back, not really knowing what to say to his wife right now. He is so conflicted about CeCe, she usually has ulterior motives, but she seemed so genuine when semi-apologizing to Rufus. However, that conversation about what is going to happen after the baby still resonates with him as well. Rufus senses that she mentioned that to him in order to provoke a fight between him and Lily, but now he isn't so sure.
"Hey you two, stop whispering about what you are going to do to each other later and join the family," CeCe says to the couple which makes Lily blush.
"Mother!" Lily admonishes and shakes her head in disapproval.
"What game have you guys picked?" Rufus asks, deterring their conversation for the kids' sake.
"How about Twister?" Jenny jokes, holding up the box.
"Sure," CeCe agrees to everybody's shock.
"Grandma, you do know what Twister is right?" Serena asks with amusement.
"Of course I do dear. I have had enough drinks in me to not remember this tomorrow, so why not?"
"Well when you put it like that, let's play Twister," Dan jokes and waits for Jenny to take all of the stuff out of the box. Lily is given the job of operating the spinner since she is pregnant and can't play. It takes some convincing, but the kids eventually get Rufus to play with them. He figures if CeCe is putting in the effort, he could too.
The game comes down to CeCe and Eric, everyone else has been eliminated.
"Right hand green," Lily calls out and watches her mother and son contort their bodies to reach the green dot.
"Oh my hip!" CeCe exclaims as she leans over in an attempt to put her hand on the dot.
"Grandma are you okay?" Eric stops moving and stands up to help CeCe.
"Yes! I win!" CeCe shouts and gets to her feet.
"Nice move Grandma!" Serena says and high fives her grandmother. Eric's jaw drops at the fact he just got played by his grandma. Everyone else starts laughing at CeCe brazenness.
"Good one CeCe," Rufus congratulates her.
"Thank you Rufus, what game are we playing next guys?" CeCe asks, apparently having a great time.
"How about something less hazardous to your health?" Lily asks and suggests Clue.
"Good idea darling, I am not as young as I used to be," CeCe excuses herself to get another drink while the game is being setup. Serena ends up winning Clue and then they switch over to boggle. By then, everyone is starting to get tired. Eric, Jenny, Serena and Dan hug CeCe, Lily and Rufus goodbye before exiting the penthouse.
"Well thank you mother, I actually had fun tonight," Lily says.
"You look tired Lily, you should go to bed." CeCe tells her and finishes off her drink. Lily nods and looks to Rufus whose shoulders are slumping in exhaustion.
"Let's go to bed Lil," Rufus stands up first and offers his hand for Lily. He pulls her up, still holding onto her hand.
"Night mother, you know where the liquor is if you need some," Lily leans over to kiss CeCe's cheek.
"Night, don't let me hear what you two are doing upstairs." Lily's face heats up in embarrassment causing Rufus to laugh. Lily and Rufus head to their bedroom and do their usual nighttime routine before climbing into bed.
"My mother was on her best behavior tonight. That must have to do with the number of drinks she had." Lily jokes and lays her head down on Rufus' chest.
"Must be," Rufus mumbles. Lily pops her head up and notes the heightened worry lines on her husband's face.
"Okay what is going on with you? You have been making that face ever since you and my mother had that secret talk in the dining room."
"Nothing, I just don't know how to process our conversation, that's all."
"Was she slurring her words?"
"Lily, I am serious. I think we have made a tiny step in becoming closer, but I can't tell."
"With my mother, you never can. Thanks for trying though, I really appreciate it." Lily kisses him chastely on the mouth. Rufus ups the ante by threading his fingers through her hair.
"As much as I would love to, I can't have sex with you with my mother in the adjacent room." Lily whispers breathlessly as she breaks away from the kiss.
"Why not? Pretty much everyone in this family has heard us have sex," Rufus points out, sticking his lower lip out. Lily laughs and caresses his cheek.
"I know, but she will be gone tomorrow. We can do it then as loud as we want."
"I guess," Rufus says solemnly. Lily pecks him on the cheek and brings the covers closer to her.
"Goodnight Lil," Rufus leans down and plants a kiss on the crown of her head.
"Night Rufus," Lily adjusts a little, already feeling her eyelids droop.
Around two o'clock in the morning Lily is woken up by an intense craving and the feeling of her daughter kicking her repeatedly in the ribs. Ignore it and go back to sleep, her mind tells her. She rubs her abdomen in an attempt to soothe her daughter. Alex won't relent and kicks Lily twice as hard as before.
"Rufus," Lily whispers to her sleeping husband. Rufus is still lightly snoring, showing no signs of waking up anytime soon. Lily starts assaulting Rufus' face with kisses, never ceasing until his green irises flicker open.
"What?" Rufus asks, annoyed that he has been woken up. He assumes that it is something serious enough for his wife to be waking him up in the middle of the night.
"I want sour cream and onion chips," Lily says to him and offers her best puppy dog face. Rufus groans and shakes his head.
"Lil, I am not getting out of bed to get you chips."
"Didn't you say about two weeks ago that you would do anything for our child?"
"Yes, but it was nine in the morning and I was fully dressed then," Rufus explains and starts to close his eyes again. If this is going to work, Lily needs to switch tactics.
"Please baby?" Lily asks and puts his hand to where their daughter is kicking her. This gets Rufus' full attention, Lily rarely, if ever, calls Rufus baby. It's always darling or occasionally honey. She must be really desperate to call him baby.
"Fine," Rufus acquiesces since he knows that Lily isn't going back to bed until she gets what she wants. Rufus untangles himself from Lily and disappears into the bathroom to get redressed. He comes out ten minutes later to find Lily fully awake, reading the last of her book.
"I am not going to get any sleep until our daughter gets what she wants," Lily informs him after seeing the bemusement on Rufus' face.
"She is stubborn like her mother," Rufus sits next to her on the bed, rubs the top of Lily's stomach and plants a feather light kiss on her lips.
"Hmm…I was going to say she has your stubbornness." Lily kisses him again and brushes some hair out of his face. "Thank you for doing this."
"I better get a lot of sexual favors for this." Lily laughs and nods.
"If you want them, they are yours."
"Good, don't think I won't collect." Rufus gives her a final kiss goodbye and heads out of the penthouse. He runs into Vanya on the way out who shakes his head at Rufus.
"I did the same thing for Dorota. What is Mrs. Humphrey asking for?" Vanya asks him.
"Sour cream and onion chips," Rufus tells Vanya who chuckles.
"I had to track down old Polish cuisine when Dorota was pregnant with Anastasia, which was not easy. Good luck to you Mr. Rufus." Vanya holds the door open for Rufus who smiles in appreciation. Rufus hails a cab to the nearest grocery store.
All the way there, Rufus cannot believe that he has become a cliché. He is doing a middle of the night grocery run for his expectant wife, a scene straight out of the movies. This never happened when Allison was pregnant with Dan or Jenny, but Lily is very different from Allison. Lily always gets Rufus to do things he has never done before, including this. Rufus is lucky that he lives in New York, a city that never sleeps; otherwise he would be hard pressed to find a grocery store open at two thirty in the morning.
"Excuse me, where are your sour cream and onion chips?" Rufus asks an older gentleman working at the cash register.
"How far along is your wife?" The gentleman asks Rufus with a grin.
"Is it that obvious?" Rufus asks as the man is leading him to the back of the store.
"Yup, normally married guys don't come in at odd times asking for odd things unless it's for their pregnant wife. Here you go," The gray haired man hands Rufus a bag of Ruffles sour cream and onion chips.
"Thank you and she is six months along," Rufus says as he pays for the chips.
"Congratulations, I wish you well."
"Thank you and you too!" Rufus grabs his bag and hails a cab back to the penthouse. When he comes back into the penthouse, he spots CeCe sitting at the counter with a drink in her hand.
"You couldn't sleep either?" Rufus asks.
"No, what's in the bag?" CeCe asks.
"Your daughter sent me to get chips for her." CeCe nods sympathetically,
"Did you ever tell her about our talk?"
"Which one are you referring to?"
"The one I don't want Lily to know about."
"No, I didn't tell her anything," Rufus watches in confusion as relief floods CeCe's features. He is about to ask why she is so hesitant to open up to Lily when he hears "Rufus?" from upstairs.
"You better go Lily can be very insistent."
"Don't I know it," Rufus mumbles and bolts up the stairs to the master bedroom. Lily sets her book down on the nightstand as Rufus takes off his shoes.
"Here you go," Rufus hands her the chips and slides into bed next to her.
"Thank you my darling," Lily kisses him in appreciation and starts munching away at the chips. Rufus snakes an arm around her, bringing her close so he can kiss her temple.
"Do you want a chip?" Lily asks and holds one close to Rufus' mouth.
"No thanks. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity, you know that right?" Lily rolls her eyes and swallows.
"Yeah, until the next time I ask you."
"Ask? I think the word was beg, Lil." Lily glares at him before leaning over to throw away her bag of chips.
"Whatever you call it, you still did it."
"I will be stronger next time," Rufus strips down to his boxers and gets under the covers.
"Whatever you say Rufus," Lily slips under the blankets and puts her head back on his chest. Rufus doesn't respond, having already fallen back to sleep.
The next morning, Rufus makes waffles for him, CeCe and Lily to have for breakfast. He feels guilty that he and Lily slept in so late, but considering what happened last night, he hopes that CeCe would be forgiving.
"These waffles are delicious Rufus," CeCe says after she washes them down with some orange juice.
"Thank you, they are my specialty."
"Lily, do you ever cook for Rufus?"
"No mother, you know I can't cook. Although, I did make Rufus pasta once and didn't kill him." Lily jokes.
"Lil is more of a baker than a cook."
"Of course, why don't you teach her how to cook?" CeCe asks Rufus.
"I don't have the patience for it. Besides, I would rather go out or order in." Lily answers for Rufus who is starting to look uncomfortable.
"Ah well it's good that your husband will cook for you. Anyway, I was looking at the nursery earlier and noticed that there is stuff you guys need to get. You two should go shopping today," CeCe says, hoping they will jump at the chance so she can get them out of the penthouse. Lily's eyes narrow in disbelief, her mother wants her and Rufus out of the apartment for some reason.
"That sounds like fun, what do you think Lil?" Rufus asks, unbeknownst of CeCe's real intentions.
"Sure," Lily says distractedly, analyzing her mother's face for clues.
"I'll clean up, you guys go get ready," CeCe orders Lily and Rufus. The couple head upstairs to get ready while CeCe puts the dishes in the sink.
"Did my mother seem…too nice this morning to you?" Lily asks Rufus as they are getting dressed.
"Are you complaining about CeCe being nice?"
"I am not complaining, I am wary, the last time we were on good terms with each other was when she was about to tell you about my supposed cancer."
"Well knowing your mother she has something up her sleeve, but we can either fight her on it or go with it, unless of course you want to hang out with her all day." Lily's eyes widen in horror and she vigorously shakes her head.
"No you have a valid point. We need to go baby shopping anyway and this would be the perfect time." Rufus slips his trademark flannel shirt on and turns to Lily who is struggling to slide a coral v-neck over her swollen abdomen.
"Are we going to have another ripped t-shirt incident or are you going to find something that actually can fit you?" Lily yanks her t-shirt down in defiance and smiles triumphantly at Rufus.
"I should probably go help CeCe clean up while you finish getting ready." Rufus kisses her cheek and heads downstairs. He grins when he sees that CeCe is simply putting dishes into the sink.
"Need some help with loading the dishes into the dishwasher?" Rufus asks making CeCe jump.
"Dear, I have never cleaned up after myself in my life. I assumed Larissa did the cleaning for you and Lily." Rufus chuckles at his mother-in-law's admission.
"Lily hires her for big events from time to time, but we do most of the cleaning ourselves." Rufus swings open the dishwasher door and starts loading it. CeCe watches what Rufus is doing and parrots it, trying to make herself useful.
"Did you talk to Lily about the thing I want you to talk to her about?" CeCe asks.
"Not yet, I was going to while we were out shopping today."
"Good, you should figure it out sooner rather than later." Rufus finds it a little odd that CeCe is so concerned about childcare, but he can only assume that she is in some way helping him and Lily. Although with CeCe, you can never tell what her true motives are. Lily comes down the stairs to see her mother putting away dishes for the first time in her life.
"Is my husband making you clean mother?" Lily asks and sets her tan Hermes bag on the counter.
"Yes, it's awful. You two go and I will call the maid to finish this." Rufus and Lily both laugh despite CeCe being completely serious.
"You ready Lil?" Rufus asks.
"Yeah, see you later mother," Lily and Rufus bid goodbye to CeCe and get into the elevator. Once CeCe is sure the couple has left the penthouse, she places a call to the caterer and then to her grandchildren.
"Serena darling, is Eric with you?" CeCe asks.
"No, I am at Blair's. Is there something going on?"
"I was wondering if you could get Eric, Dan and Jenny and bring them to the penthouse. It's pretty important."
"Uh sure grandma, we will be there in a half an hour." Serena and CeCe say their goodbyes and hang up.
"What did CeCe want?" Blair asks Serena who is searching for her Chanel bag.
"I don't know, but I have to go. Do you want to come with?" Blair shrugs,
"Why not, it's not like I am waiting around for Chuck. Ever since he took over for your mother he has been all about work, it's scary that he is actually doing what he is supposed to."
"B, I think Chuck is trying to impress Lily. She is the closest thing he has to a mother."
"I know I just never see him." Serena puts a hand on Blair's arm comfortingly and then swings her ebony Chanel bag over her shoulder.
"Come on, we should go. I have to make sure Dan, Jenny and Eric can come too." Blair and Serena take a car to the penthouse with Serena dialing the whole way there. Luckily, Dan, Jenny and Eric are all free and agree to rush over to the penthouse right away.
When all the kids and Blair arrive at the penthouse they see caterers setting up tables of deserts and appetizers.
"Grandma, what are you planning?" Eric asks CeCe who is directing the caterers.
"I am throwing a surprise baby shower for Lily and Rufus since I am in New York. I was hoping that you guys could help set up. Everyone is scheduled to be here at two." CeCe tells the kids.
"A baby shower? I thought my mom said she didn't want one." Serena says in confusion and dodges someone holding a bouquet of balloons.
"You should know by now darling that I don't listen to anything your mother says. Now, I need someone to help with setting up the cake and decorating."
"I will do the cake and the girls can do the decorating." Dan tells CeCe which Blair, Jenny and Serena agree to.
"Perfect, I am guessing that Lily and Rufus will be back about three." CeCe says to the kids.
"Poor Rufus will have to pry Lily away from the baby stores. She came home with four bags full of clothes the other day that I bet Rufus doesn't even know about." Serena says.
"I will call mom about quarter to three if she isn't back by then and make some excuse as to why she has to come home." Eric promises.
"Good it's settled then, now stop talking and start working. I have to go yell at the catering company." CeCe excuses herself to the kitchen, leaving the kids to fend for themselves.
"Do you like the regular letters or the cursive ones?" Lily asks and holds up them for comparison.
"The cursive ones won't connect with each other so I like the regular ones."
"Good me too. Are we going to spell out Alexandria or just Alex?"
"Alexandria would be too long, I like Alex." Lily picks out the white wooden letters and a few gold picture frames with Rufus' help.
"Alright, we got the letters and the picture frames. What's next?" Lily asks Rufus as they are walking out of Basics Plus, a craft store on the Upper East Side, hand in hand.
"How about bedding?" Rufus asks Lily as they get into a taxi.
"Take us to Albee baby please," Lily directs the cab driver. They arrive and immediately head over to the bedding section.
"I like this one," Rufus points to a light pink bed set.
"The walls are pink that might be a little too much." Lily says and makes a face at Rufus' choice.
"I can tell you already have one picked out from the second we walked in here." Rufus comments and throws an arm around her. Lily nods eagerly and points to an ivory silk bedding set with a strip of pink at the bottom.
"The set also has bows that are sold separately. I think we should get them," Lily suggests.
"You are the expert on this not me. If you want to get that one, then let's get it."
"Wow that was easier than I thought. Are you feeling okay?" Lily jokes and grabs the bed set that is wrapped up. Rufus manages a measly smile. He is letting Lily have her way in hopes that she will go easy on him when he brings up the conversation he had with CeCe.
"I am fine, trust me Lil, I appreciate you asking for my opinion, but I don't know anything about this stuff. You have a good idea of what you want and I am not going to stand in your way." Lily hands him the bags with the letters in them and stands in line to pay for the bedding. Lily kisses him on the cheek as a silent thank you. She then purchases the bedding and they leave the store.
"So it's about two, I was thinking lunch?" Rufus proposes and takes of the bags from her.
"Perfect, I am craving Italian," Lily and Rufus get into a taxi and land at a quaint Italian bistro a few blocks from the penthouse.
They order their food and sit in silence, enjoying the street views of New York. Rufus is fidgeting with his napkin and contemplating whether it is worth bringing up to Lily at all. He concludes that he would rather bring this to the table than CeCe.
"So Lil…" Rufus is interrupted by Lily's iPhone ringing in her purse.
"Oh hold that thought one second, it's my mother," Lily tells Rufus and picks up the phone.
"Yes mother…we should be home in about an hour or so…no you may not take the campaign in the cabinet…yes I am sure...okay our food is coming…okay…bye." Lily heavily sighs and puts her phone back in her Hermes bag as their food is being set down in front of them.
"What were you saying before? Sorry, if I didn't answer she would keep on calling."
"I was wondering what we are going to after the baby is born," Rufus starts, picking every word carefully. Lily's eyebrows furrow in confusion and she takes a sip of her water before answering.
"As far as what?"
"Who is going to watch the baby?"
"Well I was thinking since I am the mother and you are the father, we would. What are you getting at?"
"Are you planning to resume your duties as head of Bass Industries?" Lily purses her lips and tilts her head, having figured this conversation out. Shit, I know that look, she is on to me! Rufus thinks to himself and avoids eye contact with his wife.
"Who is asking here? You or my mother?" They are interrupted by the check coming and Rufus hands the waiter his credit card right away.
"I am because I am wondering if I should take Panic up on their offer of collaborating with them." Lily shakes her head, seeing right through Rufus' deception.
"Don't lie to me, Rufus. Damn it, can't you see? This was my mother's plan all along. She put this idea into your head because she knew I would be against it and it would cause a fight between us."
"That may be, but is she wrong?" Lily's eyes widen and she leans back in her chair. The waiter comes back with the receipt for Rufus to sign. He scribbles his signature and they leave the restaurant, their fight spilling out onto the street.
"I can't believe you just said that to me," Lily whispers as they are standing on the sidewalk outside of the bistro.
"Look Lil, you are an excellent mother, but can you honestly look at me and tell me that you are willing to give up your position at Bass?"
"I am doing this for Charles, I thought you understood that."
"He has proven that he is ready to take over, I think you aren't going to let him." Lily bites her lip in frustration, trying to fight back the tears that are threatening to fall.
"Is that what you think of me? That I am some power hungry woman who is too afraid to give all that up?"
"Of course not Lil, but I know you. I know you aren't the stay-at-home mom type." Lily and Rufus step into an awaiting town car that takes them back to the penthouse. Lily is speechless and feels attacked by Rufus. He is aware better than anyone how insecure she is about parenting. Hell, one of her children tried to kill himself because she wasn't there for support. For Rufus to accuse her of being a bad mother in a round-about way is unfair and very hurtful.
"If you were honestly coming to me with a concern about our child, then I would be open for a discussion. However, I recognize my mother's fingerprints all over this conversation and I am not okay with it." Lily mumbles to Rufus as they are approaching the penthouse. Rufus rubs his face with his hands and gets out of the car. The driver opens Lily's door for her while Rufus gets their bags. They take the elevator upstairs and are bombarded with "surprise!" as soon as they arrive.
Lily isn't that shocked that CeCe did the one thing Lily explicitly said she didn't want.
"I am feeling underdressed, excuse me," Lily politely says to her guests and heads to the master bedroom. Rufus smiles at the crowd and follows Lily upstairs, bags in tow. Lily rips off her jeans and coral shirt and grabs a burgundy lace maternity dress especially made for her by Bloomingdale's. Rufus sets the bags down on the bed and uses the bathroom. When he comes out Lily is fully dressed and slipping on her ebony Manolo flats.
"Lil…" Rufus starts, but is interrupted by Lily.
"We have guests downstairs that are waiting on us. We can talk about this later." Lily commands and brushes past him. Rufus sighs in aggravation, but joins Lily downstairs anyway.
To outsiders, Lily and Rufus act like the happy expectant couple throughout the baby shower. They weave through the crowd, chatting about their impending arrival and accepting gifts. Although CeCe notices that something isn't right with Lily and Rufus. Last night and this morning, they could barely keep their hands off each other and now it looks like they want to be on opposite sides of the room. There is no kissing in between gaps in conversation, no Rufus rubbing Lily's stomach proudly, or pressing their bodies as close as possible to each other. CeCe can tell that her daughter is irritated and Rufus is guilty.
CeCe isn't the only one suspicious of her mother and Rufus. Serena can tell her mother is upset over something that happened while Lily and Rufus were out shopping.
"Hey B, can you come here a second?" Serena asks Blair who is talking to a group of society women. Blair follows Serena to the dining room which is vacant for the time being.
"Ow S, what is going on?"
"It's Lily and Rufus. They had a fight while they were shopping and I need to know what it was about. Can you do some research and get back to me?" Blair's eyes sparkle with mischief; new scandals are like candy to her.
"Sure, I will talk to Chuck and see if he knows anything."
"Great, I will ask my mom before she starts opening presents." Serena and Blair divide up, each looking for their intended targets.
"Mom can I talk to you for a second? It's important," Serena whispers in Lily's ear. Lily breaks away from her conversation and follows Serena back into the dining room.
"Serena what is it? We are being rude to our guests." Lily tells Serena.
"What is going on with you and Rufus?" Lily feigns confusion,
"I don't know what you are talking about Serena; nothing is wrong. I have to go back to our guests and you should do the same." Lily turns on her heels and saunters out of the dining room, where CeCe has gathered everyone around the present table.
While Lily and Rufus are opening the baby gifts, Serena is texting Blair that Intel is more important than ever. Her mother has never lied to her about the men in her life. In fact, Lily has been a little too upfront at times especially when it comes to Rufus. There has to be a reason as to why Lily has suddenly started hiding things from her and Eric.
Serena takes a seat toward the back of the living room next to Blair.
"I haven't been able to find anything concrete, but Humphrey told me that your grandmother and Rufus had a pow-wow in the kitchen last night. Could that be related to what is going on?" Blair whispers to Serena.
"The root of my family drama is usually CeCe. That woman loves scheming almost as she loves her gin and Chanel number five." Serena whispers back.
"I'll send out a hit on Gossip Girl, but I don't expect much back. Sorry S."
"No, its fine, thanks for trying B. I am sure there will be a confrontation after everyone leaves. My mother never likes to things publicly."
After the all the gifts are open, the guests go back to their conversations. At around five, mostly everyone has gone except for the immediate family.
"Dan and I are going to take Eric and Jenny back to the train station; I should be back in an hour." Rufus says to Lily who gives him a weak kiss goodbye. Serena and Chuck go back to Blair's leaving Lily alone with CeCe.
"Mother, why are interfering with my relationship with Rufus again?" Lily asks bluntly.
"What are you talking about dear?" CeCe asks earning an exaggerated eye roll from Lily.
"You told Rufus to ask me about who is talking of the baby to start a fight between us and guess what it worked." CeCe's face mars with guilt, but she isn't making any move to apologize.
"I am sorry that you two are arguing, but I wanted to make sure your husband was aware of what's going to happen when my granddaughter is born."
"As usual mother, you have overstepped your boundaries."
"Well that may be, but I am just doing what is best for you and the baby."
"That is what you always say." Lily sighs in frustration and rubs her face in her hands.
"I should go, now hug me goodbye and call me when the baby is born." Lily is stupid for expecting an apology from her mother, it's been forty years and she still hasn't gotten one. As Rufus said to her once, CeCe is never going to change, the best and only thing Lily can do is accept the fact that CeCe is the only mother Lily is going to have and she should love her regardless of how messed up her values are.
"I will mother," Lily reluctantly wraps her arms around CeCe and holds her tight.
"Good luck with that husband of yours," CeCe tells Lily and breaks away from her hug. A bellboy materializes in the penthouse to take CeCe's luggage to an awaiting car. With a wave goodbye, CeCe takes the elevator down, leaving Lily by herself. Lily surveys the mess made from the baby shower and leaves it behind, walking upstairs towards the master bathroom. She can either have Larissa clean it up tomorrow or Rufus if he feels guilty enough. Lily draws herself a bubble bath and eases herself into the tub, letting the water and bubbles engulf her.
Rufus comes back about fifteen minutes later with no signs of CeCe or Lily.
"Lil?" Rufus yells upstairs to no response. Lily might have not heard him or is still too mad at him to answer. He goes into the master bedroom and sees the bathroom light on.
"Hey Lil, can I come in?" Rufus asks, knocking on the door. Lily's eyes flicker open, having heard Rufus.
"Sure, just close the door behind you," Lily calls back. Rufus cracks the door open and quickly closes it, trying to trap the heat inside.
"Lil, I am sorry for letting your mother come between us and I didn't mean to criticize your parenting skills." Rufus says and sits down on the bathroom floor next to her. Lily's face softens and she puts a hand over Rufus'.
"Thank you and I know my mother can be very manipulative. We will just have to find a compromise later on that fits us."
"We suck at compromising remember?" Lily laughs and reaches over to start draining the bathtub.
"Can you hand me a towel?" Rufus complies and swaddles her in a lilac towel. Lily swivels on her heels to face him and meshes her lips with his, already putting their fight behind them.
"So I take it I am out of the doghouse?" Rufus mumbles against her lips.
"Mmhmm…I was thinking that since you satisfied my craving last night, I could satisfy yours now." Lily says and kisses a trail down his chest. Rufus moans and backs them up towards their bedroom, stripping off his clothes in the process.
"I like the way you think Mrs. Humphrey," Rufus says and lowers her onto the bed.
A/N 2: I will let you guys fill in the blanks on this one because I am too tired to do it myself. If you guys would be so kind as to leave me a review since it's my birthday on Saturday, it would be much appreciated! Thanks for reading and this is what I am modeling the nursery after in case you were wondering. /blog/2012/08/design-reveal-pink-and-gold-glamour/