Thank you all again for reading and/or reviewing this story - it's much appreciated! :)
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"Betty, I do hope you two are somewhat decent, because I'm coming in," Claire announced. "I've seen my son's bare behind too many times to count, but I wouldn't want you to feel uncomfortable, dear."
"We're fully clothed, Mrs. Meade. It's not a problem," Betty assured her, stifling a giggle by burying her head in Daniel's chest.
"Please call me Claire, sweetheart. I'm your mother-in-law and your friend, not a complete stranger - at least I hope I'm not," she worried, handing a crying Scarlett over to Betty.
"No! No. I'm sorry, Claire. I forgot. I'm still not used to all of this yet. I'm getting there, though," she smiled back at Daniel and tried to calm their daughter down.
Daniel gazed at her lovingly.
"Good. I'm glad to hear that," Claire replied, genuinely happy. "I think my granddaughter might be hungry. I've exhausted every other possibility. Plus, your t-shirt is becoming damp."
"Oh my god, again? I just changed!" Betty groaned, looking down at her top. "I think I need some of those nursing pads and bras. And some new clothes . . . All my post baby stuff is probably back in London."
"Would you like me to get some for you, dear?" Claire offered.
"No, that's too much trouble," Betty told her.
"It's no trouble at all, Betty. I insist," Claire told her. "In fact, I happened to see a maternity store just a block or so from here. I can take all you girls with me. I'm sure they could use a few things from there, too."
"Thank you, Claire, but I'm not sure Amanda and I are going to be able to go there without the town car or a huge cab and Daniel needs to pick up dinner," Betty pointed out.
"Oh, right. Well that won't be a problem. I will simply call the owner and have them bring the store to you," Claire suggested.
"You don't have to do that," Betty objected. "That's way too much -"
"Nothing is too much for my family, Betty. And you girls are part of my family," Claire smiled.
"Thank you," Betty smiled, shyly. "I'd hug you if I didn't have a baby in my arms."
Claire smiled.
"That's really sweet of you, Mom. Thank you!" Daniel hugged her for Betty.
"What time is it?" Betty asked.
"It's 5:30pm," Daniel glanced at his watch. He handed her the feeding tent and held Scarlett for her, who began to get extremely fussy again. "I guess I need to pick up dinner while you take care of Scarlett's and do some shopping. What do you feel like?"
"What do you feel like?" she asked, carefully maneuvering her shirt up underneath the tent and taking Scarlett. "You probably haven't had the spaghetti and meatballs from Michael's in a while?"
"Betty, I can get that any time," he replied.
"If you want it, get it. That actually sounds good, right now," Betty insisted. "What do you think, Claire?"
"I think I might have a craving for his chicken scaloppini," she agreed. "I haven't had that since my 25th anniversary with Bradford. On our first anniversary, I attempted to fix it for Bradford myself. That's when we began having our special meals at Michael's, instead."
Betty and Daniel laughed.
"The last time I tried to fix spaghetti for Daniel, I burned the whole pan of it and almost set our apartment on fire," she laughed, then stopped when she realized that that had happened recently. "Oh my god! Daniel, that was in London!"
"Yeah, it was, B! That's amazing!" he kissed her fervently.
"That's wonderful, dear!" Claire told her.
"I'll go get everyone else's orders and call it in on the way," Daniel said, kissing his wife one last time. "Be back soon – don't remember anything else without me!"
Betty smiled at him.
"Be careful, you," she told him. "Ooooh – Daniel? Could you get us some of that cheesy, garlicky bruschetta? You took me there once, and I still get a craving for it sometimes."
"Oh, yeah . . . I love that stuff!" he remembered. "Wait, you remember your last birthday, too?"
"I'm not sure what it was for . . ." Betty said, recalling the night. "You took me to Michael's and we had an amazing meal. Then the town car got a flat tire on the way back. It started pouring down rain and when we ran to take cover across the street, a heel on my new Louboutin peep-toe pumps from Swag Day broke when I got them stuck in the grate from a drain. And when I tried to get them out, I twisted my ankle. You insisted on carrying me until we could get a cab."
"That was your last birthday," Daniel smiled, wistfully. "I wanted to take you to the ER, but you talked me out of it, saying it wasn't that bad. I promised to buy you a new pair of shoes for your birthday present, which you also attempted to talk me out of but failed. I teased you that it was a good thing that it didn't happen before the wedding or you would've been hobbling down the aisle and I would have had to literally sweep you off your feet in order to dance with you."
"I remember that now," Betty smiled. "I thought you were going to kiss me right before the cab came, which freaked me out a little. But it turned out you were just reaching for my glasses to clean them off for me."
"I was going to . . . You were so beautiful with your hair all a mess and your dress completely drenched. But I decided against it," Daniel confessed. "I wasn't sure how you'd react – how I'd react, either. And if it didn't turn out well, then I'd end up ruining your birthday even more."
"How in the world could the two of you have been so damn blind all these years? That sounds like a scene from a movie! But I'm not surprised you didn't kiss that night. Lord knows there would be no successful romantic contact with that meal," Claire brashly, yet in her own lighthearted way, remarked.
"Mom! Claire!" Daniel and Betty both objected.
"I apologize, kids. You two order whatever your hearts desire – it's none of my business," his mother told them.
"No, it's not. But for your information, Betty and I have never have a problem regardless of what we eat," Daniel informed her.
"Daniel!" Betty glared at her husband.
"What?! It's true, isn't it?" he defended.
"Yes, but your mother doesn't have to know that we're so insanely in love with each other that we don't care what we smell or taste like!" she argued, then froze with her mouth open after realizing what she'd just admitted.
Daniel paused for a moment, a grin slowly forming on his face. He gently closed Betty's mouth and kissed it.
"We'll talk later," he assured her and left.
"Oh god . . . What the hell did I just do?" Betty groaned, humiliated.
"It's quite alright, sweetheart. I don't think Daniel minded at all," she smiled.
"It wasn't supposed to be like this – I wasn't supposed to just blurt out to my husband in front of his mother that I'm in love with him," she sighed. "That sentence doesn't sound right, does it?"
"Believe me dear, I've heard far stranger than that," Claire assured her. "Now, it doesn't matter how you said it, if you meant it. And by the way it flowed so easily off of your tongue, I think you did. And that is absolutely wonderful."
Betty timidly smiled.
"Are you happy with my son?" Claire asked. "You can be truthful, Betty. I am well aware of all of his flaws. And I realize what you are going through is very awkward. But you are my daughter, now. I want the best for you, too."
"Thank you. I've always been happy when I'm with Daniel. I never expected to wake up to a life with him as my husband - but he's made it so easy . . ." she confessed. "I-I don't want to lose him."
"You won't," Claire promised. "Daniel has had feelings for you for a very long time. It took him years before he would admit them to himself and everyone else, but they were there. You have something very special together, Betty. Trust in that."
Betty nodded. Claire's words helped, but she was still unsure and embarrassed.
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Betty had a difficult time sitting through dinner. Self-conscious, she tried to avoid Daniel's gaze the entire meal. Every time she accidentally looked at him she ended up blushing, making her feel way more vulnerable than she wanted to be. It was as if they were on their first date and they hardly knew each other or something.
Daniel, on the other hand, appeared to have no issues with staring at her - or touching her for that matter. In fact, he wouldn't take his eyes off of her. His hand discreetly rested on or occasionally rubbed her thigh for the majority of the dinner. It was nice – more than nice - but made her apprehensive at the same time.
Fortunately, she could distract herself with all of the questions she and Daniel were getting by the announcement they'd made about moving back.
After dinner, Daniel went to check on Scarlett, who was asleep upstairs. Everyone else had either gone home or was helping clean up.
"She's still fast asleep," Daniel told her as he sat down beside her on the couch and put the baby monitor on the coffee table.
"Good," Betty smiled, awkwardly.
"So you're insanely in love with me, huh?" Daniel whispered in her ear, looking like the cat that swallowed the canary.
"My family's in the next room and they're notorious for eavesdropping. Couldn't we discuss this later?" Betty asked.
"All you have to do is tell me. I don't need a whole article on it . . . although, I did write a six page recommendation for you once that was originally twelve, so . . ." he joked.
"Daniel . . . I already divulged my innermost feelings in front of your mother. Are you really gonna make me say it again?" she sighed, leaning against the opposite end of the couch, curling her feet up on the cushion.
"Did you mean it?" he asked, seriously.
"Yes, of course I meant it," she insisted, throwing a pillow at him in frustration. "I just didn't mean for it to slip out like that."
"Why is it so hard for you to say it, if you do?" he asked.
She hesitated for a moment.
"Because it makes everything real," she confessed.
"And that's a bad thing for you?" he asked, confused.
"Yes! No! Maybe . . ." she wavered.
"Betty, you should know by now that you have nothing to be afraid of when it comes to us. You can trust me," Daniel promised.
"I do - more than anyone," Betty told him. "You're my best friend. I know you'd never hurt me on purpose. I know you've changed. I just keep thinking about how you dated Trista after all the progress you'd made in your relationships . . . What if you started moving backward again? What if you get tired of me? What if I say those words and get so caught up in being with you and living this amazing life? What if one day you wake up and realize I'm not the one you want to wake up to anymore?"
"Hey . . . c'mere," Daniel gently pulled her onto his lap. "Baby, that will never happen. I swear. Honestly, I don't even know why I was with Trista in the first place. Why is this such a big problem for you now? We're married – I think that speaks volumes for how committed I am to you."
"Great, so I'm your straightjacket," she joked.
"Betty," he warned.
"Sorry," she apologized.
"Look, marriage to my parents meant having affairs, and murdering mistresses because they literally drove them insane, having secret bastard children, and eventually getting divorced only to realize how much they still loved each other when it was too late to start over," Daniel began. "I don't want that for us. To me, marriage means being with one person forever. Not because you have to, not because it's the right thing to do, but because you love that one person more than anyone else in the world. You are that one person for me, Betty."
"Daniel . . ." Betty smiled shyly and snuggled closer to him, putting her arms around his neck. "You're my one person, too. I-I love you."
"I love you too, B," he captured her lips in a passionate kiss. "See, that wasn't so hard, was it?"
"I guess not . . ." she unwillingly admitted. It was true; it wasn't as hard as she'd made it out to be. In fact, she felt as if a weight had been lifted now that they had talked about it.
"Wow, two times in -" Daniel began.
Betty stopped him with another kiss that left him breathless.
"Why'd you do that?" he wondered.
"I was saving you from saying something you'd regret," she flirted.
"Really?" he questioned, a sexy look in his blue eyes. "Do you think I'm out of trouble yet?"
"Not yet," she gave him a devious grin, pulling his head down for another kiss.
"I'm an idiot," Betty confessed.
"I thought that was my line," Daniel joked. "You never fail to call me a dumbass when I'm being one."
"Daniel, I'm serious," she sighed.
"So am I. But why are you an idiot, again?" he asked.
"A part of me fought being in love with you," Betty answered. "All because of stupid reasons . . . and it's not just you and your past – it's mine, too. After all the other failed relationships I've had, I thought that I couldn't possibly be lucky enough to have a guy as wonderful as you and have it last."
"You are an idiot," Daniel told her.
"Daniel!" she protested, shocked that he would say something like that to her. Then she noticed the corners of his mouth twitching. She reached up her hand to shove his chest when he caught it.
"B, I'm kidding!" he assured her, kissing it. "You're not an idiot . . . you just worry too much. It's cute."
"It's practical, Daniel," Betty disagreed, begrudgingly taking her hand back. "You don't worry enough."
"Then we can make a deal – you can worry enough for the both of us," he suggested. "And when we're old and gray, I promise I'll still come visit you at the home for mental patients."
"Daniel, that's not funny – or rational," she argued, fighting a smile.
"Who says we have to be rational?" Daniel countered, teasing her bottom lip, then her top, running his fingers through her long dark brown hair.
"Mmm . . . You've got a point . . . A very good point . . . To hell with being rational . . ." Betty agreed in between kisses. "I guess I can try . . . mmmm . . . to stop worrying so much . . ."
"That's my Butterfly Queen!" he fervently captured her lips again, then her cheeks and neck, and back to her lips.
"Daniel . . ." Betty giggled. "My family's right there in the next room."
"So? It's not like we're teenagers. We're married . . . Very. Happily. Married," he replied, slowly running his hand along her arm and down her thigh.
"Very," she agreed, toying with his collar as she teased his bottom lip.
"Okay, okay, you two. This isn't a frat party - enough makin' out on the couch! Bobby and I thought we could all watch a movie as a family. So keep the PDA PG!" Hilda warned, then suddenly hugged them tight. "Aaayyyy . . . I'm so happy you guys are in love again and are movin' back here!"
"Wait – Hilda, how did you know? I didn't tell you about what I said?" Betty asked.
"Who else?" Daniel guessed, looking at Betty.
"Claire told me! It took everything in me not to say anythin' at dinner, but once I saw you guys makin' out I thought it was safe," she explained.
"Sweetie, will you stop buggin' Dan and Chipmunk over there, and come help me and Justin eat this popcorn, already?" Bobby called his wife over to the other side of the room and handed her a bowl of popcorn to give to Daniel and Betty.
Daniel propped his feet up on the coffee table and relaxed with Betty in his arms.
"I don't know how you can still be hungry after all that pasta, Mom," Justin shook his head in disbelief.
"Yeah, well, you try bein' almost nine months pregnant, then," Hilda countered and shoved Daniel's feet off of the coffee table. "Get those things off of there, Mister! Papi just cleaned that this morning. Ay, with the upbringin' you had you'd think you'd have some freakin' manners!"
"Sorry," Daniel shrugged, looking at Betty. "Hormones?"
Betty gave him a look.
"I heard that!" Hilda teasingly smacked her brother-in-law on the back of his head.
"Ow!" Daniel, complained, rubbing it. "Damn, Hilda! I thought Betty hit hard . . ."
Betty smirked.
"That'll teach ya not to mess with the Suarez Sisters!" Hilda lightheartedly warned him.
"Aww, my poor baby . . ." Betty mocked in fun. "Want me to kiss it and make it better?"
"Go away," he pouted.
Betty giggled.
Daniel put his feet up on the couch instead, causing them both to reposition themselves a little. They stared at each other and got lost in their own little world for a while, waiting for everyone to get situated.
"You're adorable," Betty told him, tweaking his nose. She reached for his left hand and took a really good look at the ring on his finger. She twirled it around.
"This is nice, I like it," she smiled, studying the wide white gold band.
"You should, you picked it out," he told her.
"See, you can't argue about my sense of style anymore, can you?" she teased.
"Who said I liked it?" he argued.
"Daniel, I know you. You wouldn't agree to wear a ring for the rest of your life that you hated," she countered. "You'd be whining about it every day – just like your desk at MODE."
"What desk at MODE?" he asked, puzzled.
"The desk you couldn't hide under when you were trying to avoid me or your mother," she clarified.
"Oh. That desk," he remembered.
"Yes. That desk," she said. "And I wouldn't agree to it either, because I'd be the one to have to listen to you."
"Am I really that bad?" he asked, insecurely.
"Yes," she answered matter-of-factly. "Now tell me more about our engagement."
Daniel started to, but the noise level in the room got too loud.
"Mom, I'm going to have to walk to MODE tomorrow to burn off all these carbs. And sweat is not a good look for a first day as an intern for Wilhelmina Slater," Justin complained, arguing with Hilda.
"Then why did you eat so much?!" his mother countered. "Está loco en la cabeza?!"
"Hilda, be nice! If Justin was hungry, then he was hungry. He's still a growing boy," Ignacio intervened.
"Wilhelmina's got you coming in on a Sunday?" Betty overheard and turned to face Justin, asking in disbelief.
"I'm supposed to reorganize the Closet before Swag Day," her nephew explained. "She's letting me have first pick – me!"
"Wow! Justin that's great!" Betty exclaimed.
"Are yeh kiddin' me? That's bloody fantastic! Has the Vampire Lady lost her brains?" Christina asked, coming into the room with bowl of tortilla chips and some queso. "She must really be smitten with you, love. She never let me have anythin' at all 'til everyone else got their pick. I had to hide certain pieces in order to have a chance at 'em."
"Willie's really changed, I guess. Justin, I'd stay away from the shoes – most of them will kill your feet," Daniel advised.
"Thanks, UD, but I'll take anything I can get my hands on and wear it with pride. Fashion always trumps pain," he told him.
Daniel smiled and rolled his eyes at his nephew.
"The lad's got a point, unfortunately," Christina agreed.
"Well, I think it's great that Justin gets to work with Miss Slater! She's quite a remarkable woman. I don't know how she does it all . . ." Ignacio commented, in awe.
"This comin' from the man who can't tell the real lady from the drag queen," Hilda teased.
"Hey, she/he could have been Wilhelmina's twin!" Ignacio argued.
"Don't worry, Papi. She managed to fool Daniel, too," Betty added.
"You knew about that?" Daniel asked.
"I have my sources," Betty smiled devilishly. "So what movie are we watching?"
"I think we should watch 'Grease' – our school's going to put on a Junior/Senior production of it this fall and I need to study my lines," Justin suggested.
"Eeeeeee! Justin, did you guys already get parts?!" Betty assumed, excited.
"No, but Austin and I are totally meant to play Kenickie and Danny!" he exclaimed.
Betty nodded.
"Any objections to my baby boy preparing for his big musical debut?" Hilda asked.
"Mom!" Justin complained. "Stop calling me a baby. Ulcchhh . . . I can't wait until my new sister gets here – the real baby! Maybe then you'll be able to tell the difference."
"'Grease' it is!" Bobby declared, ignoring the bickering.
"What is this 'Grease' anyway?" Ignacio asked. "Are they working at a fast food restaurant?"
"Just watch and you'll find out, Grandpa," Justin told him. "Hey, Uncle D? Were you ever in a musical in high school?"
"Actually, yeah - once. I played one of the extras in 'Cinderella'," he revealed.
"You never told me that!" Betty threw popcorn at him.
"It wasn't a big deal – I sang one song with a bunch of other kids," he brushed it off.
"Does your mom have the tape?" she asked, hopefully.
"It got destroyed in a flood," Daniel claimed.
"Liar," she playfully accused, throwing more popcorn.
"Hypocrite," he teased, throwing it back.
"How?!" she demanded to know.
"You were in a dance recital when you were five – why haven't I seen that tape?" Daniel countered.
"Because it's in some random box in Papi's attic with a bunch of my old stuff," she excused, assuming that's where it was.
"No it's not – it's in that shelf over there with my talent show tape," Hilda corrected her.
"Hilda!" Betty exclaimed, feeling betrayed.
"What?! He wanted to know . . ." she excused.
"That didn't mean you had to help him find it!" Betty argued.
"I knew it! You don't want me to see your tape either," Daniel smirked.
"You're right, I don't. We're even," she agreed. "Can we watch the movie now?"
"You got it, Chipmunk," Bobby said. "By the way, you looked so cute in that little dance . . . with your little tutu and that tiara."
"Oohhhh . . . I can picture it now, Lil' Betty in a frilly pink tutu doin' her little plies!" Christina imagined.
"Hilda! You showed him?!" Betty yelled, shocked.
"Hey – don't get all bitchy with me, Mamita! It was all Papi's fault!" Hilda informed her.
"Papi!" Betty exclaimed.
"I-I thought I was showing Bobby Hilda's tape, but they were mislabeled. Mea culpa, Mija. Lo siento!" her father apologized.
"It's okay, Papi. Let's just watch the movie," she said.
"Yes, please, for the love of Olivia Newton-John can we finally watch the movie?! I'm sorry I brought the whole thing up!" Justin exclaimed, frustrated at the scene he caused.
"Oh, don't get yer knickers in a bunch, love! We'll get to it!" Christina calmed Justin down.
"It's playin'. It's playin'!" Bobby huffed. "Jesus! Man, I swear sometimes Dan and I are the only sane people in this freakin' family . . ."
Hilda lightly smacked him.
Daniel snorted.
"Daniel!" Betty scolded with a similar smack to his chest.
"Guys! It's starting!" Justin tried to shut them all up.
"Sorry, baby," Daniel pressed his lips to Betty's temple.
"It's okay," she whispered and began weaving her fingers in and out of his hand. "I still love you."
"And I love hearing you say it," Daniel affectionately kissed her lips and they settled in for the movie.
