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Chapter Five

(Dante's POV)

The knock at my front door shook me from my daze. I glanced at the clock and realized that I had been staring into space for over an hour. I quickly rid my coffee table of the empty beer bottles and dumped them in the garbage can on my way to opening the door. My mother greeted me with a smile and a lasagna, as usual.

"Ma… what are you doing here?" I questioned, pulling her into a hug.

"Your birthday was three days ago," she answered. "When I called to say happy birthday, you said I could bring you to dinner this weekend to celebrate… ring any bells?"

It was already Saturday. I had been off since my birthday, and somehow, I had completely lost count of the days in between. Somehow was not a fair term for it. I knew exactly why I was in such a cloud, but I didn't want to be. Now, my mother was standing in front of me, no doubt sensing my confusion and taking inventory of the mess that had accumulated in my place.

"Sorry," I sighed, not even bothering to come up with an excuse. "Come on in. I'll grab a shower and we can head to the Metro Court."

"And while you do that, I'll straighten this place up," she added, handing me the lasagna and going to work. She had already cleared the takeout containers off of my counter by the time I had the lasagna in the refrigerator. It was not my mother's job to come and clean my apartment, but I knew better than to try and stop her. Instead, I grabbed a rag and started wiping down the table.

"How was your drive?"

"Fine," she commented, making her way to my desk with a pile of mail. It was then that she picked up a blue gift bag, the same one that Lulu had left the other night. "Since when do you leave birthday gifts unopened?"

I rolled my eyes, cursing myself for not throwing the gift out when I had the chance. As much as I wanted to be rid of the reminder of my fight with Lulu, I couldn't bring myself to open it, let alone get rid of it. Now I just had to determine exactly how much I was going to explain to my mother.

"I'm returning it."

"Returning it? You haven't even opened it…" she remarked, noticing the ribbon holding the handles of the bag together.

"I can't accept it," I explained, "So it doesn't really matter what it is."

She grabbed the card on the outside of the bag and read it, frowning at me. "So what exactly happened between you and Lulu that makes it so difficult for you to accept a gift from her?"

(Lulu's POV)

"That must be the hundredth time you've checked your phone since we got here," Kristina remarked from the lounge chair next to mine. We were spending the weekend on Sonny's island for her bachelorette party, and I should have been enjoying the beach, the sun and the break from work. Instead, I felt terrible after everything that had happened with Dante, and it was getting worse with every passing moment. "Who's the guy?"

I shook my head and set my phone back down, grabbing the pastel colored drink off the table in its place. "It's nothing…"

"It's definitely something," she smiled, "So tell me… is it Johnny? Ethan said you two were having dinner the other night. Are you going to get back together?"

"No, Johnny and I are just friends," I told her. "But why are we talking about me? Isn't this weekend all about you?"

"She's right, Krissy," Sam piped up from her chair on the other side of Kristina. "For someone who loves to talk about herself, you should be taking advantage of every single second of the bachelorette and wedding experience."

Kristina giggled and took another sip of her drink. "True… I just feel really lucky that I am marrying the man of my dreams, and I want everybody in my life to have that. You're happy with Jason, so Lulu is the next one to find a man."

"Oh my gosh, look at the time," Starr interrupted from the other side of me, pulling her headphones out of her ears. "If we're going to make it to the clubs tonight, we need to get back to the suite and get ready."

I knew that Starr's interruption was for my benefit, and I was grateful for the save. All the talk of my love life made me realize just how much I had screwed everything up. Not only did I feel like I had used Johnny for months, but I had lost an opportunity to explore the pull I was feeling to Dante. I was not sure how I was going to fix any of it.

(Maxie's POV)

I stared at the egg timer on my desk, willing it to count down the time more quickly. Patience was a virtue that I had never been blessed with, especially considering I had already waited for three days to get a little time to myself.

Lucky and I had every intention of attending Dante's birthday celebration. But after I stopped by his house, we got into another huge argument involving telling Lulu about our relationship. It ended with me storming out of the house, and by the time I made it to Jake's, the celebration had ended. Dante had questioned me on Lucky and Lulu's whereabouts, so I told him that Lulu was with Johnny. I lied and said I hadn't seen Lucky, when in reality, I knew he was sulking at home.

By the time I got home, I was feeling angry and nauseous. I went to bed and woke up feeling even worse, but hadn't had the time to call in sick. Kristina's wedding was right around the corner, and she was anxious to get all of the details finalized before she left for her bachelorette party. Lulu was no help at all. I didn't know what was going on with her lately, but I knew if neither of us snapped out of it, we were going to be put out of business.

My phone vibrated inside my purse, but I had no desire to talk to anybody, especially Lucky. He had been trying to reach me since our fight, but I was not ready to give up on bringing our relationship out in the open just yet. He was going to have to change his mind, or he was going to lose me forever.

The ping from the egg timer reminded me that I was not necessarily on the right track. Depending on the results of the test that was sitting in the next room could change everything. I just had to will myself to get up and face them.

Just as I stood up, the elevator opened and an older man in a suit walked in.

"Can I help you?" I asked, not working too hard to mask my annoyance at his presence. It was after hours on a weekend. There was no reason for him to be there.

"I'm looking for Miss Jones or Miss Spencer," he announced, taking the liberty of removing his jacket and placing it on Lulu's desk chair.

"You're looking at Miss Jones," I answered, extending my hand to greet him. "Now can I help you?"

"That depends," he answered, taking my hand in his and bringing it to his lips to kiss it. "Are you ready to be a very wealthy woman?"

(Lucky's POV)

"Sorry about the low turnout," I apologized to Ethan as we walked into Jake's for his bachelor party. "I'm not exactly an expert party planner."

The truth was, I had completely forgotten about my responsibility to plan a bachelor party for Ethan. Between work and my most recent fight with Maxie, I had been feeling completely lost. Add to that my guilt over neglecting my best friend's birthday, and I was feeling lower than low. Had it not been for Ethan's text message that morning, there would not be a bachelor party at all. Fortunately, I was able to get in touch with Michael, Patrick and Johnny and convince them to come out at the last minute. Dante wasn't returning my calls, so that was going to have to be good enough. Ethan didn't have a huge social circle to draw from.

"I'd be concerned if you were, man," Ethan grinned. "Don't worry about it. All I want is a nice evening with some beer and cards. I'm sure Kristina is out partying hard enough for the both of us."

"I don't even want to think about that," Michael remarked, handing Ethan a beer. It had taken awhile for Michael to accept Kristina's upcoming wedding, but once he did, he was more willing to give Ethan a chance. "I'm just glad I could convince her to bring Starr with them. At least one person on that island will have a level head."

"Lulu's there, too," I added. "She's not going to let anyone get too crazy."

"Well, instead of spending all of our time thinking about the bachelorette party happening a thousand miles away, how about we sit down and enjoy some poker? I could use to win a little of your money," Patrick remarked as he took a seat at the poker table I got Coleman to bring in at the last minute.

I spent the first few hours of the night keeping to myself, only speaking when someone asked me a question. I wanted to relax and enjoy the party, but all I could think about was Maxie. I had really hurt her feelings, and the fact that she refused to answer my calls made me worry that she was done waiting around for me to bring our relationship out in the open.

I folded a hand and pulled my cell phone out of my pocket, quickly typing a text message to her.

I miss you… please just tell me that you're okay.

"Who is that?" Ethan questioned with a smile. "She had better be gorgeous if you're going to spend time at the poker table to text her."

"None of your business…" I groaned, shoving my phone back into my pocket.

"Oh, come on," Ethan taunted, "It's just us guys here. And we know you have the house to yourself all weekend… none of us would blame you for getting in a little action. We've all done it, right, fellas?"

"Don't look at me," Patrick shrugged. "I'm happily married, so the only action I'm getting is from my wife. And the details are not for any of your ears."

"I'm not going to sit here and talk about Starr in that way, either," Michael affirmed.

"What about you, Johnny? Any fun liaisons lately?" my brother asked his friend. Personally, I had no interest in hearing about Johnny's love life. He had come close to dragging my sister into his life when they were in high school, and I had little to no tolerance for him. The only reason he was there was because he was a friend of Ethan's.

"No," Johnny shook his head, dealing out the next hand.

"Well, that's not true. Weren't you with Lulu the other night?" Michael asked.

My head shot up and I stared Johnny down, just waiting to hear about why he was spending time with my sister again. "Oh really? You were with Lulu?"

"We had dinner," Johnny answered, obviously annoyed with Michael for bringing it up. "That's it."

"It had better by it," I growled, ready to throw Johnny out of there just for thinking about my sister again.

"Okay, okay, end of discussion," Ethan intervened just as my cell phone rang in my pocket. My heart jumped into my throat. I was so anxious to hear Maxie's voice that I practically sprang up from the table to take the call outside. However, once I was there, I realized that it was just a telemarketer. I hung up the phone and tried calling Maxie another time to no avail.

Heading back inside, I stopped at the door for a moment when I overheard the conversation inside.

"Why would you even bring Lulu up in front of Lucky?" Johnny asked. "Are you trying to give him a heart attack?"

"I'm sorry," Michael sighed. "I didn't think he was that over the top."

"So now that he's not here, tell me what's really going on with you and my sister," Ethan added. "Are you her date to the wedding or what?"

"She ended things. I shouldn't have wasted so much time," Johnny admitted. "She has feelings for someone else."

"Who?"

My ears perked up as curiosity got the best of me. I was relieved that Lulu was not involved with Johnny Zacchara, but concerned that she had not shared anything with me about a new man in her life.

"Dante."

(Dante's POV)

"I just don't get it," my mother commented as she took a bite of her salad. "Why would you tell Lulu about your father if you didn't want her advice?"

I groaned, wanting my mother to focus on any other topic than Lulu. But the more I resisted, the more she pressed on. She even opened the gift that Lulu had left for my birthday – an autographed Yankees jersey – while I was in the shower. Between her constant questions and the emotions I had felt when I saw what she had given me, I was starting to really regret how terribly I had treated Lulu.

"You're the one that told her, Ma," I explained. "She overheard you and Nana talking about it over Christmas."

Her face went pale. "Oh, no… is that why she left?"

"Yeah," I affirmed, choosing not to tell her about our kiss. There had to be a few things my mother could not drag out of me. "She was a little freaked out, to say the least."

"Did you ever think that maybe Lulu's right?" she pressed on, ignoring her own guilt like only an Italian mother could. "Maybe you should have a relationship with your siblings?"

"That's not the point," I argued, pouring myself another glass of wine. I was going to need another bottle if this conversation was not going to end anytime soon.

"Then what is it? Because, to me, it looks like you're just being stubborn."

"Stubborn? Wha – Ma, you have to know this girl to understand it, but she's the stubborn one. She won't stop harping on me about Sonny long enough to realize that I really like her."

As soon as the words came out of my mouth, her face lit up like a kid who just saw Santa. She got up from her seat and came around the table to hug me, kissing my cheek. "Oh, baby, that's so great! You have to get your girl…"

I rolled my eyes, mentally kicking myself for giving her that tidbit. She was never going to let this go.

"Just text her," my mother urged, picking my phone up off the table and handing it to me. "Trust me… she's waiting to hear from you."

"Ma, we're at dinner," I argued. "It can wait."

"No, it can't… don't argue with your mother!" she scolded, pointing to the phone. "Just tell her you're thinking about her."

Knowing that she would never give it up, I looked down at my phone to fulfill her request. It took a few moments to figure out what exactly to type. I knew she was out of town for Kristina's bachelorette party, so I didn't want to send her a message that would distract her too much from her fun. I decided it was best to keep it short and to the point.

Thanks for the jersey – it is perfect. I'm really sorry about the other night. When you're back in town, can we talk?

(Lulu's POV)

The music in the club was blaring, which was not helping my throbbing headache. Granted, it was my own fault for trying to keep up with Kristina's incredible pace while downing any shot that the bartender would pour for us, but even so, the music was not helping. I was so ready to go back to our room and call it a night. Unfortunately, none of my roommates were anywhere to be seen.

I pulled my phone out of my clutch and noticed it flashing, which indicated I had a message. I had been waiting for three days for a message, and had nothing. Of course, now that my mind was clouded because of the alcohol, someone was trying to get in touch with me. I opened the message and realized it wasn't just someone – it was Dante.

I struggled to focus my eyes enough to read the message. He was sorry. He wanted to talk. It was as if everything I wanted to happen was coming true. I needed to respond to him quickly before I lost my nerve.

"Drunk texting is a really bad idea," Starr remarked as she took a seat next to me.

"Who said I was drunk?" I questioned, realizing my voice was a little too loud and gave away my level of intoxication.

"Right," she rolled her eyes. "I'm just saying that I'm definitely feeling the effects of those shots. You work every single weekend, so I'm guessing that going out is not something you're used to. If you can honestly tell me that you're feeling sober, then go ahead and send the text. But if any part of you feels just a little intoxicated, you should wait."

She had a point. If Dante was willing to forgive me, then I needed to make sure I was coherent enough to approach the conversation. I just hated the thought of not replying.

"Are you too drunk to offer a little advice?" I asked Starr, hoping someone could coach me on what to write.

"Depends on the topic," she smiled. "Are we texting a guy? Is it Dante?"

"Why would you say that?"

"We're sharing a room, and you were talking about him in your sleep last night," she answered with a giggle.

"Really?"

"Oh yeah, you don't even want to know the rest. I was blushing just listening to it."

I felt my cheeks burning. "Sorry…"

"Don't apologize. For what it's worth, I've been waiting for the two of you to hook up for months now. Every time we hang out, I wonder why you're not together."

"It's complicated," I whined, thinking about all of the obstacles in our way. "I've wanted to be more to Dante than Lucky's little sister for a long time now, but I didn't think he saw me that way. Then there was that kiss on Christmas…"

"Hold up, you kissed him? How was it?"

"Amazing," I answered wistfully, remembering the chemistry we had from the beginning. "But I don't know if he feels the same way about it. We haven't talked about it because everything else is in the way. Lucky would absolutely freak if I started dating Dante, because they've been friends for so long. Hell, Dante and I have been friends for years. I don't know if what I'm feeling between us is worth risking the friendship. And what if it's awkward? The kiss was good, but what if sex is weird? And then when you add in his complete refusal to accept Sonny as his father, we're doom-"

"What?" Starr interrupted. "What did you just say?"

"About the sex?" I questioned, realizing that I was ranting more quickly than I was listening.

"About Sonny," she corrected. "Did you just say that Sonny is Dante's father?"

(Maxie's POV)

"Let me get this straight… you want to buy my company out from under me just so that your wife has a project when you relocate to Port Charles?" I asked, not even attempting to mask my outrage at the proposition being presented to me.

"You will be paid handsomely, I assure you," Mr. LeMontagne nodded.

"My partner and I have poured our heart and soul into this business. We're not selling," I argued, "So I'm sorry that you've wasted your time."

He pulled a file folder from his briefcase and handed it to me.

"My starting offer is here. I think you'll find it well worth your time to review it. Just think, Miss Jones. You could start a brand new venture."

"Why can't your wife start the new venture?" I questioned.

"She needs a built in client base, and you've cornered the market. Don't you want to try something outside of event planning? Maybe a business that would have more stable hours? I'm sure a lovely young woman like yourself has aspirations of a personal nature that would benefit from free nights and weekends. Maybe you would even want to start a family?"

I choked back my nausea at the thought. It was as if he was reading my mind and finding every fear in me to exploit. "I'll read the offer, but don't get your hopes up. My partner is not likely to accept, either."

"I'm sure you can be persuasive," he flashed a grin at me and stood up. "My contact information is in the file. I'll give you a week to consider, and I'll be in touch."

He walked toward the elevator and pressed the button, turning to me as the doors open.

"Oh, and Miss Jones? The offer is negotiable. I'll pay anything you request."

He walked into the empty elevator and the doors closed behind him, leaving me shocked. I knew that our company was doing well, but I never imagined anybody wanting to buy it. And his timing was impeccable. It was as if Mr. LeMontagne knew exactly what I had been doing before he arrived.

I decided it was time to face my fate. I went into the next room and closed my eyes, saying a silent prayer that this whole thing was a false alarm.

"No turning back now," I whispered, picking up the pregnancy test and staring at the plus sign. There it was – all the evidence I needed. My relationship was ready to implode, and I was pregnant.