WHAT AN IDIOT! William Spencer Junior is an idiot! He's a fool who does not deserve my precious Steffy. What the hell was he thinking marrying that girl?!

I am so upset at the writers I have no words.

With that said, how are you all? Sorry for the wait for this update. I was reviewing the chapter, which is almost 5k long.

THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH for reading, following the story/me, and reviewing. It means so so much. Thx!

Enjoy!

RHatch89: Your vote is in.

bbgold: Things ARE about to get interesting.

MK: Ahaha. Carter is certainly fine, but I like my Wyatt. I think he's an amazing character and so Steffy-like! Oh God, let's not talk about poor defenseless, damsel in distress Ivy. I cannot see that girl. I can't.

sydcasy: Thank you. It means a lot.

Liam was working on the promotion video for Steffy's new campaign, Fashionable Moms, when there was a knock at his door. "Yes?"

He moved his gaze from his computer screen to the door to see Hope walk in.

"Hey." She said shyly, closing the door.

"Hi." Liam greeted back. He lowered his computer and stood up. "How are you?" He walked over to her.

"I'm good." She answered, running her hand up and down along the skin above her elbow. She felt so uncomfortable being in that office. She hadn't been since she and Liam ended things. She hadn't thought it'd be so weird being in there with him again. "And you?"

"I'm good too."

"Good." Hope nodded. "I'm glad."

"We haven't seen each other in a while." Liam remarked.

"We saw each other two days ago, Liam." She replied, repressing a sigh.

"Well, we've seen each other. But we haven't talked and had a meaningful conversation in a while." He corrected.

Hope shrugged. "Maybe we have nothing to say to each other."

Liam's eyes widened a little in surprise. Wow, that was cold; and this was a Hope he didn't know.

"We don't? After all this time?" He frowned, not understanding why she was being so cold and dismissive. It had been weeks since they ended things, and from what he knew, she had moved on, so why this attitude?

"I guess you do since I'm here." She moved away from him and turned around to face him. "Why did you want to see me, Liam?"

"Ok, enough with the small talk0 Have you told anyone about… what happened between us before you left for Paris?" He decided to be direct.

"Why?"

"Because if you haven't, I would like you to keep it that way. And if you have, I'd like to know to whom in order to control the damages."

"I haven't told anyone." Hope answered.

Liam nodded, releasing a breath he didn't know he was holding, relief filling him. "And can you promise me you won't?" He asked her.

"Sure. Why would I?" she shrugged. "I didn't even remember it." She said, looking at him straight in the eyes.

He frowned lightly. "Wow, thank you. What a lovely thing to hear in the morning!" Sarcasm dripped from his voice.

Hope smiled. "What? Was I supposed to spend all my days replaying it in my mind? Obsessing about it?" She asked jokingly.

"No. Not all your days." He joked in return, emphasizing on 'all', causing Hope to laugh.

She shook her head. Even if she had said it mostly out of provocation, it was true that she hadn't thought much of her accidental kiss with Liam. She didn't see the point in keeping thinking about it. It had happened? It had happened! It was in the past. She had better things to think about: what she wanted for her future for one, a future that by the looks of things wouldn't include Liam.

Liam walked over to Hope, closing the gap between them a little.

Hope regained a serious expression. "I take it you haven't told Steffy." She guessed.

"No."

The look in her eyes said it all. "You think I should." Liam understood without her having to utter her thoughts.

"I think you should know by now that having secrets for the woman you're spending your life with is never a good idea." She gave him a pointed look, arching an eyebrow.

Liam diverted his gaze towards the floor.

"Why don't you just tell her, Liam? Why didn't you tell her weeks ago?!" Hope asked, genuinely not understanding. She had been under the impression that Liam didn't keep anything from Steffy. At some point, she had even come to assume that she was the problem; that for whatever reason, Liam didn't feel like he could be completely honest with her, unlike with Steffy, which, at the end of the day, made the two a better fit.

"Were you afraid of her reaction? I thought Steffy was much more understanding than me." Hope commented in a voice that didn't conceal her amusement.

Liam let out a nervous laugh. "Okay, we're not doing this." He said, walking away.

"Doing what?"

He sharply turned around. "Hope, Steffy is pregnant. Her emotions are heightened, her reactions are disproportionate. It's not about understanding. It's about the pain it will cause her. For no reason."

"Well, I wouldn't say for no reason." Liam frowned, so Hope elaborated. "The truth matters, Liam. Always. And Steffy deserves it. I deserved it. And if you had told me the truth from the beginning, you and I would be married right now!" She snapped. "I don't understand how you can keep making the same mistakes over and over again!"

"The situation is different." He said in a calmer voice.

She knit her brows. "How? How is the situation different? Please explain it to me."

"Hope, this didn't happen yesterday. That kiss happened weeks ago. I can't just tell Steffy after so long." Liam replied, getting seriously aggravated by Hope's insistence to discuss this and to make comparisons about things that shouldn't be compared in any case. "And why would I? Why hurt her over something that didn't mean anything?"

"Oh please, Liam. Not to me. Not to Steffy." Disdain crept into her voice. "A kiss always means something. There is nothing such as an insignificant kiss, and you know it pertinently. And please stop talking like this. That kiss didn't just happen, Liam. Our lips didn't just accidentally collide. You kissed me. YOU kissed ME." She repeated, watching Liam's face as she uttered the words; there was no denial there. "For a reason that only you know. And I think that's why you're so reluctant to tell Steffy."

He stared at her intently.

"Because you're afraid that she's going to ask about this reason."

/

'Hello?' Steffy picked up her phone, managing to keep the surprise out of her voice.

'Steffy? Hi, it's Katie.'

'I know. Your name showed up on my screen.'

'Right. Um, how are you?' Katie asked.

'I'm good.' Steffy nodded even though Katie couldn't see her. 'How about you? How's Will?' She inquired.

'I'm good. So is Will. We're both fine. He grows every day.'

Steffy smiled-laughed. 'I'm sure he does. At that age…'

'Yeah, they grow so fast.'

'I'm gonna tell Liam to go see his little brother before he doesn't recognize him anymore.'

'He could do that.' Katie paused. 'Or I could bring Will to you…'

Steffy's brows knit together. 'Uhh'

'Listen, Bill and I are celebrating our anniversary next week.'

'Oh. Wow, that's great. You guys are still going strong.'

'Yes. And I was wondering if maybe you and Liam could babysit Will.' She said.

'Sure. With pleasure. Anytime you want.'

'Really? Are you sure you don't mind? I know it's on short notice.'

'It's no problem at all, Katie. I'd love to watch Will, and Liam will be thrilled.' She assured her. 'It's just -'

'What?'

'Well, I'm kind of surprised you would ask me of all people to babysit Will. I thought I was the last person on earth you'd leave your son to. I thought you'd ask Hope or Brooke or Donna.' Or anyone really Steffy silently whispered.

'Well…' Katie chuckled. 'I'm not going to lie, you weren't my first choice. And I hesitated a lot before calling you. But you know what? I am Mrs. Spencer, and soon you will be too. Again. Clearly, you and I are going to have be a part of each other's lives for a long time, so I say we make the most of it and try to at least be cordial with one another.'

'I agree. I do. I think it's better for everyone if you and I get along, I just –this is such a shock for me. I never thought I'd see the day where you would be ready to accept me into the Spencer family.'

'Honestly? Me either.' Katie admitted, making both her and Steffy laugh. 'Look, we've had our differences. Lots of them. You've done some questionable things which I don't approve of, and you know it. But it's recently come to my attention that… nobody's perfect. Not even me.'

Steffy smiled.

'The past is exactly that: past. I don't want to dwell on it. I want to focus on the present, and think about the future. I want to be a great mother to Will, a good wife to Bill, and a reasonably fair mother-in-law to you.'

Steffy didn't immediately reply, still quite in shock, so Katie asked, 'Do you think that's possible?'

Steffy mused over her response, and then finally said, 'I hope so, and I would love that.'

'So, next week? You and Liam will babysit Will?' Katie checked.

'I already told you yes.'

'Great. I will let you know the specifics: day, time…'

'I will be waiting.'

There was a lull on the line, which Katie put an end to, 'Thank you, Steffy.' She acknowledged.

'You're welcome, Katie. Have a good rest of your day.'

'Thanks. You too.'

Then, the line went dead.

Steffy moved the phone away from her ear and held it up in the air as she shook her head in disbelief. Half-smiling, half-chuckling, she put it down on her desk.

"What's that smile?" She looked up to see Thomas closing her office door.

She crossed her arms over her chest. "Is knocking not a thing anymore?" She barely sounded annoyed.

"It never has been between us. Remember when we were younger? The number of times you entered my room without knocking, uninvited, at the worst possible times…"

"Ok, ok, ok." Steffy cut him off. He had a point.

"And you still do." Thomas added.

She shot him a look. "I said ok. What do you want?"

"I want to know why you were smiling like that." Thomas replied, refusing to drop it before he knew.

Steffy shrugged. "I'm in a good mood."

"Because…"

She leaned her body forward, putting her elbows on her desk. "Ok, this is going to seem weird. It is weird. It's crazy." She warned.

Thomas gestured for her to continue.

"I have strangely been getting along with the Logans. Believe it or not."

"Not."

Steffy laughed.

"Really?"

She nodded. "Brooke apologized for falsely accusing me of getting pregnant on purpose. Hope too. I haven't got in an argument with either of them since -" She paused trying to remember and realized she couldn't. "…I don't even know when. And Katie just called me. She wants me to babysit Will next week."

"You're kidding." Thomas didn't believe her.

"No, I swear! Well, Liam and I."

He looked at her with widened eyes, his mouth ajar. "Wow. That is pretty weird."

"Told ya."

"I never thought I'd see the day where you would get along with Hope or Brooke. Katie even less."

"Thomas, even in my wildest, most surreal dreams, I would not have imagined this."

Thomas laughed. "You seem happy about it though." He remarked recalling the smile on his sister's face when he walked into her office moments before.

"You know, I've had those women on my bad side for years. Years. I've been at war with them, and where did it get me? Nowhere."

"Finally."

Steffy rose a brow in question. "Finally what?"

"Finally, you admit it."

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, whatever."

Thomas chuckled. "You are just too tired to keep on the fight." He teased.

"Oh, yeah?" She threw a pencil at his chest. "Watch it. I may be four months pregnant, but I can still kick your ass any day of the week."

"I'll make sure to remember that." He said, putting her pencil back on her desk. "Seriously though, I'm glad. This is a good thing. If you and the Logans could permanently get along, it would bring much needed peace to this company and would be great for everyone."

Steffy nodded, smiling. She couldn't agree more. It was about time to put an end to the hostile atmosphere at Forrester Creations. "It may be the dawn of a new era..."

/

"I'm sorry if it felt like I was summoning you here. I wasn't." Liam said.

Hope shook her head. "It didn't. It's okay."

"I came by Forrester Creations yesterday looking for you."

"Oh?"

When Liam didn't elaborate on his own, she encouraged him, "And you didn't find me?"

"I did. You were in the photo-shoots' room." He paused. "With Oliver. I didn't want to interrupt you."

She gave him a blank stare.

"Are you two dating?" Liam asked, faking a disinterested tone, playing with the corner of a paper on his desk.

She raised an eyebrow, seeing right through him. "Yes, we are."

"I knew this would happen when you went to Paris together." He muttered.

"Excuse me?" There was no need to be a clairvoyant to predict where this conversation was headed, and Hope didn't know if she wanted to end it before it went there or if she'd rather put Liam back in his place.

"I knew letting you go alone with Oliver was a mistake. You were heartbroken. Of course, he would make a move."

"Excuse me?!"Hope's irises widened out of their orbits. "What?! You knew letting me go alone with Oliver was a mistake?" She repeated Liam's words with indignation.

Liam blinked, caught off guard by her vehement reaction.

"Have you lost your mind?! You are not my father, Liam, or my husband. You don't get to "let" me do anything!"

"That's not what I meant. What I meant is you're vulnerable right now, Hope. You're not in the best place in your life. You just got your heart broken." Liam tried to defend himself.

"By you, Liam! I just got my heart broken by you! Oliver has been the one trying to mend it."

"I'm sure he's got you thinking his intentions are honorable." He started. Hope opened her mouth to protest, but he didn't leave her the occasion. "And maybe they are. Maybe he does genuinely care about you, but the fact is you're on the rebound, Hope, and Oliver is taking advantage."

She narrowed her eyes at him, and gave him a scathing look. "Oh, you did not just that say to me."

Liam swallowed. Ok. He was not in no position to talk.

"Are you for real right now, Liam? Like are you serious? Do you not hear yourself when you speak? You want to talk about rebound relationships, Liam? You want to play that game? Really? You feel like going there?"

"Ok. I shouldn't have said that." Liam acknowledged.

"No, you shouldn't have. And if I were you, I wouldn't say another word." She advised, shooting him an icy, deathly glare.

Liam could have frozen on spot.

"Why are we even having this conversation?" Hope asked, shaking her head at the unbelievable character of the situation. How dare Liam? She was finally moving on with her life. She didn't feel either like crying or sleeping all the time anymore. She was happy again. For the first time in so long. And Liam didn't have in his heart to be happy for her. It was eye-opening. "How dare you? I don't recall asking for your opinion, Liam. I don't want it. I know who Oliver is, and I perfectly know what I'm feeling and for whom I'm feeling it."

"Hope, all I'm saying is -"

"I love him!" She blurted out. Her eyes widened at her own words. Whoa! What did that revelation come to do in this conversation?

She unconsciously took a step backwards. "I…" Words escaped her.

"You love him." Liam repeated her words, taking them in, neurotransmitters travelling his synapses, and their meaning reaching his brain. "Wow." He forced a smile and tried to summon a cheerful expression. "I guess you really don't need any advice then. You seem to know what you're doing." He paused and took a step towards her. She reacted by taking a step back. He stopped.

"I hope he treats you right." He looked her straight in the eyes as he spoke, trying to convey his sincerity.

He didn't think it would happen so fast, but he wanted Hope to be happy, and if Oliver could make her happiness, then he was grateful to him. That's all he wished Hope.

Hope clenched her teeth, and her whole face was tense. "I -" She motioned towards the door. Without an additional word, she got out of Liam's office. She passed by Alison without even saying goodbye and the woman didn't miss her disarray. She took the elevator and literally ran out of Spencer Publications' building once she reached the first level.

/

"It has been way too long since we've done this." Hope said, putting a couple of French fries inside her mouth.

"It has. I'm sorry about that. It's my fault in large part." Bridget acknowledged.

"No, no, Bridget, I didn't mean to make you feel bad. It's on both of us. We've both been really busy."

"We have." Bridget agreed. "But as your big sister, it is my duty to look after you. I should have called more, visited Forrester more."

"Sweetheart, it's ok. I really don't blame you. You haven't had that much time on your hands. And believe me, Rick has been looking after me enough for both of you." Hope reassured her.

Bridget knit her brows together and narrowed her eyes in suspicion. "Do I sense bitterness in your voice? What do you mean by that? What is it?"

"Nothing. Never mind. He can be a tad overprotective sometimes, that's all I meant. Anyhow, no matter how crazy things get, I think we should never be too busy for one another. We should be able to find sister-time every once in a while."

Bridget nodded. "Absolutely. As a matter of fact, you know what? From now on, we'll have lunch at least once a week. Every Wednesday for example."

"Works for me." Hope smiled.

"Great!"

Hope's bright expression gave way to a guilty one. Rubbing her temple, she tilted her head and pressed her lips together.

Bridget frowned. "Everything ok?"

"Yeah, everything is fine. I just – I wanted to apologize again for the way I reacted after I found out you knew about Steffy's pregnancy. I had no right being mad at you for not telling me. You were respecting your duties as a doctor, and I was so ridiculous." She acknowledged.

"Don't worry about it. I understand."

"You're not upset at me?"

Bridget smiled warmly at her little sister. "No, I'm not upset at you. I understand how it came as a shock to you, and I promise… I wanted to tell you. I did. You were the first thing I thought of when I found out and I really fought the urge to call you and let you know, but…" She trailed off.

"Professional secrecy?"

Bridget nodded.

"I understand now." Hope said. "I would have understood then too if I had taken the time, but I was too hurt and furious to try to see anyone's side but mine."

"Believe me, I know. I've been there, and I'm not upset at you. How could I ever be upset at you? You're my little sister, and you're literally the most adorable thing I've ever seen. You've always been. Except for Logan of course."

Hope smiled.

"If anything, I think I should apologize to you. I feel like I wasn't there enough for you. I know better than anyone what it's like to grow up with a mother like ours. With all the scandals, and the drama, and the embarrassment. I wish I would've been there to protect you a little. I'm sorry I wasn't more present in your life as you grew up." Bridget expressed her guilt and regrets.

Hope shook her head. "Bridget, please don't do this to yourself. You are the best sister that anyone could have. I am so lucky to have you. You've had a tough couple of years. You lost two children and your husband, more than once. You've been through more hardships these past five years than most people in their entire lives!"

Bridget looked down. Hope reached for her hand and squeezed it.

Hope had missed Bridget very much. She was her only biological sister, and she and Rick were the only ones to understand what it was like to grow up with a mother like theirs. Someone so shamelessly sexually and who just couldn't resist her drives, whatever they were and whoever got hurt in the process of her satisfying them.

Hope understood why she and Bridget had grown apart. Life happened and pulled them in different directions. After going through more than most people can bear, Bridget finally had a child and her whole life changed. She had new priorities, so did Hope. But family had always been a top priority for them, and it was about time they remembered that. They were sisters, and they needed to recover their relationship. It was paramount.

"I am so proud of you. I look up to you so much. I hope one day I can be half as strong as you, and as good a mother as you are." Hope spoke sincerely.

Bridget's lips curved into a warm and genuine smile. "You're on the right track."

/

Steffy got out of the La Bonne Boulangère where she had just had lunch and started walking towards her car. She had parked a little further, one for discretion, and two because there was no parking space left when she arrived.

She was checking her mails on her phone as she walked when she heard flashes before her. She raised her head to find a half-dozen of lenses taking shots of her.

"Steffy! Over here. Over here."

She stopped on her steps. This was what she hated most on earth: paparazzi. Those people had the most unpleasant job that she knew of. They literally made a living out of spoiling other people's lives.

"How are you today, Steffy? You are glowing!" One of them yelled.

"Is it a boy or a girl, Steffy?"

Steffy moved a couple of steps back and bumped into a hard body. "I'm so sor -" She let her apology in suspense when she turned to see who she had just collided with.

The hot, sexy waiter guy *eyebrow shrug*. Ok, she had to stop referring to him as that. She mentally slapped herself for her choice of labels. He had a name. Wyatt.

Anyhow, that wasn't the point. Beautiful, light-brown eyes gazing at her were.

"Steffy, when is the wedding? What is Liam waiting for?!" A paparazzi's voice broke her out of her daze.

Correction: THEY were the point.

Wyatt looked above her shoulder and then back at her. He took two steps forward ahead of her towards the paparazzi.

Steffy turned around, her forehead creased, worried about what was about to go down.

"Good afternoon, gentlemen. What do you think you're doing?" Wyatt asked them.

"We're taking pictures, and you're kind of in the way, so if you don't mind." One answered, gesturing with his hand for Wyatt to move away.

Wyatt narrowed his eyes at the man. The miserable didn't recognize danger when it was facing him in the eye. Wyatt took another step towards him. "As a matter of fact, yes, I mind."

"Look, dude -" The paparazzi lost his words when Wyatt grabbed his camera.

"Excuse me? Where do I know you from for you to call me dude? Listen attentively. You are going to take your little toys and go play with them somewhere else, preferably not next to a pregnant woman." He addressed not only the man whose working tool he had just destroyed by removing all the film, but also his accomplices.

They didn't move, but they had stopped taking pictures.

Steffy looked at them, then watched Wyatt, trying to anticipate his next move, not sure if she should be worried. She didn't know him that well after all. What the heck! She didn't know him at all. What if he was violent?

Losing his patience, Wyatt grabbed another paparazzi's camera. "Are you not hearing me?" he raised an eyebrow at them.

The men looked at one another and silently decided to leave before more damage was done. They slowly retreated.

Once they were out of sight, Wyatt turned around to Steffy, a smug smirk on his face.

Steffy looked at him with an intrigued air, a hint of a smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. "Thank you… Wyatt." She acknowledged, smiling warmly at him.

He grinned. "You remember."

"Of course I do!" As his grin got larger, she quickly corrected herself, "I mean Wyatt's a pretty uncommon name, so…" she said casually.

"Right."

She refrained from rolling her eyes. "Anyway, what are you doing here? Do you work at La Bonne Boulangère too?" she asked.

"No, I was in the neighborhood and stopped for pastry."

Steffy nodded.

There was a brief moment of silence.

Steffy looked up to find Wyatt already gazing at her. They locked eyes for an instant, connecting, before Steffy dropped his gaze, blushing. She cleared her throat. "Well, thanks again. I'm going to -" she tried to excuse herself in order to leave but Wyatt interrupted her.

"Have a coffee with me?" he smiled. "Please?"

She looked at him. She opened her mouth to say something, but guessing her answer, he didn't let her. "Come on. I just saved your life. You can't say no." He coaxed.

Steffy laughed. "Well, that's not an overstatement." She said ironically.

"Please?" Wyatt tried again.

"Wyatt, I've got work. I should have been back at the office fifteen minutes ago."

"Call them. Let them know you'll be late. It can't be that big of a deal. How often does it happen?"

Steffy tilted her head, contemplating Wyatt's words. It was true that she didn't usually take long breaks. More often than not, she had lunch at the office. Besides, she really didn't have that much work to do anyway.

That was Steffy's line of thinking when another reason why this wasn't the best idea occurred to her.

"You've noticed that I'm pregnant, right? And engaged?" She asked, raising her left hand and showing off her shining engagement ring.

"I have. This is why I'm offering you a coffee and not a full meal."

She half-huffed half-laughed.

"Oh, right. You're not allowed coffee. You'll have milk."

Steffy fully laughed this time. "Oh my God, you sound like Liam."

"Who?"

"Liam. My fiancé."

Wyatt nodded in understanding. "Well, you can tell me more about him inside. Or not."

A gentle smile spread over her face. "Okay, fine, I can grant you an hour."

Wyatt smiled and gestured for her to go ahead.

Together, they walked back into the café-bistro.

I hope you liked the chapter. Let me know your thoughts.

Hope/Liam? Hope/Bridget? Steffy/Thomas? And the last scene with my darling Wyatt?

The next chapter is almost completely written. It will be up Monday or when this update gets 10 reviews, whichever comes faster.