Baze waited impatiently on Cate's doorstep. He wanted to see his girls. Lux and Cate.

Abby opened the door. She frowned slightly when she saw Baze.

She'd given up on ever having a chance with the popular quarterback. She probably should have given up long ago, Abby knew, but when he'd shown up the night of Winter Formal she'd known with absolute certainty that he had feelings for her older sister.

Before that night, Abby had told herself that Baze didn't really like Cate. He'd denied sleeping with Cate after all. Who denies sleeping with the love of their life?

Abby had wanted to believe Baze was only involved with Cate because of Lux. She knew better now.

"Is Cate here?" Baze asked, peering past Abby into the living room.

The quarterback didn't even see her, Abby knew. Baze looked right through her. He only had eyes for Cate.

"In her bedroom," Abby replied shortly.

Baze pushed past Abby. He heard raised voices coming from Cate's room as he climbed the stairs. He paused at the top of the stairs, unsure if he should walk in on whatever was going on.

"Why is Oregon State sending you a letter telling you they're missing pieces of your application?" Laverne asked.

"Why are you opening my mail? It's a crime to open other people's mail," Cate said angrily, avoiding the question.

"Don't change the subject. Cate, most of your college applications are due this week! I can't believe you haven't done anything!" Laverne yelled.

"I've done things! I just haven't done absolutely everything," Cate said defensively.

"What exactly have you done?" Laverne demanded.

Cate sighed. "I've filled out the applications. I haven't had time to write the essays, though." Truthfully she'd filled out most of the applications, not all of them, but Laverne didn't need to know that.

"This is important. You need to make time," Laverne said sternly.

"I've been a little busy," Cate said pointedly, glancing meaningfully at the crib where Lux was napping.

"I tried to warn you that it wouldn't be easy to take care of a child and go to school. You told me you could do it," Laverne said sadly.

Cate glared at her mother with tears in her eyes. "I was wrong. You were right! Are you happy now?

"No, I'm not happy," Laverne said, exasperated. "What part of this is supposed to make me happy? That you got pregnant while you were in high school? That you're throwing your entire future away?"

"I'm sorry I'm such a disappointment," Cate muttered. "Look, I will take care of everything. I have a week. I will finish filling out my college applications. I will finish applying for scholarships."

"Wait a minute. You haven't finished your scholarship applications either?" Laverne cried out.

Cate rolled her eyes. "I told you, I'll take care of it, OK?"

Laverne rubbed her temples as though dealing with Cate was giving her a headache.

"Are you gonna stand here and watch me write the essays?" Cate asked dryly.

"No," Laverne said.

Baze shifted uncomfortably in the hallway. He knew Laverne was about to catch him eavesdropping.

He knocked on the door quickly, before Laverne found him standing there.

Laverne's expression softened when she saw Baze. "Hi Baze. It's nice to see you."

Laverne left Baze and Cate alone.

"She doesn't care if you're alone in your bedroom with the guy who knocked you up?" Baze smirked.

"She likes you. Probably better than me at the moment," Cate muttered. She blushed slightly and looked down. "Did you hear?"

"It was kinda hard not to," Baze said lightly. "And I thought I was the frontrunner in the race for biggest disappointment to parents this year."

"Sorry. I think I just pulled ahead," Cate said, smiling slightly. "What do I win?"

Baze sat down beside Cate on her bed and kissed her gently. He deepened the kiss. He felt Cate's fingers in his hair, which was still damp from the shower he'd taken after football practice.

"What your mom said, she was wrong. You can do it. You can do anything you put your mind to," Baze said.

Cate smiled slightly, but Baze could tell she didn't think she could.

"I'll help you. Whatever you need, I'm here," Baze said.

Cate laughed. "You want to write my college essays for me?"

"Considering you have an A in English and I have a C, I don't think that's the best idea," Baze replied. "But I can hang out with Lux while you write them."

Cate smiled. "Thank you, Baze."

Cate leaned it to kiss Baze. Her tongue pushed past his lips and he pulled away abruptly.

"No. You need to write your essays," Baze said. He couldn't distract her. He wanted to be good for her.

Cate punched his shoulder lightly. "Tease."

Baze grinned boyishly.

Cate picked up the college application and skimmed the essay topics.

"How would you describe yourself as a human being?" Cate's tone made it perfectly clear how ridiculous she thought the question was.

Baze grinned.

"Have you written any of these?" Cate asked.

"Nah, 'cause I'm playing football. I don't have to jump through as many hoops," Baze explained.

"Have you decided where you're going?" Cate asked, trying to sound nonchalant though the question had been driving her crazy for months.

Baze shrugged. "A couple of schools want me to play football. I haven't said yes to any of them yet. I'm keeping my options open."

Cate nodded, trying to hide her disappointment. She needed to know where Baze was going to be next year. For Lux. And for herself.

"So how would you describe yourself as a human being?" Baze asked lightly, trying to get Cate back to the task at hand.

"I don't know," Cate mumbled. "How do you answer that?"

"Smart. Ambitious. A perfectionist. Type-A," Baze began throwing out suggestions.

Cate made a face. "You're making me sound like a pain in the ass."

"You are." Baze grinned boyishly. "But you're also fiercely independent, funny, sweet…when you want to be and a great mom."

Cate smiled, blushing slightly at the compliments. "Really?"

"Really," Baze assured her.

Cate smiled as she started working on the essay.

Baze shuffled through the stack of applications. He frowned slightly when he saw that a half-filled out scholarship application was due the next day. He found one that was completely filled out and began copying the information down onto the half-filled out one.

Cate looked up from her notebook. She glanced over Baze's shoulder and saw what he was doing. She smiled as he copied her social security number into the appropriate space.

They worked in companionable silence. Time passed quickly. Before Cate knew it, it had been several hours and the stack of unfinished college applications was down to one.

When Cate finished all of the applications, Baze rewarded her with a kiss. Cate tore at his shirt desperately. He lifted her top.

Lux cried. Both of her parents froze. They'd completely forgotten she was in the room.

They pulled away from each other reluctantly. Cate adjusted her top before she scooped Lux up.

Lux stopped crying as soon as she was in Cate's arms.

"I'm sorry, baby. You probably got more than you bargained for," Cate said with a laugh. She cradled her daughter in her arms.

Baze grinned sheepishly. "I hope we didn't scar her for life."

Cate smiled slightly, her gaze fixed on the sweet baby in her arms. "I don't think she'll remember. What's your earliest memory?"

Baze thought for a moment. "Playing football with my dad. I was only two when he got me my first football." Baze laughed. "What about you?"

"I remember when Mom had Abby. I was so excited to have a little sister," Cate replied ruefully.

"Yeah, well, you didn't actually know Abby at the time," Baze remarked.

Cate laughed.

"I guess I should go," Baze said. He grabbed the stack of completed applications. "I'll mail these for you."

"You don't have to do that," Cate said quickly.

"It's on my way," Baze said firmly. He kissed Cate gently and pecked Lux on the cheek before leaving.

Baze drove to Kinko's. He separated the stack into two piles in his car. One consisted of the applications that were due that week. He took them in and paid to overnight them. He dropped the others into a mailbox on his way home.

He wasn't going to be responsible for ruining Cate's life. He knew Lux was the reason Cate hadn't had time to finish her applications and felt partially to blame. Lux was their responsibility, not just Cate's, even though Cate had shouldered most of the responsibility.

Baze meant what he'd said to Cate. He would do whatever it took to help Cate. He would split time with Lux more evenly and be there to support Cate.