Stephanie and Chris were squeezed into one lounge chair located on the side of Vince and Linda's indoor pool. There was a small party for some of Vince and Linda's family and friends and it was a "Summer in Winter" theme since it was February in Connecticut, not exactly the ideal weather for a pool party, but they were indoors so it was all good. Stephanie was pretty pregnant at this point, eight months if you were counting. But Stephanie at this point didn't even want to look down at herself.

She was wearing a two-piece bathing suit, one that covered up her stomach, but was still chic, even though she felt like a cow. Chris had convinced her that she looked fine, so she guessed she was inclined to believe him. She felt a little self-conscious with her stomach hanging out there for everyone to see. Which would explain why she was laying curled up in his arms as he talked to one of her cousins; she had her head buried in his neck as he rubbed her stomach, making their baby move around.

She heard the talking cease and she looked up to see that she and Chris were alone and Chris was smiling down at her. "Hey."

"What?" she asked.

"You're pretty," he said impishly. She blushed a little and rested her head against him. "So are you going to hide behind me this entire time? This is your family after all, I shouldn't be the one dragging you around, you should be dragging me around."

"I dragged you to the buffet table," Stephanie pointed out.

"Yes, and then proceeded to train for a professional eating contest," he told her, but then rubbed her stomach a little. "Not that it's a problem, you are eating for little no-name in there too."

"I feel ugly," she told him candidly. "I know that's such a cliché thing to say so far into my pregnancy, but I just feel like I'm not myself, like I'm a pod person or something. I don't know why we had to come to this."

"Because your parents are the ones throwing the party and it would be rude if we didn't?" he suggested. "You want to go chill in the pool for a while? That way you can hide your stomach and not feel self-conscious."

"Let me go pee first," Stephanie said, "Help me up?"

Chris nodded and got off the chair, offering his hand as he helped Stephanie lift herself up out of her chair. She kissed his cheek as she walked back into her parent's house. She went down the hallway to the bathroom, all the while hearing voices from the kitchen. But when she heard her name being mentioned, she backtracked and stood next to the entryway to hear what was being said about her.

"Did you see Stephanie's supposed boyfriend?" one of them said, and she thought she recognized the voice, but wasn't too sure.

"Is that the alleged father of her baby?" the other voice, this one was one of her parent's friend's daughter, Elise, that much Stephanie recognized, and wherever Elise was, Felicity wasn't going to be far behind, and Stephanie placed the first voice with hers.

"Yeah, it is, supposedly, but you know how Stephanie is and always was, the resident slut. She was the same way in high school and she's the same way now," Felicity responded. Stephanie bit her lip as she continued to listen in on this conversation.

"Oh yeah, the girl with the bad reputation. I'd heard that she slept with all her father's associates and his wrestlers, it would definitely seem her though, she was always wanting to go on the road with him. She probably had some of them at the same time," Elise laughed.

Stephanie kept her cool. She didn't want to reveal herself until she heard the whole of this conversation. She knew that getting pregnant out of wedlock wasn't that big a deal in normal society, but this wasn't normal society. She sometimes forgot that she lived among the snobby upper-crust of Connecticut who were so stuck in their ways of debutante balls and high teas. Most of these women "lunched" and Stephanie had never lunched in her life. She didn't fit into this crowd and she never had. Still, as with any person hearing stuff like this being talked about them, it hurt.

"She's probably saddling this poor Chris guy," Felicity said. "It's something that I wouldn't put past her. I mean, take a look at him, he's completely gorgeous and she would latch onto someone who had the looks, and I talked with him for a couple minutes and he was so smart, I'd never have figured."

"Well, he is a wrestler, but he's hot."

"Hands off," Felicity laughed. "If there's anyone that's going to get him, it's me. I mean, seriously, even if he is with Stephanie, she's as big as a cow, and no guy wants to sleep with a cow."

Stephanie scurried off to the bathroom for a couple reasons. She didn't want to hear anymore, and she really did have to use the bathroom. Stephanie did her business and went back to the pool area where Chris was chatting with Shane. She walked over and wrapped her arms around him as best she could. He excused himself from Shane and pulled her towards the pool. They went into the shallow end and Stephanie sat on the steps as Chris kneeled between her legs.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Chris asked, recognizing that Stephanie seemed more down than she had when she had left for the bathroom. "I'm telling you right now, you look beautiful."

"It's not that," she said, looking away from him as her eyes welled up in tears. Pregnancy hormones could really be a drag sometimes. After she had heard those girls talking, it was the one and only time during this entire pregnancy, since she had heard Chris say those fateful words, that she had wanted to be married. It was the one moment where she wished she had taken her parent's advice and married Chris just so she wouldn't have to hear people talk like that about her, like she was a slut when she hadn't even lost her virginity until she was well into her 20's.

"Hey, hey, hey," Chris said, turning her face towards him as he leaned forward so that they were forehead to forehead. "What's wrong? Is the baby bothering you?"

She looked down. "There were some girls talking about me, saying stuff like you weren't my baby's father and how I was a slut and probably just snatched you to make you believe you were little Irvine's father. And how I slept with everyone in my father's company."

Chris set his jaw. "What girls?"

"It's nothing, Chris. It was just these two girls who I went to high school with, Felicity and Elise, they were just talking shit about me, it's not a big deal."

"It's a huge deal," Chris said to her. "They can't say that kind of stuff about you or my son. I'm going to go say something to them, how dare they…"

"No Chris, please don't," Stephanie begged, taking both of his hands. "Please, I don't want to cause a scene here. This is my parent's party and I really don't want to cause a scene."

"We can sit here for now."

"Thank you."

Chris was pulling out all the stops. He was sparing no expense for Stephanie. Everything was going to be perfect for her, because she was perfect for him. He was ready and determined and he could hardly contain his excitement for the next week. By this time next week, he was going to be engaged to Stephanie, he just knew it. Everything was going to go his way this time. Everything was going to be perfect and he was going to get everything that he needed and wanted.

But first, he had something to do.

He rang the doorbell of a very familiar house and tapped his foot as he waited for someone to open the door. He saw a shadow of a person through the stained glass of the door and then someone opened the door and he smiled at the familiar person.

"Mr. Irvine, hello."

"I know you're on the clock Angie, but come on, call me Chris," he said to the long-time McMahon housekeeper. She worked four days a week for Vince and Linda, and she knew Chris very well.

"Chris," she said, rolling her eyes. "What can I do for you?"

"Is Vince here?"

"Yeah, he is here, did you want to see him?"

"Yeah, I did actually, if he's not completely busy."

"He's in his study, but I don't think that he'd mind a visitor, and you're pretty much family anyways," she said, letting him inside. "I haven't seen Finn in a while, how is the young boy? I'm sure he's growing everyday."

"He is," Chris grinned, "although if someone were to make some oatmeal raisin cookies he might grow faster. It also might make him feel better, he broke his arm the other week."

"Oh yes, Linda told me about that, that's terrible, but she said that he was fine, it was just a small fracture."

"Yeah, he thinks the cast is cool," Chris said. "Well, I'm going to talk to Vince, but seriously, oatmeal raisin cookies."

Angie smirked, "I'll see what I can whip up and send over to your house."

"Lovely," Chris said as he knocked on Vince's door and stuck his head in. "Hey Vince, I was wondering if you had a minute?"

Vince looked up, a little startled, "Chris, what are you doing here?"

"I needed to talk to you about something really important and it really can't wait, so hopefully you're not busy. If you are, you'll just have to put it aside," Chris joked.

"I'm free, come on in, you know you're welcome here. Did Angie let you in?"

"Yeah, she did," Chris said, walking into the room and taking a seat across from Vince. "Thanks for seeing me though, really."

"Chris, come on, you're like family, you know you can come talk to me," Vince told him. "So what is this in regards to?"

"It's about something I should've done about five years ago," Chris told him. "Well, no, less, a little less. It's just something that I should've done and something I regret not doing before."

"Okay, are you going to cut to the chase or are you going to ramble on for the next hour or so?" Vince asked with a chuckle.

Chris took a deep breath, "Vince, I would like to ask permission to marry your daughter. I would like your blessing."

Vince started laughing outright. "You're asking my permission?"

"I know it's cheesy and old-fashioned, but I want to do everything right by Stephanie this time. I'm going to propose to her one more time, Vince. This one I'm making count. Now, you and everyone else know that I've been asking and trying to get Stephanie to marry me. I've meant every single one of those proposals from the very first one when we were sitting in Finnegan's bedroom five days after his birth and he was crying and wouldn't be quiet. I asked her and she said it wasn't the right moment. The right moment has not come in the past five years apparently. Next week, I'm trying for the right moment, and I want to do everything right, so I'm here asking for your blessing to ask Stephanie to marry me."

"Wow," Vince said. "So you're going to try one more time?"

"If Stephanie's says no this time, then I can't do anymore. I just can't. But I love Stephanie, Vince, you know that."

"I do know that, you've stuck by her through everything, and you're here now, even after she essentially broke up with you," Vince said, impressed. "Let me ask you this, though, Chris? Why do you keep coming back? How do you know its Stephanie you want?"

"Vince, I love your daughter. When we first started dating, she was fun and adventurous like me. When she told me she was pregnant, I'm not going to lie, I got scared, and I wanted to run away," Chris told him for the first time ever, looking Vince straight in the eye. "I honestly was going to leave."

"Were you?" Vince asked, and there was no malice in his voice because obviously Chris didn't leave.

"Yeah, but when I looked at her, there's no way I could leave her because she's Stephanie, and she's the best thing that ever happened to me."

"More than Finn?"

"Same as Finn, but maybe a little bit more…something, not more in the sense that she's more important or anything, but…without her, there would be no Finn."

"You never had to ask my permission or my blessing, Chris, you know this. You've stuck with my daughter and grandson for the past six years, and you've been good to them both. I had my apprehensions about you, and if we're confessing, I wanted to kill you when you and Stephanie told me and Linda you were pregnant. I know that I kept my calm that night, but I really wanted to get a shotgun and kill you."

Chris got his chance to chuckle. "We knew you were disappointed, but you know, thanks for not killing me."

"When you and Stephanie first started seeing each other, I questioned your motives, I thought you were using her for the money and the special attention she could give you. I'm man enough to admit when I'm wrong. Chris, you're the only man I can imagine marrying my daughter, and you've been the best father to my grandson. And it's about damn time you made her an honest woman."

Chris laughed, "Thanks Vince, I just wanted to make sure there were no objections here. I'm going to marry Stephanie. I can feel it this time. I'm going to marry her and be with her. I need to be with her. I'm just…I'm not the same without her. She's spent the last six years getting under my skin."

"Good, because if you ever, and I'm saying, ever hurt my daughter, I will get that shotgun, and you will be dead."

Chris stood up and shook Vince's hand, "I want to be dead if I ever hurt Stephanie, Vince. I want to be dead."

Vince shook his hand back, "So how are you proposing?"

"Well, I rented out a restaurant for her, and I'm going to do it there, and I'm getting a florist in there to cover the place in flowers, and Finn is going to be there, and he's preparing a speech for it too, and everything is going to be great."

"Finn's preparing a speech?"

"Well, no, the kid is really good at improvising it. But thanks Vince."

"Thank you for taking such good care of my daughter, Chris."

Chris walked out of the study with a grin on his face. Things were going swimmingly and he just had to keep calm until next week. He wanted Stephanie to get the memorable proposal that she deserved and not some ring-ding, spur-of-the-moment proposal that she thought meant nothing. So engrossed in his thoughts was he, that when he opened the door, he didn't realize someone was coming up the walkway.

"Chris?"

"Stephanie," he grinned as he walked over to her.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"I was talking with your dad," he said. "You know, business stuff. Where's our kid?"

"He's over at the duck pond, you know, watching the ducks, crazy kid," Stephanie said, rolling her eyes playfully. "Finny!"

"What Mommy!" Finnegan yelled from the duck pond in front of her parent's house.

"Daddy's here!" Stephanie yelled at him. "Did you park…"

"On the other side of the garage," Chris explained. Finnegan came running over and grinned at Chris. "Hey there kiddo."

"Hi Daddy," Finnegan said, hugging him, "are you coming to dinner too?"

"Well, I had things to do," Chris said. "Did you want me to stay for dinner though?"

"Well, we were going to go to dinner with my parents and Grammy Vicky. If you want to come, you know you're welcome to, it might be nice," Stephanie said with a kind smile, knowing it would make Finny happy. "So please, stay."

Chris nodded his head as he turned back towards the house.

Chris walked inside the house and was just walking past the dining room where the drinks were when he saw one of the girls that Stephanie had introduced earlier and the one he recognized as having spoken to Stephanie. He wandered in there and tried to act nonchalant, turning his back to her. He could feel her gaze burning into his bare back and he turned to catch her staring.

"Yes?"

"Sorry, you're just really handsome," Felicity said, tilting her head. "But I bet you get that a lot."

"It does get repetitive," he said drolly.

"I bet," she said, coming over to him. "You know, if you're not doing anything right now, I know a little place where we can get to know each other upstairs. I'd like to get to know you better."

"Oh really?"

"Yes, and if you want to get to know me better, that'd be good too. I'm very complex."

"I'm kind of here with Stephanie."

"You do know she has a reputation right? I mean, she's had it for years."

"What reputation is that?"

"She's kind of a slut," Felicity whispered, as if anyone could hear her when they were the only two people in the room together. Chris licked the front of his teeth as he heard her say that. "She's been that way since high school, really, she used to sleep with anyone and everyone."

Chris nodded. He knew when Stephanie had lost her virginity and it wasn't in high school. "Interesting. I never knew this."

"Yeah, she's probably still that way. I'd get out while you can. You don't even know if that baby is yours, I mean, for all we know, she's been sleeping around. You just have to get out now. You don't want to raise a kid that's not yours right?"

"No way," Chris said, playing along.

"It'd just be a waste of your time and your money," Felicity said. "And besides, there are much better prospects out there for someone like you. You know, if you stick with Stephanie, don't be surprised if that kid looks nothing like you at all, and looks like some other guy you wrestle with."

"She's probably been cheating on me then," Chris said, acting incredulous.

"Oh, definitely, definitely, she's just a whore."

"Yeah, I mean, first she gets knocked up and she's not even married, what's with that? I'm just the poor shmuck who fell for it."

"Yeah, she's not married, her parents must want to disown her. We just don't do things like that around here."

"Yeah, so what's your story? Are you taken or do you invite offers from guys to go out to dinner?" he asked.

"I definitely invite offers," she smirked.

"Well, let me tell you a little secret before we do anything else, okay?" he asked, leaning in closer to her.

She smiled seductively at him before running a perfectly manicured finger down his bare chest. "I love secrets."

"If you ever, and I mean ever call the woman I love a slut or a whore again, I will make sure that you never get a guy to even look in your direction, it's amazing the power of gossip, as I'm sure you know. I spread a little STD rumor about you and no one's going to want to touch you. And as for that baby she's carrying, you're lucky you're a woman because that's my son in there and I don't take too kindly to people talking shit about my son." Felicity gulped as she looked into Chris's suddenly dangerous eyes. "Stephanie is anything but a slut, but I'm sure you can just look in the mirror to find the true meaning of the word."

Felicity huffed and opened her mouth and sputtered, "You're a jackass!"

"That's the best you've got? Wow, so what they say about rich heiresses is true...all style, no substance." He chuckled as he watched Felicity walk away. Nobody was going to talk like that about his girlfriend or his son.

Stephanie never found out about the incident and he never told her. It was the little things she missed. She never got the full story of Chris's love for her, but she would find out soon enough. If he had to relay every story he had that proved his love, he would do it for her. As she helped Finnegan cut his chicken, he couldn't help but stare at her. She was the same Stephanie he had fallen in love with forever ago. She was the same Stephanie he had defended and stood by. Stephanie stole a glance at him and saw him stare at her. She felt a little self-conscious to be sitting across from him, and he was staring at her weirdly.

If only she knew how many times Chris had loved her when she wasn't looking.