"Do you have any champagne?" Baze called from the kitchen.

"I don't know! If we do, it's probably on the lower shelf of the refrigerator!" Cate called back from the living room. She was sitting on the floor with Lux.

"Got it!" Baze yelled. "Glasses?"

"The cupboard above the sink!" Cate called, smiling slightly. She glanced down at Lux. "Men are helpless," she said quietly. Lux giggled, squirming in Cate's lap.

"Hey, I heard that," Baze said, feigning insult. He popped the champagne and poured two glasses.

Cate nodded toward their daughter. "Look at Lux."

Baze turned his attention to Lux at once.

Lux squealed with delight at the sound of the cork popping. Her parents watched, amused, as her baby blues searched for the cork. She found it and pointed with her little finger. Both of her parents grinned widely.

"Smart kid. She takes after her mom," Baze said. He handed Cate a glass and sat down beside her.

Cate smiled, blushing slightly. "I don't know. Getting that excited about alcohol is more like her dad."

Baze grinned as he held up his glass. "Congratulations."

Cate had just gotten a call from Alice. She got the internship with K100. Baze wasn't one bit surprised, but Cate couldn't believe it.

Cate had looked completely shell-shocked when she hung up the phone. She'd just sat there staring at it. Baze thought something was wrong.

Cate had finally told him the good news. She'd been positively beaming. Baze didn't think he'd ever seen her so happy.

Not for the first time, he'd been surprised at how happy Cate's happiness made him. Anything she felt, he felt as well. It hit him again how much he loved her.

He'd wanted to take her out to celebrate, but Abby was at a basketball game and Laverne was on a date, so they had to stay with Lux. A champagne toast wasn't a half-bad way to celebrate, Baze reasoned.

Cate smiled and raised her glass. She met Baze's gaze and held it as she took her first sip. The way he looked at her scared her sometimes. His gaze was intense, his eyes filled with desire. She leaned forward and kissed him softly. She could taste the champagne in his mouth.

Baze couldn't take his eyes off Cate.

"What?" Cate asked, blushing slightly under his gaze.

Baze took a deep breath, trying to work up the courage to say the three little words that were so hard for him to say. "Cate, I'm so happy for you. No one deserves to be happy more than you."

Cate smiled. "You-"

"Wait. Let me finish. I've been wanting to tell you something," Baze said.

Cate frowned in concern.

Baze raked a hand through his hair. "I've known for awhile now. Since Valentine's Day. Maybe even before." Baze swallowed. Why was this so damn hard for him to say? He'd never been more sure of his feelings. "In case you haven't noticed, I can be kinda selfish." Baze smiled slightly. "And it mattered more to me that you liked your Valentine's gift than that you got me an Elway jersey. Your happiness, it means more to me than my own. I've never felt like that before. And now, I think I'm as excited that you got this internship. I love you, Cate."

Cate stared at Baze without saying anything. "You're not selfish. Maybe you used to be, but you've changed. Lux changed you. Baze, you're a great guy. A great dad. A great boyfriend. I love you, too."

Baze felt a huge weight off his shoulders when Cate said it back. She loved him, too. She was the smartest girl at Westmonte. She was beautiful. And she was his. All his. "I didn't change for Lux. I mean, I did, but it wasn't just for her. It was for you, too."

Lux cried and both of her parents immediately turned their attention to her.

"Do you feel left out?" Baze asked, picking his daughter up. "Huh?" He placed a loud, smacking kiss on her forehead and the baby giggled and squirmed in his arm. "We love you, too."

Cate smiled as she watched Baze with Lux. She bit her lip. She loved Baze, but she had a lingering fear that he'd reject her. She knew he'd changed since he knocked her up in the back of his mom's minivan. She knew it wasn't fair to keep punishing him for something he'd done a long time ago. But, the rejected feelings didn't just go away. She knew if he rejected her again, she wasn't the only one who would suffer. She had Lux to consider now.

She didn't doubt his feelings. He'd shown her more than once that he loved her. She'd felt his love for her even before he'd said it. She knew he wouldn't have said it if he didn't mean it. He wasn't that guy anymore.

Her feelings for him were so strong. They scared her. They'd scared her since day one, and her fear had only grown as her feelings grew stronger. If she'd been as hurt as she was when he ignored her after their one-night-stand, she knew she'd be an absolute wreck if he rejected her now. He could break her heart. Admitting she loved him only made the possibility more real to her.

Baze looked up from his daughter and frowned. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Cate smiled. "Absolutely nothing. Everything is perfect."

Baze studied Cate. She looked genuinely happy, but her eyes were filled with fear. "What are you afraid of?" He cupped her face in his hands.

"It's just, everything is perfect. I don't think it can get much better than this. And I'm just, I'm scared that it could go downhill from here. I love you, but if it doesn't work out between us, I'm not the only one who will suffer," Cate said.

Baze smiled slightly. "I promise you, it will only get better. We'll be in college next year. And we're gonna do it together. We have our whole lives ahead of us. You have to know, I would never hurt you. But if it doesn't work out between us, you know, there is nothing that would stop me from being part of Lux's life."

Cate leaned her head against Baze's shoulder and sipped her champagne. One thing was certain. That night had been picture perfect. She'd never been happier in her life. She sighed contentedly.