Baze stood rooted to the spot in the back of the church. He watched as Cate kissed her…husband and knew he was too late.

Too late to stop the wedding. Too late to tell Cate how he felt. Too late to be a family with Cate and Lux.

Baze felt his daughter's gaze on him, but his eyes were focused on Cate. As much as it hurt him to watch her with Ryan, he couldn't look away.

Baze tore his gaze from Cate. He knew all eyes were on him as he shuffled toward the door.

What had he done? Math was right. He shouldn't have done anything. Now everything would be awkward with Cate and Ryan. How was he going to be part of Lux's life now?

Baze had to get out of there. He wanted to be anywhere else but there. He got in his Jeep and drove to his loft on autopilot.

He couldn't think straight. Everything was so messed up. How had he managed to make such a mess out of everything?

"Dude, what happened to you?" Jaime asked when Baze walked through the door of Open Bar. Baze looked like a wreck.

Baze shook his head. "Don't ask." He sat down on a barstool in front of Jaime.

Jaime poured Baze a shot. "You look like you lost your best friend."

"Worse," Baze muttered. He quickly downed the shot. "I lost Cate."

"You never had her. She's with Ryan. She's always been with Ryan," Jaime pointed out. "You've been pining over her for months. You didn't even seal the deal with Trina. You're almost as bad as Math."

"I could've had her," Baze said softly. He raked a hand through his tousled brown hair. "She came here last night to ask if I had feelings for her."

Jaime raised his eyebrows. "The night before her wedding?"

Baze nodded. "If I'd just told her the truth…" He couldn't finish the sentence. Thinking of what could have been made it even worse to know that he would never have a chance with Cate now.

Jaime made a face. "Why didn't you?"

"Math, he told me unless I could give her everything Ryan could, I shouldn't say anything," Baze mumbled.

"Ryan was about to marry her. Did Math expect you to propose before your first date?" Jaime snickered.

Baze shrugged helplessly. "That's what I get for taking relationship advice from a guy who hasn't had a date in months."

"More like years," Jaime added.

Baze buried his head in his hands. He'd never felt like this before in his life. His heart literally hurt. It hurt worse than any physical pain. He didn't know how to make it better. He didn't know if he ever would feel better.

"Lux!" Baze said, grinning when his daughter entered Open Bar.

Lux's brow wrinkled in confusion. She'd been expecting Baze to be overwrought. "Hey." She smiled slightly. "Are you OK?"

"I'm better than OK! I'm great!" Baze replied, slurring slightly.

Lux nodded slowly, her eyes zeroing in on the shot glass and half empty bottle of whiskey in front of her dad.

"We're good. It's all good," Jaime said. He poured another shot for himself and one for Baze.

Lux bit her lip. Her dad wasn't great. And it definitely wasn't all good. Because of her.

Baze had just lost the love of his life. Lux wanted to be there for him, but there was nothing she could do for him now. He wasn't in any condition to talk about what happened.

Lux needed to talk to someone. Everything had blown up in her face and she didn't know what to do next.

Lux went to Cate's house. She found the spare keys for Cate's Toyota Prius in a drawer in the kitchen. She hesitated, feeling a pang of guilt for betraying Cate's trust. Cate would never know Lux borrowed her car, Lux assured herself.

Lux was extraordinarily careful during the long drive to see her best friend. She stayed under the speed limit the whole time even though there was no traffic once she got out of the city limits. Tasha's foster family lived out in the boonies.

"Lux!" Tasha said happily, hugging her friend. "What are you doing here?" Tasha took in Lux's appearance and frowned. "And why are you dressed like that?"

Lux glanced down. She was still wearing the pink dress Cate had chosen for her, but she was barefoot because the high heels had hurt her feet. She'd left in such a hurry she hadn't changed. "Cate's wedding."

Tasha frowned. She'd forgotten the wedding was that day. Lux looked upset. "What happened?"

Lux shook her head, not even knowing where to begin. She started at the beginning and told Tasha what had happened.

Tasha smirked. "I always thought that if we got adopted, all the drama would go away and everything would be perfect. I guess I thought wrong."

"Tell me about it. I don't know what to do. I just want them both to be happy, you know?" Lux said.

"Do you think Ryan can make Cate happy?" Tasha asked.

"I don't know," Lux said truthfully. "Ryan's a great guy. Ryan, he'll try to make Cate happy. But Baze is…Baze. I think Cate's always wanted him."

"You don't always want what's best for you," Tasha said. "Look at me. I want to be with my mom and she's never been there for me. She can't be what's best for me."

"She's your mom," Lux said sympathetically.

"Yeah, and the only thing she's ever done is disappoint me. Maybe I'm better off without her," Tasha said. "Even though I want her."

Lux sucked in her breath. "And maybe Cate's better off with Ryan. Even though part of her wants Baze."

"I'm sorry. I know you wanted them to be together," Tasha said knowingly.

"It was stupid. It was a childish fantasy," Lux said, her tone defeated. A childish fantasy she'd desperately wanted to come true, Lux thought sadly.

"At least you have a mom and a dad. That's something. Even if they're not together," Tasha pointed out.

"Baze is gonna hate me when he finds out what I did. That I threw him under the bus," Lux said.

"Most foster parents kick you out the first time you mess up. You've been arrested twice. Gavin trashed Baze's bar." Tasha shook her head. "If they haven't kicked you out yet, I don't think there's anything you can do that will make them hate you."

"You didn't see his face when he saw Cate kiss Ryan," Lux said. "And it's all my fault. I messed everything up."

"Baze loves you. Unconditionally," Tasha said confidently.

"Thanks, Tash." Lux hugged her best friend goodbye before getting back in the car to go home.

Lux was halfway home when the yellow light glowed, indicating she was almost out of gas. "Crap," Lux muttered. She didn't know where she was, but she was fairly certain there wasn't a gas station within miles. She was out in the boonies over an hour away from Portland.

Lux didn't know how far Cate's car would run on empty. She didn't know what to do. She kept driving, hoping that she would make it to the city. After about seventeen minutes, all of the emergency lights lit up and the car stopped.

Lux felt tears sting her eyes. She grabbed her cell phone and dialed Baze.

Baze was in the middle of a game of beer pong. He glanced at the caller ID on his cell phone and answered it as soon as he saw it was Lux.

"Baze?"

Baze could tell from her voice she was crying. "What's wrong?" He asked urgently.

"I took Cate's car. It was stupid. I just, I wanted to talk to Tasha. The car ran out of gas," Lux managed tearfully.

"Where are you?" Baze asked.

"I don't know. I'm in the middle of nowhere!" Lux cried out.

"I'm on my way," Baze said. He glanced around the bar. "Is anyone in here sober?"

"Stone cold sober, but not for long."

Baze looked up. A pretty blonde smiled at him.

"OK. I need you to drive me to pick my kid up," Baze said desperately.

The blonde raised her eyebrows. "You have a kid?"

"Yeah," Baze replied. "This is my bar. If you drive me, you can drink free for the rest of the night."

The blonde thought for a moment. "Make that the rest of the week and you got yourself a deal."

"Sure," Baze said. He would have given her just about anything she asked for. He had to get to Lux.

The blonde flashed a perfect smile at him again. "Where's your car?"

"Can you drive a stick?" Baze asked.

"So I've been told." The blonde smirked.

Baze unlocked his Jeep and held the door open for her before sliding into the passenger seat.

"I'm Andi. By the way," the blonde said as she started the Jeep.

"Baze," Baze said. He gave her directions.

"Starship! I love them," Andi said as she turned the volume on the stereo up.

Baze looked up, surprised. Andi was young. Young enough that he doubted she was walking when Starship was popular. "How old are you?"

Andi rolled her eyes. "Older than I look. How old are you?"

"Thirty-two," Baze replied.

"It's just, you don't exactly look like the type of guy who has a kid," Andi said.

Baze frowned. "Yeah, and what does that type look like?"

"For starters, not drunk at midnight," Andi replied.

Baze sighed. She was right. He shouldn't be drunk. He hadn't even noticed that Lux left because he was so drunk and now she was stranded in the middle of nowhere.

They'd been driving for a little over half an hour when Baze instructed Andi to turn off the main road. Andi glanced around. "Where the hell are we?"

"The middle of nowhere," Baze muttered.

"Are you a serial killer?" Andi asked.

"Nah. Are you scared?" Baze asked, smiling slightly.

"I don't scare easily," Andi replied.

Baze kept his eyes peeled for Cate's car. "She's over there," he said, pointing when he finally spotted it.

Andi flipped a U-turn and pulled to a stop behind the Toyota Prius. Baze hurried over to the car.

"Hey," Lux said, her voice small. "Did you bring gas?"

Baze shook his head. "I don't want you driving without a license. I'll have Jaime or Math bring me back to get it in the morning."

"Baze?" Lux said nervously.

"Yeah?" Baze said.

"I'm sorry," Lux said. She was sorry for more than just taking Cate's car, but she didn't know what to say to Baze about everything else. She didn't know how to make it right. If she even could make it right.

"I know." Baze ruffled her hair affectionately. "Let's go home."

Lux followed Baze to his Jeep. She raised her eyebrows when she saw Andi. "Who's this?"

"That would be the only sober person in my bar when you called," Baze replied.

"Also known as Andi," Andi muttered.

Lux slid in next to Andi and Baze climbed in beside Lux.

"How does a thirty-two year old have a sixteen-year old kid?" Andi wondered.

"You know, the normal way," Baze mumbled.

"Where's her mom?" Andi asked curiously.

Lux winced.

"On her honeymoon," Baze muttered.

Lux's face fell as she watched the emotions play across Baze's face. She'd never seen him like this before. There was no word to describe how much pain he was in.

Lux reached for Baze's hand subconsciously. Baze smiled slightly when he felt his daughter's hand in his own. Lux returned the smile.

"Thanks for driving," Baze said when they returned to the bar.

"It's gonna cost you. I'm gonna drink you out of house and home," Andi said lightly.

Baze grinned. "I doubt that. You're teeny tiny. How much can you drink?"

"I can drink you under the table," Andi teased.

"Oh yeah?" Baze said.

Andi nodded. "Do a shot with me."

Baze moved behind the bar. "What do you want?"

"Sex on the beach." Andi smiled seductively.

Baze mixed the shots. Several shots later, they ended up in Baze's bed together.