Cate debated whether or not she should call Fern that night. By the time she got home from the football game, it was almost 9:30 pm.

Fern wouldn't be at the office at this hour. Maybe she should leave a message, Cate thought. She literally could not wait to tell Fern she wanted Lux.

After weeks of torment, Cate could finally make it official. Lux was her daughter. When Lux was better, Cate would be taking her home, not anyone else.

Cate smiled at the thought. It was the first time she'd felt like smiling in a long time.

Cate looked up and saw Abby staring at her, an odd expression on her face.

Cate hadn't noticed Abby at the game. She hadn't been looking for Abby. She'd been at the game for one reason and one reason only. To make Baze listen to her.

Abby was wearing a Westmonte hooded sweatshirt and had a fake tattoo of the school mascot on her cheek. She must have been at the game.

"Did you sleep with Baze?" Abby asked.

Cate sighed. "Yeah."

Abby glared at her sister, her brown eyes flashing in anger. "You knew I liked him," she said, her tone accusatory.

Cate rolled her eyes. "Everyone likes him. He's the most popular guy at Westmonte. He's starting quarterback. It's not like you're some special case."

"Silly me," Abby muttered. "I thought being your sister made my feelings more important than everyone else's."

"You are important. I didn't sleep with him to hurt you," Cate said. She reached for Abby, wanting to hug her little sister, but Abby moved out of reach.

"Really? Why did you sleep with him? You don't even like him!" Abby fumed.

"I did like him," Cate said softly.

"So you were lying when you told me he wasn't a good guy?" Abby demanded.

"No!" Cate said, shocked. "He's not a good guy. I liked him. And then I slept with him. He showed his true colors after."

Abby smirked. "When he denied sleeping with you?"

"For starters," Cate replied. "He also blew me off when I told him I was pregnant."

Abby gasped. "He's the father?"

Cate nodded. "I thought you knew."

Abby stared at Cate in shock. "No. I heard you yelling at him at the game. Everyone was saying you slept with him. But, I thought Dewey Johnson was the father."

Cate shook her head. "I didn't sleep with Dewey Johnson. Baze was my first. My only."

"I can't believe you! You kept all of this from me! You knew I liked him!" Abby cried out.

"I kept it from everyone. I didn't really know what to do. You said it yourself. Baze denied sleeping with me," Cate said dully.

Laverne walked in on her daughters fighting. She'd just gotten back from a date with her latest boyfriend, Gary. "What's going on?"

Abby glared at Cate. "The father of Cate's baby isn't Dewey Johnson. It's Nate Basille. She's been lying to everyone."

Cate gave Abby a dirty look. "I didn't lie! I didn't say anything about the father. You guys just assumed it was Dewey."

Laverne frowned. "Nate Basille. You've never mentioned him. How well did you know him?"

"Not well," Cate admitted.

"You slept with someone you barely knew?" Laverne demanded, disappointment in her voice.

Cate nodded. "Speaking of Baze, I talked to him today."

Abby snorted. "Talked to him? It's more like you ambushed him."

Cate ignored her sister and continued, "Baze's dad is willing to pay for Lux's medical care."

"He should pay for yours while he's at it. Obstetricians don't come cheap," Laverne said.

"Do you know what this means?" Cate asked Laverne.

Laverne sighed. "What?"

"I can have Lux!" Cate said happily.

"No." Laverne shook her head.

"Yes! Mom, you said I couldn't have her because we couldn't afford her medical care. Now that's not a problem!" Cate argued.

"That's not the only thing to consider. Who is going to take care of Lux when you're at school? I have to go to work. Child care is expensive," Laverne pointed out.

"What are you going to do when you go to college? You can't have a baby in a dorm room," Laverne continued.

"Why are you so against this? She's your granddaughter!" Cate said angrily.

"I'm against you letting this one mistake ruin your life!" Laverne said. "You have such a bright future. You're going to be Valedictorian. You're going to get a full-ride scholarship for college."

"I can still do all of those things!" Cate said firmly.

Laverne shook her head. "Have you seen the statistics? Do you know the percent of teenage mothers that graduate high school? Much less college."

"I'll be one of the few who do," Cate said defiantly.

"You're seventeen. You're still a child. You can't take care of a child," Laverne said doubtfully.

"How hard can it be?" Cate wondered aloud.

Laverne smiled ruefully. "Harder than you think. She'll wake you up in the middle of the night. At the crack of dawn. You'll be too tired to function. There's no way you'll be able to keep your grades up."

"I've been exhausted. I've been going to school, working, and visiting Lux. And I've been doing fine," Cate lied.

"Exactly! You've been exhausted and Lux has been at the hospital. Imagine how tired you'll be when she's living with you," Laverne said.

Cate looked unconvinced.

"And if you think medical care is the only thing that's expensive, you're in for a rude awakening. Clothes, food, diapers, toys. It all adds up," Laverne continued.

"I know this won't be easy," Cate said, making eye contact with her mother. "I do. But, I'm willing to do whatever it takes. I want my daughter."

Laverne knew her daughter was stubborn. Once Cate made up her mind, there was no going back. Laverne sighed. "If this is what you want, I'll do what I can to help you."

"Thanks, Mom." Cate smiled brightly.

Laverne returned the smile.

For the first time in a long time, Cate slept soundly. She felt like a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders. She could have Lux. At the end of the day, that was all that mattered.