Gracie paced around her hotel room that she was sharing with her two younger sisters Isabella and Avery. Today was the day she would tell her mom and dad about the baby. She prayed that they wouldn't be too disappointed in her. A knock at the door interrupted her pacing. She opened the door and was happily surprised to see one of her very best friends Dominik Gutierrez standing on the other side.

"Dom what are you doing here?" she asked.

"Lila and Cassie told me what Jason did to you and I honestly can't believe he would screw you over like that" Dom said.

"Me and this baby are better off without him" Gracie said.

"How are you going to manage this by yourself?" he asked.

"We'll manage besides we have so many people who love us" she said.

"I have a suggestion" Dom said.

"What is it?" Gracie asked.

"When you go and tell your parents let me go with you and you can tell them that I am the baby's father" he said.

"What?" Gracie asked.

"You need a father for this baby" Dom insisted.

"This is the craziest thing I have ever heard" Gracie said. "why would you want to call another man's child your own"

"Because I care for this child and his or her mother" he replied. "besides your father did it"

"The circumstances were different" Gracie said.

"I want to help you please let me do this"

Deep down Dominik was hoping she would say yes because this was his chance to finally let her know how he felt about her. She'd finally know that he had been crazy about her since they were 16 years old but never had the courage to tell her the truth.

"Thank you Dom this is the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me" she hugged him tightly.

"Don't worry about it" he said. "you'd do the same for me… well you know what I mean"

"Yeah I was gonna say" she laughed.

Her laugh was music to his ears. Gracie looked Dominik over, sure he was a good looking guy but she had never thought of him in that way.

"It's going to be strange I mean you are my best friend" she said.

"We'll figure it out" he said

"Yeah I mean we could pretend to be an item and in a few months we could mutually break up and still remain friends" Gracie thought out loud.

Dominik frowned. He wanted this to be real.

"Yeah I guess" he said half-heartedly.

"Like you said we'll figure it out" she said. "well we'd better get down the hall because I don't want to keep this a secret anymore"

She walked towards the door but then stopped.

"Wait if we are a couple we'll need to act like it so if we practice this now maybe it won't be so weird" she said.

"So what you want me to kiss you?" he asked. He kept his face serious but inside he was anything but.

"I mean yeah" he said.

She looked down as he walked over to her. He picked her chin up and captured her lips in sweet passionate kiss. They broke apart quickly.

"Wow… Dom don't get weirded out but you are a damn good kisser" she said "I don't think I have ever been kissed like that"

"What can I say I'm a good actor" he said. He was a great actor, playing the caring best friend role all those years when he wanted more.

He took her hand in his own and they walked down the hall to Ashley and John's room.

"It'll be fine don't stress out that isn't good for the baby" he whispered in her ear.

She smiled weakly at him but inside she was a nervous wreck. But then again what did she have to fear, it wasn't like her parents would disown her. But she was disappointing them, and the fact that they had taken her in when she had no one else drived her to always want to please them. Dominik knocked on the door. Ashley greeted them both with hugs.

"What brings you two by?" she asked.

"We need to talk to you and dad" Gracie replied.

"Ok let me go get him" Ashley said exiting the room.

"Breathe girl we'll be fine" Dom said.

"What's up baby girl your ma said you wanted to talk to us?" John asked.

They had a seat in the living room. Gracie was nervously playing with the hem of her shirt.

"Well Gracie and I have an announcement" Dominik said.

"Oh my god are you two finally together?" Ashley asked "it's about time"

"Well yes we are together but there is more" Dom said.

"Mom… dad I'm pregnant" Gracie blurted out.

"Baby I'm sorry I didn't hear that I thought you just said you were pregnant but that can't be possible" John said.

"It is possible dad because I am" Gracie remarked.

John didn't say anything for a while he just sat there staring at the wall.

"My baby is having a baby" Ashley got all teary-eyed and hugged her daughter.

"How can you be happy about this?" John asked "she's still a baby herself"

"Dad I'm 22"

"John you and I have no room to talk because I was younger than her when I had Christian" Ashley pointed out.

"Yeah but you aren't my daughter" John said.

"Yes but I'm someone else's daughter" Ashley said.

"You know what I hate it when you out reason me" John said.

"Really because I usually like it" Ashley remarked.

"Smartass" John smirked at Ashley.

"Always"

"So dad are you ok with this?" Gracie asked.

"Well what's done is done although I'm not thrilled about it I'll except it but Dominik do anything to hurt my baby and I'll kill you"

Dominik gulped he had no doubt in John's threat.

"I won't sir"

"So Gracie how far along are you?" Ashley asked "and when did you guys get together because last I heard you were still with Jason?"

"I'm about a month pregnant and we got together a while back but we wanted to keep it quiet because we knew all you guys would have been all weird about it" Gracie answered "isn't that right honey?"

"Yeah baby it is" Dominik said.

"Ok the pet names are creeping me out I'm heading to the gym" John left as quickly as he could.

"Don't worry about him he's just being an ass" Ashley said. "I am so excited we have to go shopping when we get home"

Talon walked into the room.

"Can I use your bathroom?" he asked "Frankie has been in the shower for about 20 minutes"

"Sure sweetie go ahead" Ashley said.

"So Dominik what do you want a boy or a girl?" Ashley asked.

"It doesn't matter to me as long as the baby is healthy and so is his or her mom" Dominik said honestly.

"So have you told your parents yet?" Ashley asked.

"No not yet we wanted to tell you first" Dominik said.

"Ma I can't find my hat" Frankie walked through the door.

Ashley rolled her eyes when she looked at her youngest son. He was wearing black baggy shorts and a black Red Hot Chillie Peppers shirt. He had 4 piercings in each ear and he had grown his hair out so it went past his ears.

"When are you going to cut your hair?" Ashley asked him.

"Not anytime soon" was his reply.

"Frankie is that my black nail polish that I thought I lost?" Gracie asked looking at his black painted nails.

"Yeah sorry bout that" he said "now where is my hat?"

"It's on top of the refrigerator in your room" Ashley said.

"Ok thanks" he said going back to his own hotel room.

"Word of advice stop at one don't put yourself through the misery of having 7" Ashley said. "hold that thought"

The room was filled with the sounds of a crying baby. Ashley left to go get Boston.

"In a few months we're going to be hearing a lot of that.

"Dominik are you sure about this?" Gracie asked. "you don't have to do this we can tell them the truth right now"

"I want to do this as far as I'm concerned I'm this baby's father and nothing is going to change that"

Gracie leaned over and kissed Dominik's cheek.

"What did I do to deserve you?" she asked a little teary-eyed.

"Just being you" he smiled back at her.

"Sorry about that" Ashley entered the room with Boston on her hip.

The toddler wanted to get down so Ashley put her on the floor. Boston walked unsteadily over to Dominik and climbed up into his lap.

"Gracie I think you have some competition" Ashley joked.

"Sorry little sis but he's mine" Gracie tickled Boston's belly.

"Hey why don't we take Boston for the day I mean it would be good practice" Dom suggested.

"Hold on you are actually volunteering to take the baby without being asked!" Ashley put her hand over her heart "I think I'm having a heart attack"

"Mom cut it out"

"Sure go right ahead but know there aren't any returns" Ashley said.

"We should be fine" Dom said.

"Famous last words" Ashley replied.

"Boston you wanna go to the zoo?" Gracie asked the toddler.

Boston nodded. So the two adults and the 15 month old baby left. Ashley was just starting to clean up the hotel room a little when there was a knock on the door. She went to answer it and was surprised to find Alexis on the other side.

"We need to talk" Alexis said.