Cate winced. The moment she opened her eyes, she felt a searing pain in her head. She tried to sit up and instantly knew she was going to be sick.

Cate dashed to the bathroom. She made it just in time. She emptied the contents of her stomach-beer-into the toilet.

She hadn't felt this awful in a long time. The nausea reminded her of morning sickness from when she was pregnant. But the hangover didn't end there.

Cate had never had a headache quite this bad. She also felt slightly dizzy.

She needed to go pick Lux up from the Bazile's, but somehow she knew she would be sick again if she moved. What kind of a mom couldn't take care of her daughter because she was hungover? Her own mom, Cate thought bitterly.

Cate had acted more like Laverne than she cared to admit. She had too much to drink, she'd thrown herself at Baze and now she was too hungover to pick Lux up. She hated herself for following in Laverne's footsteps.

Lux deserved better. Cate wanted to give Lux better.

Cate changed out of the dress she'd slept in and crawled back into bed. She smiled slightly when she saw the glass of water and aspirin Baze had left on her nightstand. She swallowed the pills.

She remembered perfectly how awful the party had been. Baze had been Mr. Popularity while she was a nobody. She hadn't been friends with anyone at Jaime's and hadn't even known the majority of the people there.

Cate didn't really remember how much she drank. She knew it was a lot. The details of what had happened in Baze's car were fuzzy, but she knew she'd thrown herself at him only to have him turn her down. Her cheeks burned. She had to be the only girl Baze had turned down in his entire life.

Cate grimaced. How embarrassing. How was she ever going to face Baze? She buried her head in her pillow, wanting nothing more than to wake up and realize it had all been a bad nightmare.

Cate fell back asleep easily. The soft pillow felt good against her throbbing head. She woke up to the sound of Lux crying. She sat up in her bed, confusion furrowing her brow. Lux was at Baze's. She hadn't felt well enough to pick Lux up.

"Hey," Baze said. He nodded toward the crib. "I brought Lux home. And I brought you breakfast." He held up a bag from McDonalds.

Cate wrinkled her nose. Food sounded awful. "Thanks. That was…nice."

"Eat." Baze smirked. "You need something to soak up the alcohol."

Cate hesitated.

"Trust me. You'll feel better if you eat. The greasier the better."

Cate nodded and took the bag. She popped a hash brown into her mouth. She ate slowly, afraid of getting sick again, but Baze was right. The food was making her feel better.

"I'm a lightweight," Cate said with a laugh. She looked down. "I don't remember what happened after the party. I'm sorry if I was, uh, a mess."

Cate knew she'd been a mess. In fact, a mess was probably an understatement.

Baze studied Cate. She avoided his gaze. He knew she was lying. She remembered exactly what had happened. He knew her well enough by now that he could read her like an open book. "You don't remember anything?"

"No," Cate lied.

Baze raked a hand through his hair. "Dang. And I thought I was pretty unforgettable."

Cate looked up in surprise. What was Baze saying? She knew they hadn't had sex. He hadn't wanted to. He hadn't wanted her.

"You're on the pill, right?" Baze asked, hoping to get a reaction.

Cate threw her pillow at Baze. "We didn't do anything," she said knowingly, shooting him a dirty look.

Baze smirked. "You remember?"

Damn it. He'd tricked her. Cate blushed. "Yeah! I remember. OK? If you don't want to be with me, that's fine."

"I didn't say I didn't want to be with you," Baze said, his blue eyes boring into her chocolate eyes.

"Yeah, you did," Cate said, crossing her arms in front of her chest protectively.

"No," Baze said firmly, his tone dangerous. "I said I didn't want to be with you last night."

Cate narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

"Not like that," Baze said, exasperated. "Not when you were wasted."

"That's never stopped you before," Cate muttered.

"No, it hasn't. Because I've never cared if whatever girl I was with woke up with regrets. But you're not just any girl! I care about you, Cate," Baze said. "For the smartest girl at Westmonte, you can be really dense sometimes!"

Cate's expression softened. "I care about you, too. And I wouldn't have woken up with regrets."

"No. Just a hangover," Baze muttered.

"My head feels better. Thanks for taking care of me. It's my pride that's a little wounded," Cate said softly.

"Yeah, well, you're not the only one," Baze muttered.

Cate stared at Baze blankly. She'd pretty much offered herself to him on a silver platter. How could his pride possibly be wounded?

"I've changed since last year, Cate," Baze said angrily.

Cate nodded slowly. "I know."

"Do you?" Baze asked, frowning.

"Yeah. You've been great with Lux," Cate said. She put her hand on Baze's reassuringly, but he pulled his hand away.

"Just with Lux?" Baze demanded.

"No, not just with Lux. With me, too," Cate admitted.

"I told you I was trying to do the right thing and you said for once," Baze said, his voice laced with hurt. "I've been trying to do the right thing! Can't you see that? I'm not the same guy I was a year ago!"

Cate sighed. "I was drunk. I didn't mean it."

"Yeah, well, people are usually honest when they're drunk," Baze shot back.

"I was hurt. You rejected me. I didn't mean it, Baze," Cate said, meeting his gaze. "I'm sorry."

Baze smiled slightly. "I rejected drunk you. I kind of like sober you."

Cate raised her eyebrows. "Kind of?"

Baze grinned. He pecked Cate on the cheek. "See you tomorrow."

Cate waited until Baze was gone. She picked Lux up. Her daughter looked up at her with Baze's blue eyes.

"Your dad is a pretty good guy. Because of you. You changed him. Yes, you did," Cate cooed, smiling at her daughter.

Cate knew she would never have had a second chance with Baze if it weren't for Lux. Lux had changed everything.

A year ago Baze hadn't been boyfriend material. He definitely hadn't been capable of being a father.

Now he was so sweet with Lux. Cate loved watching him with her. The way he looked at their daughter, Cate knew how much he loved Lux.

"Now I need to change," Cate murmured. "I need to be a better mom. I'm not going to be my mom."

Cate pressed a kiss to her daughter's forehead before setting her back in the basinet.