Thank you as always to my Beta Heather (Txbabefan) for her suggestions in this chapter.

Chapter 19

Fluff

Steph POV:

I laid with my head in Carlos's lap, my arm thrown over my face. His hand rubbed over my hip reassuringly. "Carlos what did I get myself into?" I asked him.

"I'm sorry."

I caught his hand and kissed the back of his hand. "I'm just trying to figure out how to keep her occupied until they're finished with the room."

His hand pulled my arm off of my face. He kissed me softly. "Just take her shopping and use my credit card. That should occupy her for a while."

I laughed softly. "Any woman would be occupied for a while if a man handed over his credit card. It's proof that three and a quarter inches is enough to satisfy a woman."

He laughed and shook his head. "You've got it Babe." He told me.

"Are you and the guys going to finish up the nursery?"

He nodded. "The guys said they picked up the acrylics and brushes. What are you planning to do?"

I just smiled at him. He shook his head. I sat up and looked over my shoulder at him. "You want to join me in the shower?" I asked. He growled as I sprung from the bed and ran into the bathroom.

XXXXXX

Carlos POV:

I kissed Steph before she disappeared behind the elevator doors. I ran a hand through my hair and walked the short path to the nursery. I leaned against the doorway looking in. Steph was right, already from what we had done the room was already coming together.

The changing table and crib were already in the room, not put where we wanted them but the white in contrast with the purple was just as Steph said. I found myself picturing the baby in here already.

I was nervous as hell. Not just about the baby but about what Rachel was going to do after. I didn't trust her to not try and keep the baby from me. I pictured holding a baby boy, while a little girl tugged at my shirt. I stepped back not knowing where that came from.

Of all the women I've been with, Steph was the only one I ever thought I might have kids with. I was disappointed that my first child wasn't hers; but she would be, even if it wasn't by blood. The elevator doors opened and Tank, Les, and Bobby walked out.

"Steph already leave?" Les asked as Mag walked over to them. Les tossed him a treat from his pocket and he jumped up to catch it.

"Yeah."

"How well do you think this little trip is going to go?" Bobby asked.

Tank chuckled. "On a one to ten scale?" He asked. "Ten being good, one being bad. I say a twenty."

I shook my head. "I don't think it'll be Steph to will start shit, I can about guarantee Rachel will try. It just depends on if Steph takes the bait. There is only so far she will be able to push her before she snaps," I told them. They nodded.

Les grimaced. "I've been on the wrong side of her wrath. I hope Rachel doesn't piss her off, even if she deserves it."

There were nods all around. I resisted the urge to pull my phone and check on Steph.

Steph POV:

Rachel stood waiting for me as I pulled up to her complex. She slid into the car and rolled her eyes. "Did Carlos buy this for you?" she asked.

"No," I said. "This one is a rental. The one I ordered won't be in for a few weeks," I shot back. She rolled her eyes.

Even though yesterday she had showed a little kindness it was all gone now. She was going to be spiteful today. I clenched my hand around the steering wheel and took a deep breath, easing into traffic.

There was silence in the car for a few minutes until Rachel looked at me. "So is the nursery done at your condo?" she asked.

"No, the guys are going to finish putting together the furniture today and I'm going to finish painting later."

"Painting?" she asked, her nose wrinkled.

"Yes, I'll be finishing it," I told her. She shot me a glare.

"How long is it going to take for the crew to finish today?" she asked.

"A few hours but you'll have to stay out of the room for at least today because of the fumes," I told her.

She couldn't say anything else as I pulled up to our first destination. A cute little boutique that was just a few blocks from my store in the city. Walking inside, we were met by a young girl she couldn't be no older than twenty asking if we needed anything.

"No, we don't need any help," Rachel growled at the girl. I glared at her as the girl scrambled off.

"That was uncalled for," I told her.

She smirked. "To bad I can't get rid of you like I did her," she said.

"Rachel, I'm trying to be nice to you," I told her. "If you want to keep being nasty, then I'll leave. I'm the one with Carlos's money. I'll order you some shit online and send it to you or you can shop by yourself."

Her face showed her displeasure and she hmphed. She turned her back to me and started to browse. I looked around finding some cute outfits for the baby, and I turned to see Rachel picking up the brightest pink outfits. I cringed.

I had already been looking online for some custom onesies. They were in the mail, so I wasn't worried about picking up too much today. I picked up some pacifiers and bibs. I turned to see her with a basket full of stuff.

"We still have a few more stores," I reminded her. She rolled her eyes but walked to the counter; the same girl that had greeted us earlier was the one checking us out. She did it quickly. Rachel walked off to look at something shiny, no doubt.

"I'm sorry about the way she spoke to you earlier."

The girl gave me a sympathetic smile. "I should be sorry for you," she said. "You're the one going home with her."

I laughed. "No, I'm not, thankfully. My fiancé is waiting at home."

She nodded but didn't understand the situation and I didn't plan to elaborate. Of course, Rachel left me to carry the bags to the car, citing that she couldn't lift heavy loads. She didn't have a problem carrying a full basket of stuff when she was in the store, but now she had a problem carrying a bag or two. I already felt like strangling her.

Three stores later, I was almost did strangle her. She walked into the lingerie section of a department store we were wandering through. She picked up a few and smirked at me.

"Maybe you should get some. You know, to keep Carlos interested." She smirked.

"I would tell you same, but we already know he's not interested in you," I shot back.

She narrowed her eyes at me. If looks could kill I would be dead. "Whatever. Eventually he'll grow tired of you, and he'll look to me the mother of his child to keep him company."

I laughed. "Is that really what you think? Does that thought keep you warm at night? Answer me this Rachel, I'm sure you remember that night clearly, how did you not notice he wasn't all there? Carlos is a passionate man, a very passionate man." I raised an eyebrow watching her face. I watched as a flash of guilt crossed her face. "You knew. You knew something was wrong and you didn't care. You took advantage of his situation because you're a coward. You couldn't stand the thought that he didn't want you so you took whatever opening you could."

She glared at me. "You don't know anything!" she snapped at me.

"Where did you take him?" I asked her. "Did you sneak out, clean up after yourself, make sure he didn't realize it was you? You knew something was wrong, but you didn't care. You're a selfish bitch. Carlos wouldn't touch you with a ten foot pole! Let alone look to you for companionship."

"Fuck you!" she growled at me.

"If you want me to take you home, get your ass out to the car!" I growled.

She glared at me again but followed me.

I drove in silence, stewing. The more I thought about it the angrier I got. I grabbed most of the bags, making her carry the rest upstairs. I dropped them in the living room, noting that the crew already left. I gave her one last disgusted look before leaving. Back at my place, I parked in my parking spot in the garage and rode the elevator up. The guys were all sitting around with Carlos, eating pizza and drinking beer.

Carlos looked at me and frowned. "What's wrong, Babe?" He asked.

I walked over and Carlos pulled me into his lap. He wrapped his arms around me and kissed my forehead.

"What did Rachel do?"

"She's a selfish bitch!" I growled. "She basically admitted it to me."

He rubbed a hand over my thigh. "That night, the one she talked about, I don't remember much. I remember stumbling up the stairs late that night and waking up alone in bed."

I grabbed his hand and squeezed. He kissed me softly.

"We're going to cut out," Tank said. The guys all stood, they left quickly.

Carlos held me tighter. "It's a fucked-up situation, Babe. We're living with it. We're figuring it out. There's only so much we can do," he said against my temple.

I turned, straddling him. "I hate this, Carlos. I hate it. I hate that this happened to you. I hate that you have to live with this."

"But I get to still be with you," he said, capturing my lips in a soft kiss. "You listened to my side of the story and didn't just leave me. We will make it through this. We'll handle this together, Babe, just like we have been. Rachel is going to be a big problem though, if she keeps pushing boundaries."

"I don't want to talk about it anymore, not right now," I told him softly, wrapping my arms around his neck and kissing him. His hands found their way to my ass and squeezed softly. I sighed softly and Carlos pulled back to nuzzle my neck.

"How does the nursery look?" I asked him. He grinned.

He stood, making me wrap my legs around his waist. He carried me into the room and flicked on the lights. I smiled, as he lowered me so I could look around.

I saw that he had left the tarp down on the floor and grinned. "Do you want to help me?" I asked him.

"Are you going to start painting?" He asked me.

I nodded.

"I'm not the best artist," he admitted, hesitant.

"I'll sketch it on the wall for you," I grinned at him. He nodded his acquiesce.

A few hours later, Carlos and I stepped back. He pulled me close and kissed my temple. Starting in the corner a tree stretched across, over the window and half-way across the other wall, about half way, a solid black silhouette. Fairies and butterflies danced across the walls, grass looked like it was flowing down by the baseboards, and a silhouetted moon was on the wall in the other corner. A few leaves flew through the air, giving the impression that the wind was blowing. I smiled up at him.

"It's gorgeous, Babe," he whispered softly and kissed me.

Hope you enjoyed. In the next chapter we jump ahead a little bit in time but no much.