"No. This is...this is all wrong," Lucas insisted.

"But you said..."

"Kristin, this is not what I asked for." He shuffled through the papers in his hand again, looking at them as he shook his head.

"Mr. Scott," she tried.

"It's Lucas. For the thousandth time," he said in frustration. God, he hated when she called him that.

"Sorry. But listen, what you want is..."

"What I want is the names of a few custom jewelers. Not big names. Custom. Quality," he explained. Again. "And without Peyton seeing you looking."

"Right," she said, a small smile on her lips.

Lucas knew that Kristin was thrilled to be the only person aside from Lucas' brother to know that he was looking for rings for Peyton. Sure, everyone in the office knew that Peyton and Lucas were together, having a child and living in the same place, but they didn't know any of the details. Lucas wanted it to stay that way.

He especially didn't want Peyton to know that he was searching for jewelers. Lucky for him, she had been on the phone all day with a custom baby furniture designer in Queens who was going over measurements and colours and whatever else. Lucas thought it adorable that she was taking everything so seriously. When he heard her almost shouting, however, it became less cute. She threw a bagel at him when he asked how things were going. He didn't ask again.

"Can you do that?" Lucas asked, just this side of patronizing.

"Yes. I'll be back in an hour," Kristin replied dutifully.

He didn't thank her before she left his office, and he couldn't find it in him to feel bad about it. He had an insane day, and this task - though it was one he was obviously thrilled to be doing - had taken up too much of his time. He knew he'd be staying late, which was something neither he nor Peyton wanted to do anymore. She got tired sooner, and he didn't want her traveling home alone if he was going to stay late and she wasn't. They'd started spending less and less time speaking to each other at the office, and they joked that if they hadn't spent so much of their time flirting, they may never have had to stay late at all.

There was a knock at his door, and he was just hanging up from talking to Nathan, telling him to keep his Saturday open to spend some time in jewelry stores.

"Kristin, there's no way you're..." He stopped himself when he saw Peyton there, looking tired and frustrated. "Hi."

"Honestly. How hard is it to get the specifics of a crib?" she asked, parking herself on one of the chairs across from him. "I just want a mahogany crib with a matching bookshelf, dresser, and change table. Why is that so difficult?"

"Um...because you want a mahogany crib with a hundred specific things, a bookshelf with two racks for CDs, a dresser with brushed stainless handles and five and a half drawers, whatever that means, and..."

"OK. Fine. I get it," she grumbled. "I just want it to be perfect."

"I know, sweetheart," he said. He stood from his desk and walked over to sit next to her. "I want it to be perfect too. I don't, however, want you to be constantly stressed over this. I mean, if get a regular book shelf and a CD rack separately, then..."

"No!"

"And what CDs will our baby be listening to anyway?"

"Good ones," she pouted. He reached over and placed his hand over hers on the arm of the chair. "How's your day going?"

"Not great," he admitted. "No one does anything right."

"See! You hate the world too!" she said whimsically, flashing him doe eyes and turning towards him when he laughed. "Why don't we get the hell out of here and hate the world in the privacy of our own home?"

"I like when you call it our home."

"It is our home," she said, shrugging one shoulder. "Our home with...with no work, and an empty nursery and..."

There was another knock at the door. "And no assistants to interrupt," Lucas said bitterly. "Kristin. Later," he called through the door.

"What's the deal anyway?" Peyton asked. "She's been in and out of here like, 10 times this afternoon."

"Just...work stuff." He hated lying to her, no matter how much he knew he had to. "Come on. Want to leave early?"

"Um...I'm the one who suggested it," she said, as though it was a no brainer for her.

They both stood from their seats, and Peyton smiled when she saw the look in his eye. He was hatching a plan, no matter how small it may have been, and she tugged at his lapel. He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her close to him to speak into her ear.

"I'll meet you at the elevator in 10," he said, using his best scheming voice.

"I'll see you there, Mr. Scott," she said back.

It was so much sexier when she said it.

----

Brooke and Peyton were sitting in Brooke's living room, sipping tea and eating ice cream. Certainly, it was an odd combination, but it was what they were both craving. Alright, it was more Peyton's craving than Brooke's, but Brooke went along with it, not only because she was afraid of what would happen if she didn't, but because eating ice cream in the middle of the afternoon at the end of March on a sunny day sounded pretty amazing.

Brooke knew that she was called in as a distraction. Lucas had gotten in touch with her days before so that she could suggest that she and Peyton hang out while Lucas went with Nathan to pick up the ring from the jeweler. Of course, he didn't tell her that right away; she'd beaten it out of him. She promised not to say anything to Peyton, and he knew she'd keep that promise.

"So the furniture?" Brooke asked.

"Ugh. Don't get me started. I mean, I know that there are a lot of pregnant women in the city who need cribs, but how in the world is there a five month waiting list for the damn things?"

"Alright. Apparently, I got you started," Brooke laughed. "Have you tried another company?"

"Another company doesn't have the right shade for the..." She stopped herself when she saw the amused and definitely smug look on Brooke's face. "Wow. I've...I'm one of those women. I'm...I obsess about paint colours and change tables. I'm momzilla!"

"You are not," Brooke said, though she couldn't help but giggle. "You just want a nice nursery. I mean, you're going to be spending a lot of time there for the next like, year."

"God. A year of not working," Peyton said, sitting back against the sofa and resting her hand on her stomach just in time to feel their baby kick. "I don't really know how to do that."

"I don't think you'll have much time to think about it." Brooke eyed Peyton's stomach with a smile. She really couldn't wait to meet and hold and spoil her niece, and she really only had a couple months to go. "I don't think it's exactly a vacation."

"No. Not exactly."

"Do you really know how to do it? I mean, most women freak out about what they're going to do once they baby's actually born."

"Most women don't have boyfriends who have bought every pregnancy and parenting book ever published," Peyton explained, making them both laugh.

"Speaking of boyfriends," Brooke started. It was time to get to the point, and she didn't intend on saying anything about Lucas' whereabouts, but she wanted to know how Peyton was going to react when she did find out.

"What about them?"

"How long are you planning on pretending that you and Lucas aren't like, already married?" Brooke asked.

"What!?"

"Oh please," Brooke scoffed, her mouth full of ice cream. "You're living with him and having his baby, and you're practically shopping for matching cardigans at J. Crew."

"J. Crew?" Peyton asked incredulously.

"Whatever!"

"Listen, Lucas and I, we're...This is...I'm..."

"Stuttering," Brooke interrupted. "Peyton, you love him. He loves you. You're together."

"You're very astute," Peyton said sarcastically.

"Honestly? We're going to do this? You're going to pretend you don't want the perfect ring and a wedding? That you don't want his last name?"

"Brooke..."

"Because dammit, I want that last name," Brooke added as an afterthought.

Peyton was just about to question Brooke on just exactly what that meant, when the door swung open.

"Brooke, you should see it. It's..." Nathan's voice came. "Oh. Peyton. Hi."

"Hey," Peyton said as he sat across from them. "See what?"

Peyton was looking at Nathan and missed Brooke shaking her head at him, wondering how he'd missed the part where she'd told him that she and Peyton were hanging out that day. All so that Peyton wouldn't find out what Lucas was up to. She could have killed him for forgetting.

"My um...the new suit I just bought," he said, knowing that it was a lame cover.

"You let him shop without taking you with him?" Peyton asked.

Nathan clenched his jaw. He should have known that was a horrible answer.

"Well, it's Zegna. He can't really go wrong," Brooke said, shooing Nathan a look over top of Peyton's head. "Anyway..."

"Yeah, I should go," Peyton insisted, checking the time.

"I'll drive you," Nathan said. "I'm sure Lucas wouldn't want..."

"Honestly? I'm surprised he hasn't locked me up in a padded room. The guy needs to relax," Peyton said, shaking her head and laughing. She tried to stand, but she had some difficulty, and Nathan chuckled as he stood and reached for her hand.

"Still denying my offer?" he asked once he got her standing.

"Alright. Maybe a ride home wouldn't be so bad," she admitted, and Nathan merely nodded.

"Think about that thing we were talking about," Brooke insisted as she and Peyton hugged.

"What thing?" Nathan asked.

"Her and Lucas getting married."

"Brooke! That's his brother," Peyton hissed.

"Exactly. Probably the one person who knows how badly Luke wants to marry you," Brooke said, putting her and on her hip, daring Peyton to challenge her.

But she couldn't. Something happened in Peyton's stomach hearing those words, and it didn't have anything to do with the baby. It wasn't like she didn't already know Lucas felt that way, but to hear it from someone else just made her feel...well, she wasn't entirely sure.

She smiled, though.

Nathan drove Peyton home, and she asked some more questions about his day. She asked where his suit was; if she could see it. He told her he'd left it at the store to get it tailored, and Peyton said 'of course', as though she should have known, and Nathan shook his head when she wasn't looking. He was coming really close to blowing everything, and he knew Lucas would never forgive him if this surprise was ruined. Although, as far as Nathan knew, Lucas was just waiting for the green light, then he'd produce the ring when Peyton said it was OK to do so. Nathan almost wanted to laugh but, well, he knew Peyton was a weird woman, as he called her so very often.

"Oh wow," she said.

"Kicking?" he asked when she placed her hand on her stomach.

For whatever reason, the baby never seemed to kick when Nathan had a real chance to feel it. Brooke got there before him, or they were in a public place and he didn't want to seem like a creep. Or the father, which is what would have happened if they were seen together. Even now, he was especially happy for the tinted windows on his Benz.

"Yeah," she said, reaching for his hand. "Here." She placed his palm on her stomach, at the side, where she'd felt the baby moving, and she watched him when the little girl kicked again. "You feel it?"

"Whoa," he whispered, his face changing to one of complete wonder. "Wow."

"Weird, huh?" she laughed. "The first time she moved, I was like...grossed out."

"Good maternal instincts," Nathan teased.

"You think it feels weird out here? Try having it inside you."

"You know, I think I'll pass," he said, making them both laugh as they pulled up to Lucas and Peyton's building. "You alright to get inside?"

"You mean press the button for the elevator? I think I'll manage," she said, and Nathan rolled his eyes. "Sorry. I just get enough of this from Luke."

"You can't really blame him, though."

"Not really. But I'm not helpless."

"True," Nathan said, smirking as he watched her try to maneuver out of the car.

"Shut up and help me, Scott," she growled. He got out of the car and walked around to grab her hand and help her stand. "Thanks."

"No problem. Anything for my sis," he said jokingly, laughing when she rolled her eyes.

"Not yet."

"Yet?"

She scowled at him but he just raised his brow as though he was waiting for a response.

"Yes. Yet," she repeated. "Bye, Nathan."

He waved and sent her a smile and made sure she got inside before he got back into his car. He was actually relieved to have heard her say that. She wouldn't have even mentioned it or made that kind of reassurance if she didn't honestly want to marry Lucas.

And after seeing the ring Lucas had made for her, Nathan knew that whenever it was that Lucas asked that all-important question, Peyton wouldn't be saying no.

----

The baby's furniture arrived on a Tuesday morning and was left in boxes in the nursery while Lucas and Peyton went to work. She IM-ed Lucas all day, complaining that she wished they were home setting up the room and making sure everything was right. Truthfully, Lucas - however excited he was that things were getting done - wasn't thrilled that the company they'd bought the furniture from couldn't assemble it for them. They'd (well, he'd) found a company in Toronto that sold amazing custom pieces and they could do exactly what Peyton wanted. That just meant that it had to be shipped across the border instead of across town, and that there were no employees to put it together.

Which meant Lucas had to do it.

Peyton insisted that it would be a great 'moment' for them; one of those things that they would look back on and remember about their pregnancy. They both knew she was just trying to make it seem more fun than it was going to be.

They'd painted the room a very, very pale blue. So pale it was basically white, with just a hint of blue. Lucas laughed and told her it was hilarious that she wanted blue for their little girl's room, and she told him that those standards were outdated and that their little girl could have whatever colours she wanted; whatever anything she wanted. Lucas knew that was true. He knew their baby was going to be more spoiled than any other kid around.

"OK. This is like, assembly for dummies," Peyton said with a laugh, sitting in the big, comfortable rocking chair in the corner of the room. She had the instructions in her hands, much to Lucas' dismay. How the hell was he supposed to put things together if she had the directions?

"Helps if I have that," he said, reaching over and plucking the page from her hand.

"Wow. A man who follows direction?" she said in shock. "I really do have one of the good ones."

"You're just realizing this now?"

"I like to be reminded." He laughed and shook his head as he reached for one of the slats for the crib. "Can you believe we only have like, a month to go?"

"A month and a half."

"Still."

"It's kind of flown by," he said. "I mean, I don't know about you...It's been..."

"No. It has," she agreed. "Are you scared?"

"Scared about what?" he asked, as though the concept was absurd.

"OK, I'll take that as a no," she said with a laugh.

"I can't wait," he said, getting up and walking over to her, kneeling in front of her and taking her hands in his. "Know why? She's going to be gorgeous. And you're going to be perfect with her."

"You think?" she asked, biting her lip adorably.

"Are you kidding? Of course."

"You're going to make her a daddy's girl," she said with confidence. "It'll be cute."

"You bet your ass it'll be cute." He leaned up to kiss her, and when he tried to pull away, she grabbed the front of his tee shirt and pulled him back towards her. "OK," he said after she'd let him go. "You need to get out of here."

"What? Why?"

"Because you're just one gorgeous, sexy distraction, and I want to get this done sometime tonight," he explained.

She loved that he still called her things like gorgeous and sexy even though she was almost eight months pregnant. The best part was, she actually felt like he really believed it.

"Alright, fine. I'll go have a snack and watch the basketball game."

She laughed when he groaned. He was already missing being at the game (he and Nathan had season tickets for the Knicks, too), though he wasn't going to complain about that, and now she was going to sit there in their living room and watch it without him. Wearing those shorts and that tee shirt. His tee shirt. His Knicks tee shirt. That she stole and wouldn't give back.

He loved that she turned the television up loud enough so that he could at least hear the commentary. She'd mute the sound and shout to him during commercials, asking how things were going. He'd smile to himself and shake his head.

He managed to get the crib put together without too much trouble, but it took him long enough that he couldn't get anything else done. When he called her into the room to look at the finished product, she wrapped her arm around his waist and they stood there, admiring his handy work. The crib was exactly what she had been searching for since Christmas. She loved that he'd been the one to find it.

"You remember that thing you told me to let you know about?" she asked quietly.

"Um...I believe I do," he said. If she'd been looking at him, she would have seen a smile.

"It's kind of on the table," she admitted. "Or at least...close to the table."

"Well like...how close?" he asked. "Like on the silver platter, being carried by the waiter? Or in the kitchen being prepared, or..."

"Luke." She swatted his arm and he laughed a little.

"OK," he said, and he meant it on more than one level. "OK."

----

By Friday, they'd managed to get all the new furniture assembled and placed correctly in the room. Well, Lucas had assembled it, and Peyton had told him where she wanted everything, and there really wasn't any room for argument or discussion. He knew better than to question her choices, and the nursery looked amazing when it was done. Now all that was left were a few little decorations, but other than that, they were pretty much ready for the baby to arrive.

That night, they were laying in bed, him reading The Bell Jar, and her with a paperback in her hand that Lucas insisted was 'chick-lit'. She didn't really care what he called it, it was an easy read, and it made her laugh, and it was a hell of a lot less intense than The Bell Jar.

He suddenly got up and left his book on the night stand, and he left the room before she could ask what he was doing. He was calm as he walked to the library, but his hands started shaking when he took the ring box from his desk drawer.

He wasn't sure why he thought that was the right moment, but with their conversation from earlier in the week, and what Nathan had told him Peyton said, he just knew she would say yes. For some reason, with her sitting next to her in their bed after spending their evening preparing for the arrival of their baby, he just couldn't wait any longer to bring it up. He took a deep breath as he opened the box to look at the ring that he knew was perfect, then he snapped it shut and made his way back to the bedroom.

He made no effort to hide the box as he walked back through the door, and when she looked over at him, no doubt to ask what he was up to, she saw what he had in his hand, and she couldn't find words to say.

He got down on one knee right there next to her side of the bed, and he smiled when she did.

"Luke..."

"Peyton...Wow, you'd think I would have prepared a speech or something," he said, making her laugh, though she was really trying not to cry. "You know I want to marry you." She smiled and nodded at him and reached over to place her hand on his cheek. "So will you marry me?"

"Yeah, I'll marry you," she almost whispered.

He leaned forward and kissed her, then sat next to her on the bed and wiped her cheek where a tear had fallen. He opened the ring box and took out the perfect, princess cut diamond. It was flanked by two smaller rubies of the same cut, and set in platinum.

"Lucas," she said softly.

"The rubies are from a pair of earrings Keith gave my mom," he explained, and she started crying again. She had absolutely no idea how he thought of these things.

"I love it."

"Yeah?" he asked and she could only nod. He slid the ring onto her left hand and smiled at her. "Perfect."

"Perfect." She kissed him again, and she honestly couldn't have pictured a better proposal for them. "I love you."

"Forever?"

"Yeah," she insisted as he lay down next to her as close as he could get. "Forever."