Cate stood in the living room, looking out the window, her arms crossed protectively over her chest. Lux was late for her birthday dinner. "What if she doesn't come?"

Ryan smiled and put his arms around her. "She'll come."

"Of course she'll come. She's a teenager. There's birthday cake and presents," Baze said.

They looked up, surprised, when they heard a motor bike approaching. The bike pulled into Cate's driveway.

Cate stared in shock as Lux hopped off the back of the bike.

"Why is she on a motor bike?" Cate cried out.

Baze made a face. "I could've picked her up."

"I asked if she needed a ride. She said no. I didn't know that was her ride," Cate said defensively.

Ryan smirked.

A car pulled up behind the bike and Gavin and Tasha got out.

"Which one's her boyfriend?" Baze asked curiously.

"The one with a spider web on his neck," Cate replied, rolling her eyes.

Baze made a face.

"A spider web on his neck?" Ryan asked in disbelief.

Cate nodded slowly.

"Hi." Lux smiled when Cate opened the door.

Lux and her friends traipsed in. Lux looked around nervously. "This is my boyfriend, Bug. And these are my friends, Tasha and Gavin." Lux gestured toward each as she introduced them.

Baze cringed when Lux introduced Bug as her boyfriend. He couldn't help but smirk when he saw the spider web tattoo that literally covered Bug's entire neck. Baze subconsciously rubbed his hand over his own neck.

Lux smiled at Cate and Baze. "And these are my birth parents."

Tasha glared at Cate, envious of Lux's new mom. Her own mother had been strung out on meth during her last birthday.

"Hi," Baze said, smiling at Tasha. He purposely ignored Bug and Gavin.

Tasha returned the smile.

Lux noticed Ryan standing in the background. She hadn't met him yet, but she immediately knew who he was from the radio show. "Hi," she said, smiling nervously.

Cate had thought Ryan would ask for the engagement ring back because of Lux, Lux knew. She assumed he wouldn't be crazy about having her there.

"Hi," Ryan said. He handed Lux a wrapped gift. "Happy birthday."

Lux looked taken aback for a moment before accepting it. "Thank you."

"You can sit on the couch and open presents," Cate suggested.

Lux moved toward the couch. Tasha followed close behind. She noted the folded blanket and pillow at the end of the couch and said, "You slept on the couch." Her voice was dripping with disdain.

"Yeah," Lux replied.

Tasha smirked. "Your new mom didn't have room for you in her fancy house."

Lux shot Tasha a dirty look. "It was just for one night. It's not like she was expecting me," she muttered under her breath.

Cate heard the exchange and shifted uncomfortably.

Lux tore open the silver wrapping paper to reveal a cute blazer Ryan had bought from a boutique he knew Cate liked. He'd also bought a pretty necklace with stones that matched the jacket.

Since he didn't know Lux, he bought a gift he thought Cate would like and hoped Lux had similar taste.

Lux smiled. "Thank you."

"Do you like it?" Ryan asked, genuinely concerned.

"I love it!" Lux replied enthusiastically.

Baze frowned, slightly jealous of Lux's enthusiasm for Ryan's gift. Baze hadn't spent much on Lux. He didn't have much to spend, he thought miserably.

He'd loaded a free iPod that he received when he bought his computer a year ago with songs he thought Lux might like. He'd originally chosen the iPod for himself so it was dark blue, which wasn't a girly color, Baze knew. He also couldn't wrap gifts well so it was just sitting on the coffee table unwrapped.

"It's not much, but I, uh, got you something, too," Baze said, handing Lux the iPod.

Lux's eyes widened in surprise. An iPod was expensive. She met Baze's gaze. "Thank you."

Baze smiled broadly. "I loaded a playlist I thought you might like."

Lux returned the smile before looking through the playlist. Her smile widened when she saw that Baze had guessed correctly and chosen many songs she liked. "This is great."

She frowned when she saw a band she didn't recognize. "But who are the Spin Doctors?"

Cate and Baze exchanged a glance.

Baze looked down, embarrassed.

"They, uh, provided the soundtrack for your conception," Cate supplied.

Lux raised her eyebrows.

Ryan frowned. Obviously he knew Cate had slept with Baze, but he didn't really want to hear about it.

"I'm sorry for putting that image in your head," Cate said when she saw Lux's expression.

Lux avoided Cate's gaze, embarrassed.

"These are from me," Cate said, intentionally changing the subject, as she handed Lux three beautifully wrapped presents.

Lux smiled gratefully and began opening them. Each box contained a stylish dress.

Gavin was eyeing the price tags and nudging Bug.

Lux noticed and glared at Gavin. She knew he was trying to figure out how much money they could get if Lux returned the dresses.

"You like?" Cate asked anxiously.

Lux met Cate's gaze. "I love. I can't believe you got all of these for me. Thank you."

Cate smiled, relieved that Lux liked her gifts.

The doorbell rang and Lux looked up in surprise. "Who else is coming?"

"No one. It's probably the pizza," Cate replied.

Ryan answered the door and paid for the pizzas before carrying them into the kitchen.

"I thought you were cooking," Lux said.

Ryan snickered. "That's why we're eating pizza."

Cate punched Ryan playfully.

Lux's brow furrowed in confusion.

Ryan laughed. "Cate has a lot of strengths, but cooking is not one of them. She almost burned the kitchen to the ground trying to make dinner."

Lux smirked. "Seriously?"

Ryan nodded. "The smoke detectors were going off and everything."

Tasha snickered, glad Cate wasn't as perfect as she seemed.

Cate began serving pizza to everyone and they all sat down at the kitchen table.

They ate in awkward silence. There was an obvious tension between the teenagers and adults.

"Who wants cake?" Ryan asked when everyone was finished with their pizza.

Ryan opened the refrigerator and pulled out a white cardboard cake box. He opened it and began placing pink birthday candles on the top of sheet cake that read Happy Birthday Lux.

"I'll do it," Baze said, grabbing the candles out of Ryan's hand. He didn't want Cate's fiancé doing things he should be doing for Lux. Lux was his daughter, damn it. Ryan shouldn't be giving her more expensive gifts or lighting the candles on her birthday cake.

Ryan frowned slightly but sat down without arguing.

"Make a wish," Ryan said, smiling.

Lux leaned toward the cake to blow out the candles. Cate instinctively pulled Lux's blonde locks back from her face, smiling as she watched her daughter.

Lux blew out the candles and leaned back. Cate put her arm around Lux's shoulders. Lux leaned in, placing her head against Cate's shoulder.

"What did you wish for?" Tasha asked curiously.

"I can't tell or it won't come true," Lux said lightly.

Tasha made a face, not used to Lux keeping secrets from her.

Lux glanced around and met Cate's gaze. "Thank you. No one's ever remembered my birthday before."

Cate smiled sadly, wishing she'd been there for the fifteen birthdays she'd missed.

Bug and Tasha exchanged a glance, annoyed. They always remembered Lux's birthday.

"So, Bug, do you and Lux go to school together?" Baze asked.

Bug looked up, surprised. Baze hadn't said a word to him all night. "No. I dropped out."

"Was high school too hard for you?" Baze asked scornfully.

"Baze!" Lux said reproachfully.

"What?" Baze asked, feigning innocence. "I just want to know why he dropped out."

"So I could get a job. Get an apartment. Support your daughter," Bug shot back angrily.

Baze made a face. "What do you mean support my daughter?"

Bug smirked and slung his arm around Lux's shoulders possessively. "Lux needed a place to live."

"She has a place to live. A studio. Cate co-signed the lease," Baze said.

"Actually I'm living with Bug," Lux admitted, her voice small.

Baze fixed Bug with a deadly stare before turning to Cate. "You knew about this?" He asked, his tone accusatory.

"I only found out this morning," Cate said defensively.

"And our kid moving in with some guy named Bug didn't raise some concerns?" Baze asked, exasperated.

Bug glared at Baze.

"No one needs to be concerned!" Lux interrupted.

Cate and Baze couldn't have looked more like parents when they turned to face Lux. Cate glared at Lux and Bug, hands on her hips. Baze did his best to look intimidating.

"I'm sixteen! I have a boyfriend. Who I love. That I live with," Lux said.

Baze grimaced.

Cate swallowed.

Lux rolled her eyes. "We're gonna go."

"I can give you a ride," Cate offered, not thrilled with the prospect of Lux riding on the back of Bug's motor bike.

"I don't need a ride. Bug's giving me a ride," Lux said angrily.

"You can't take your presents on a bike," Cate pointed out.

Lux realized Cate was right and frowned. "OK I guess."

Cate breathed a sigh of relief.

"I'm gonna use the bathroom before we take off," Gavin said, excusing himself from the living room.

After a few minutes, Lux quietly slipped out. The bathroom door was open. Lux peeked in and saw that the bathroom was empty.

Lux frowned. She heard a sound from Cate's bedroom and approached the door. She threw open the door and found Gavin rifling through Cate's jewelry box.

"Gavin!" Lux cried out angrily, storming over to him.

"What did you take?" She demanded.

"Nothing," Gavin muttered.

Lux narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Whatever you took, you had better put it back now!"

"OK. OK. Chill out." Gavin retrieved diamond earrings and a pearl necklace from his pockets and handed them to Lux.

Lux gasped when she saw what he'd been planning on stealing. She carefully put the jewelry back where it belonged.

"Let's go. Now," Lux said firmly.

"Your mom's loaded," Gavin commented as they walked back toward the living room.

"It's one-bedroom house," Lux pointed out.

"Yeah, in Nob Hill," Gavin retorted. "Do you know how much expensive stuff there is in this house that we could sell?"

"Yeah. None," Lux said pointedly. "It's Cate's. Not ours."

"She wouldn't even miss it," Gavin said.

Lux only glared at Gavin.

"Why are you so protective of your new mom?" Gavin demanded. "We're the ones who take care of you, not her."

Lux stared at Gavin, unsure what to say.

Bug, Gavin and Tasha took off while Ryan and Baze carried Lux's presents out to Cate's car. Cate packed the rest of Lux's birthday cake up for her to take.

"Thanks again," Lux said politely to Ryan.

"You're welcome," Ryan replied.

Lux turned to Baze and smiled widely. "Thanks," she said quietly.

Baze hugged Lux, ruffling her hair affectionately. "Any time, kiddo."

"I like Ryan," Lux commented as Cate drove to Bug's apartment.

"He's all right," Cate said lightly.

"So I guess he didn't ask for the ring back?" Lux said, grinning.

Cate met Lux's gaze and shook her head, smiling slightly.

"What kind of wedding dress do you want?" Lux wondered.

"I don't know," Cate replied.

"You haven't thought about it?" Lux asked curiously.

"Not really, no," Cate said. Her eyes narrowed and she turned to face Lux. "Have you?"

"Yeah," Lux replied.

Lux noticed Cate's horrified expression and smirked. "Relax, Cate. Every little girl dreams of the day she'll get married. I'm not getting married anytime soon."

Cate breathed a sigh of relief.

"Have you picked your colors?" Lux asked.

"No. I don't get what the big deal is about weddings. People spend months planning just for this one day," Cate said.

Lux laughed.

"What?" Cate asked.

"Nothing. You just sound like you do on the radio. I like that you tell the truth no matter what people think. Most grown ups lie," Lux said.

"You lied to the judge about where you were living," Cate reminded Lux, her tone critical.

"Yeah, because I didn't want to spend another two years in foster care," Lux said defensively.

"What if she checks?" Cate asked.

Lux shrugged, unconcerned. "She already granted me emancipation."

"Still, don't you think it would be better if you lived in a studio like you told her?" Cate asked.

"You don't get it. I don't want to live in a studio by myself. I want to be with Bug and Tasha," Lux said firmly.

"Yeah, but you can still see them even if you're not living with them," Cate pointed out.

"You didn't care where I lived sixteen years ago," Lux said angrily. "Why do you care now?"

Cate thought for a moment, unsure how to answer. She didn't know why it bothered her so much that Lux was living with her boyfriend. She didn't expect to develop maternal feelings toward Lux so fast. She already felt protective of her daughter.

"I'm going home," Lux said, aggravated when Cate didn't respond. She slammed the car door and hurried up to Bug's apartment.

"Lux!" Cate called out, but Lux ignored her.

Cate watched helplessly as her daughter walked away.

"What's wrong?" Ryan asked. He could tell something was wrong the minute Cate walked through the door.

Cate told Ryan what Lux had said. "She just, she doesn't think I care."

"You didn't give her up because you didn't care where she lived. You gave her up because you did care. You wanted better for her than what you could give her at sixteen." Ryan rubbed Cate's back comfortingly.

Cate frowned. "Tell that to Lux."

Ryan turned Cate around so that she was facing him. His intense eyes searched for hers. "Sometimes actions speak louder than words. You have to show Lux that you care about her, not just tell her."

Cate nodded, smiling slightly. "You're pretty smart."

Ryan pulled Cate into his arms, hugging her tightly.