Kelly lay in bed staring at the ceiling; he'd practically been up all night. He wasn't mentally or emotionally prepared for today. Today was Madison's 7th birthday. Stella and Kelly had decided that since the girls' birthdays were only two weeks apart, they would throw a birthday party for them together. The girls loved the idea of sharing a birthday and having two cakes.

It's been two months since Stella talked Kelly into reaching out to Christina. They sent her a message that night to her social media account, and it took her about four weeks to reply. She agreed to talk to Madison, so Kelly let Madison call her. They have been talking on the phone every day for the last month. He's happy she is getting a chance to know her mom, and he loves how happy she is. But deep down, he still has this bad feeling that Madison is going to end up hurt. He is trying to shake it, but it keeps coming back. She agreed to come to the birthday party today with her new family. He's not sure how to feel about seeing her after seven years, knowing she never reached out to Madison, and now she's pretending like the past doesn't exist. She told Madison she didn't leave her; she left to find herself. And now that she did and found her way back to Madison, her family is complete. Kelly's not sure what she means by that, and it worries him.

He hears a noise downstairs and slowly gets out of bed. He throws on a shirt, and the smell of bacon hits him as he opens his bedroom door. He's curious to see what's going on; he goes to Madison's room, but it's empty.

The smile that graced his face as he stood in the kitchen doorway and watched Stella, Haley, and Madison dance around the kitchen. Stella was frying the bacon. Madison is pouring the orange juice into two glasses, and Haley is setting the table. It's been two months since they told the girls about them, and it's been a fantastic two months. Stella won't sleep over; she feels it's too soon, but she spends every free moment at his house, so it's like she lives here. He even gave her a key to his house already.

"Good morning, Daddy." Madison's voice knocks him out of his thoughts.

"Morning Kelly," Haley yells.

"Baby, use your inside voice, please," Stella tells her.

"Morning girls." He walks into the kitchen and kisses the top of Madison and Haley's heads. And then he makes his way over to Stella, who is now flipping pancakes. "Good morning, beautiful." He wrapped his arms around her waist.

Stella leans into his embrace. " Morning." They share a quick kiss. "You didn't sleep again last night, did you?" She already knows the answer from the way his eyes look.

He sighed and rested his chin on her shoulder. " No."

She kisses his cheek. "You've got to stop stressing over this; I promise everything is going to be okay."

He seriously wishes he could believe her, but something in his gut tells him Christina is up to something. "You know, if you want me to sleep, maybe you should stay over and help me sleep." He winks.

She blushes. "I might just have to do that; you're worrying me."

"Daddy, did Grandma call you back yet? Is she coming to our birthday party today?"

Kelly kissed Stella's shoulder before turning to face his soon-to-be upset daughter. "No, baby, grandma hasn't called me back, and I can't get ahold of her. I'm sorry."

Madison smiled and dropped. "Grandma is going to miss my birthday."

"Probably so, baby girl." He hates breaking her heart.

She sat down at the table, "It's okay, Madison, we can take lots of pictures for her." Haley tells her as she hugs her.

Kelly and Stella smiled at the little moment between their daughters. Stella walks over and puts the pancakes and bacon on the table. "We need to eat; we've got lots to do before everyone gets here." They all sat down and had a good breakfast conversation about the party and their favorite things to do at parties.

"You know I'm sad Grandma is going to miss my birthday... But I'm glad my mommy and grandpa will be here, and I get to meet my little brother."

"I'm happy that...

" Grandpa?" Kelly asked, interrupting Stella. "What do you mean grandpa will be here?"

"Grandpa called last night and said he was coming to my party. I forgot to tell you, Daddy."

Kelly gave Stella a What the hell look? " Wow!" He whispered.

"Daddy, is it okay that Grandpa is coming?"

He wanted to yell, no, it's not; he's the reason your grandma won't be here. But he didn't; instead, he said "No, honey, I'm happy you got one of your grandparents here for your big day."

"How about you girls go upstairs while we clean up down here before we start decorating?" Stella tells them.

"Okay, mama."

As soon as the girls were out of the kitchen. "The nerve of that man to show his face after ruining my mom's wedding day God, this is going to be a bad day."

"Don't say that!"

"It is; I can already tell."

"Kelly...

"No, don't Kelly me." He tells her as he stands up. "My mom is going to miss her granddaughter's birthday party because she is heartbroken over my dad for what's probably the hundredth time. He is going to walk in here like nothing happened and be like, Hey son, where's your mom?" He sighed thickly. "I don't understand why she continues to put up with him; she is about to be sixty, or maybe she's already sixty; I'm not sure; my mind is all over the place right now."

Stella gave him a sympathetic smile. He told her that night, when Jennifer announced her engagement, why he wasn't too happy about it. Jennifer has been engaged four times within the last ten years. She meets a guy, says he's the one, and they get engaged. On her wedding day, Benny shows up, confesses his love for her, and she runs off with him, leaving the groom heartbroken at the altar. Then, two weeks to a month later, Benny leaves Jennifer for the hotel housekeeper, cocktail waitress, or stripper. And she leaves Chicago for a while to mend her broken heart.

"I have to put up with Benny and Christina all on the same day. This is going to be a very stressful day."

Stella walks over to him and says, "I promise you it won't be." She tells him as she wraps her arms around his neck.

"I've always been that guy who follows his feelings. And my gut is telling me something is up; Christina is up to something; I just can't put my finger on it yet."

Stella touches his face. "I hate that feeling. Whatever your dad or Christina throws at you today, I promise, you won't face it alone. I will be by your side."

Kelly rested his forehead against hers. "I kind of hope she doesn't come," He admits. "I know it makes me sound selfish and heartless, and I don't want Madison to get hurt, but I...

Stella cupped his face. "I understand where you're coming from; believe me, if the roles were reversed, I would be feeling the same way."

He closed his eyes. "I don't think I'm going to survive the two of them today."

"Yes, you will, because you love Madison and you want her to have a good day. And you have me; I will personally handcuff myself to you, just to keep an eye on you." He opens his eyes, and she smirks at him. "Now go take a shower while I clean up; we've got a lot to do."

Kelly pulls her close and kisses her; she deepens the kiss. He lifts her, and she wraps her legs around his waist. He sat her up on the countertop, and his lips moved to her neck. "Kelly, we can't do this now."

"It will be fast, I promise."

"Just what a girl wants to hear." She laughs. "I prefer when you take your time with me."

He pulls back. "Sorry, I was just looking for some distraction."

"I know." She runs her fingers through his hair. "I promise to distract you tonight after the party."

He kinked his brow at her. "Does that mean you're going to stay the night... All night?"

She smiles at his eagerness. "If you're a good boy today, I promise I will stay with you all night."

"I will be on my best behavior, I promise." He tells her that even though his words are true, his eyes tell a different story.

She kisses his forehead; she knows he means what he says, but his gut feeling that Christina is only coming today because she is up to something has caused him emotional stress. "Remember, whatever happens, today, we face it together."

"That means a lot to me." He caresses her cheek softly.

The doorbell rings, breaking up their moment. Kelly rolled his eyes and Stella said, "It's probably Gabby; she was coming over to help decorate."

"I will let her in and then head for the shower." He kisses her once more before walking out of the room.

Stella hopped off the counter and started cleaning up. She feels guilty; this was her idea to invite Christina, and now Kelly is going crazy with worry about what Christina could be up to, if she's up to anything. Stella doesn't know her as Kelly does, so she trusts his instincts, but she also wonders if he's just being paranoid.

"Hey, girl!" Gabby walks into the kitchen, holding a few bags. "Is Kelly still stressed out over Christina coming today? He wasn't himself just now."

Stella sighed. "Yep, he is driving himself insanely crazy with worry about what Christina is up to."

Gabby sat down." I Can't say I blame him; I don't trust her either."

"I'm just hoping today is a good day for both girls—no drama, no fighting, no craziness."

"Well, at least we haven't heard from Jessica in two months, so that's a plus."

Stella laughed and said, "Very true." Jessica hasn't been heard from since the day she and Stella had words at Gabby's over two months ago. Even though she is happy that her life has been Jessica-free, she knows that she's going to pop up at some unexpected times and places. But for now, she's going to enjoy her life and forget about Jessica.

"What can I do to help? And don't you dare tell me to blow up the balloons; I'm six months pregnant and can't blow on anything."

"That's not what Matt said." Stella joked.

"Shut up!" Gabby laughed as she threw a bag of balloons at her.

Stella caught the bag. "I have a helium tank to blow the balloons up; I was going to have Matt do that, and the girls can help him."

"Sounds good."

" Kelly's going to put up the moon bounce and ball pit bounce thing. The pool guy came yesterday to clean out the pool, so it's ready for today. And I figure you and I can do a little decorating inside and out. I think I brought everything I could think of, mermaid-wise. Even the cakes are shaped like mermaids."

"Awe, they're going to love that."

"Love what?" Matt asked as he walked into the kitchen.

"You!" Gabby said as he walked over to her. He kisses her and rubs her belly.

Stella watches them for a moment. Gabby looks over at Stella, noticing the distanced look in her eyes. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm just tired." Gabby gave her an uncertain look. "I got up at five this morning worried I was missing something for today; you know how organized I am. I want today to be perfect."

"I will be," Matt said.

"I hope so." Stella shakes her head. "Matt, if you would get the girls, you three can start blowing up the balloons, and Gabby and I will start decorating the outside, we've got about four hours to get this house ready for about twenty-six and seven-year-olds."

Matt nods and walks out of the kitchen with the balloon bags. Stella finished putting the breakfast dishes in the dishwasher and turned it on. "Okay, I want to put up the banners on the front porch and a few balloons on the mailbox, just to help people find the house," Stella told Gabby as she grabbed a few decorations and walked out of the kitchen. Gabby bit her lip; something was going on with Stella too, more than the stress of today.

Four and a half hours later, the party was in full swing. Madison was in the pool with about ten other kids, and Haley was in the ball pit with a few of her friends. Kids were running around in the backyard having a blast; it's been about thirty minutes since the party started, but no Christina or Benny. Stella was kind of relieved. Kelly was very anxious; he kept looking back at the door every five seconds.

Stella watched him from the kitchen window; he was talking with Matt, Boden, Cruz, and Herrmann. "Maybe she won't show up," Gabby said as she entered the kitchen.

Stella sighed and turned to Gabby. "I was kind of thinking the same thing, but I don't want Madison to be upset."

"Me too." Gabby leans against the counter. "Are you feeling, okay?"

"Yes, why?"

"I don't know, you seem a little distracted, more than the girl's party or Kelly's drama with Christina and Benny."

Ding dong.

Stella's eyes widened. "Save by the bell." She said this as she hurried out of the kitchen.

"I knew it," Gabby tells herself with a smirk.

Stella took a deep breath. "Hello, beautiful," Benny said. as Stella opened the door.

"Hello Benny, good to see you again," Stella replied with a fake smile. She only had one interaction with him last month when he stopped Jennifer's wedding, but knowing this man ran a background check on her like she's some kind of criminal still pisses her off.

He looked Stella up and down, creeping her out a tad. "Boy does my son have good taste."

"Everyone is in the backyard." She chose to ignore his comment.

"Is Jennifer here?"

Stella gave him an icy glare and said, "You know damn well she's not here." Her words even surprised her; she didn't mean to say them. Benny gave her a confused look. "Don't play dumbass with me." She literally couldn't stop talking to him so disrespectfully; this is not her, but she was so upset that Jennifer, someone she had come to love, wasn't here for the girl's party because of the jackass standing in front of her.

"I see Kelly has been filling your head up with lies about me. Stella, I'm not that bad of a guy...

"You're worse," Kelly said, interrupting their conversation.

"Hello to you too, my son." He said it bitterly.

"I can't believe you had the balls to show up here after breaking Mom's heart again." Stella walked over to Kelly and wrapped her arms around his waist. Hoping to keep him calm.

"Look, that was a mistake; I never meant for her to get hurt."

"You say that every damn time."

"It's the truth, damnit."

"Every time mom is happy, you come along and destroy it."

"The hell...

" Grandpa!" Madison yelled. Causing all three adults to stop their conversation and look at the little girl running through the house to her grandpa.

"There's my angel," Benny said as he picked her up. "You're soaked "

"I was in the swimming pool."

"Wow! Daddy finally got you a pool."

"Yeah, five years ago, you would have known if you visited more," Kelly said sarcastically

Benny gives him a cold stare. "Where's the food? Grampa is starving." He tells his granddaughter, refusing to acknowledge his son's comment.

Kelly sighs loudly. "I hate that man."

Stella kisses his cheek. "You don't hate him; hates a strong word."

Kelly groaned. "Fine, I don't hate him; I have a strong dislike for him."

Stella moved to stand in front of him. "Take a deep breath." He does what she says. "Now close your eyes and think of your happy place." He smiles. "Are you there?" He nods. "Good, tell me about your happy place."

"I'm In bed with you and you're doing that thing I like." He smirks.

" Kelly!" She hollered and punched his stomach. "I'm serious."

"Oh, me too, babe." He teased.

"I'm done with you." She tells him as she tries to walk away.

"I'm sorry." He said as he grabbed her by the waist and backed her against the wall. "Let me make it up to you." He kisses her, she moans into his mouth. As his hands go under her shirt.

Ding dong...

"Ignore it." He whispered against her neck.

Stella didn't want to, but she knew it was just going to ring again. "We can't," she said as she pushed him away. "Behave," she warned him. She fixed her clothes before opening the door. She inhaled as she came face-to-face with the blonde woman at the door; she recognized her from all the pictures on her social media account. Christina was standing in front of her, holding hands with a tall black-haired man who was holding an absolutely beautiful little boy. " Hey! I'm Stella." She managed to say, a few minutes later.

"Stella, you are more beautiful in person," Christina said as she pulled Stella into a hug. " Madison talks about you constantly. Kelly, you look great." She says as she noticed Kelly standing behind Stella.

"You too." They shared an awkward hug. Stella watched as anxiety filled his face. She reached for his hand and squeezed it. He squeezed it back, thanking her silently.

"This is my husband, Mike, and our adorable baby boy, Tyler."

Kelly and Stella shook Mike's hand, and Stella touched Tyler's cheeks. "He is so cute."

"He gets his cuteness from his mother," Mike said. Christina blushes.

Stella smiles. "Please come inside; Madison is out back."

"We got her something for her birthday; I wasn't sure what to get her. But hopefully, she will like it."

"She will, I'm sure," Stella assured her. As she took the purple bag from her. "Come on."

Kelly watches as they follow Stella through the house. He takes a few deep breaths. Maybe she just wants a relationship with her daughter, nothing more. "Madison!" Stella yelled as they walked out into the backyard. "Come here for a second, please."

Madison jumped out of the moon bounce and ran towards Stella. "What is it, Stella?" She asked them to notice the other woman. " Mommy?"

"Hey, Babygirl!" Christina said as she bent down, cupping Madison's face. "You are absolutely gorgeous."

"Thank you," Madison replied as she hugged her mom for the first time.

Stella looked around for Kelly, finding him standing in the doorway of the sliding door. Watching Madison with her mom.

"So, you decide to come back and be a mom seven years later?" Benny said as he approached them.

"Good to see you too, Benny," Christina replied.

"I wish the feeling was mutual," Benny tells her. "What are you after?"

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me?"

"I'm not after anything."

"You haven't once thought about your daughter in seven years, then all of a sudden you just pop up out of the blue. You want something, and it's big."

"You don't know what the hell...

" Stop!" Stella yelled. All eyes went to her. "We are not doing this today." She tells them. "Today is Madison and Haley's day; this is a no-drama day, and if you have the intention of ruining it, you can leave."

Gabby walked over to Madison. "Come on, Uncle Matt wants to see you do that cartwheel thing you do." She knew Stella wanted to talk to the adults alone.

"Okay, come on, mommy."

"Go with Aunt Gabby. Mommy Will be there in a minute, baby."

" Okay."

Stella silently thanked Gabby once Madison was out of hearing range. "You have no idea what the hell you are talking about, Benny," Christina said as she got into his face.

"I'm talking about you never being there for your daughter. Where were you the last six birthdays? Christmas? Hell, any other holiday for a matter of fact. Why show up now?"

"You have no idea what you're talking about? You have no idea what I've been through over the last six years. I don't owe you an apology; I only own Madison and Kelly one." She tells him, then turns to look at Kelly. Who was now standing beside Stella?

"Just be honest and tell us the real reason you're here. I'm not stupid; I know why you're here, and it's not happening." Benny told her in a stern tone.

"I'm here for Madison; that's it. I want to spend time with my daughter and get to know her. The real question should be, why are you here?"

Benny's face turned red. "Because she's my granddaughter, don't you dare question me or my motive; your motive is the one in question here."

"Enough already!" Stella exclaimed. "Look, this is not happening today; I understand there's a lot of tension between you guys." She said, looking at Christina, Benny, and then Kelly, "But we're not solving it today; the only focus is Madison and Haley's happiness; this is their day; this is not going to be a day for you three to scream at each other about the past."

" Kelly, I think you need to get your woman in check," Benny said in a teasing tone. But that comment sent Stella over the edge.

"You're the one that needs to get in check, and I'm going to be the one to put you in check. I don't know what your game plan is for today, and don't you dare feed me that bullshit line that it's your granddaughter's birthday, because I am not buying it, and you haven't been to a birthday party of hers in six years, and you don't show up for Christmas or any other holiday either, so what is your angle?"

Benny's eyes furrowed up. "I have no angle."

Stella narrows her eyes at him. "Bullshit! I find it funny after hearing stories from Jennifer, Kelly, Gabby, and pretty much anyone else at the firehouse that personally knows you that you never come around, and you only talk to Kelly maybe once or twice a year. You pop in every other year just to let people know you're alive, or when Jennifer gets engaged to someone, so you can screw up her life all over again. You don't even call Madison on her birthday; you don't pay attention to her at all most of the time. You did the same thing when Kelly was little; all you care about is Benny and only Benny. Here is something you didn't pick up in the little background check you did on me." Benny's eyes widened in surprise, and he looked at Kelly like he couldn't believe he told her.

"I am a person who likes to connect dots. I listen to what people say about someone, and I connect things. I'm also a person who usually doesn't judge somebody just by what someone else says, but in your case, I believe everything I heard about you, and I don't even know you that well; I think I've got you figured out pretty much already."

"Is that right?" Benny was intrigued now.

"Everything that I've learned about you in these past few months has led me to the conclusion that you only showed up today because you knew Christina was going to be here; don't you dare deny it."

Kelly looked at his dad, waiting for his response. He was thinking he was up to something too, since he actually showed up today.

"I'm only here for my granddaughter."

"You've always been a good lair, Benny; it looks like things never change, huh?" Christina chimed in.

"You're the one to talk," Benny replied with a glare.

Stella closed her eyes to calm herself down. She opened them and looked down at where Madison and Haley were doing cartwheels. She then spoke. "You know what? I honestly don't care to know why you're really here. I do know it's not all for Madison." She put her hands up to stop Benny from interrupting her. "I don't want to hear it; if you want to pretend it is fine, but all I'm saying is we're not doing this today. You are not ruining the girl's birthday, and if any of you came here purposely to start something, you can leave now."

" Stella, I swear I'm here for Madison. I have no intention of ruining today for her." Christina assures her, "And I honestly didn't think Benny was going to be here giving his history."

Benny laughs as he stares at Christina. "Let's not talk history, sweetheart." He then turns to Kelly. "Last I checked, this was your house, son. Are you going to let your woman kick your father out of your house?"

"Yes, I would." He tells him without hesitation. "Because I agree with everything she said, you only come around when it benefits you."

Benny stares at Kelly for a moment, then looks at Stella. "I'm here for Madison, whether you believe it or not. I'm not here to start anything, and I promise I won't say anything the rest of the time I'm here, but fair warning to both of you." He said that looking at Kelly and Stella, he pointed to Christina. "She's up to something; I know it, and I think deep down you both know it too but are afraid to admit it, but the truth will reveal itself in time." He glares at Christina one last time before walking away, back to where Madison was playing.

Stella looked over at Kelly, who was looking at her too, both curious to see if he could be right.

"I'm not sure what he's talking about, I promise. I'm just here to get to know my daughter. Kelly, you have no idea how truly sorry I am for leaving her like I did. Things between you and me might have been off, but I should have at least stayed for Madison. I appreciate you guys reaching out to me and allowing me to come today. " Her sincere tone and watery eyes Give Kelly the impression that she was really being honest; maybe there wasn't a hidden agenda.

"You know what they say—everything has its way of working out," Kelly replied. "You and I created this beautiful, smart, intelligent, amazing little girl." His eyes drifted to Madison, who was jumping into the pool. "You and I just weren't right for each other, and it's a good thing you realized that when you did."

"It was?"

"Yeah, if you never realized we weren't right for each other, We would have probably gotten married and been unhappy and caused Madison more damage than either of us would have ever wanted to."

"Probably so."

"I mean, I wish you and I could have at least worked something out for Madison; we didn't have to be together for you to stay and have a relationship with your daughter."

"I couldn't stay, Kelly. I was going through things you didn't even know about. Things that I'm ashamed of, and I wanted to be a mom to her, which I did, but I felt nothing when I held her; I knew that wasn't normal. Leaving was for the best, for you and her. These past six years, I have seen countless therapists, and it turned out that I have postpartum depression. And I didn't even know it."

"I thought so," Stella said. "After hearing how you left and Kelly let me read the letter you left, I figured you were suffering from that. I'm sorry, I heard that can mess with you."

Kelly looked confused. "What exactly is that?"

"It's a mood disorder in women shortly after childbirth. Mothers with postpartum depression experience feelings of extreme sadness, anxiety, and exhaustion that can affect the woman's ability to care for herself or others." Mike spoke up, answering Kelly.

Christina laughs at the surprised look on Kelly and Stella's faces. "Mike is an obstetrician."

"Oh, that makes sense," Stella said.

Kelly wrapped his arm around Stella's shoulders. "How about we make a deal? Let's leave the past in the past. I won't question anything about your past or why you did what you did. The way I look at it, we both made mistakes and were broken, but our brokenness led us to our true destiny. You and Mike look happy together, and that little boy looks to be happy and loved. And I am in love with this amazing, beautifully, intelligent, incredible woman." He said this as he stared at Stella. "I think we are both exactly where the universe wants us to be. I have a great life with Stella and Stella's daughter Haley and Madison; the only thing missing is your relationship with Madison. I want you to build that relationship. Madison deserves to have you in her life."

Christina wiped away her tears. "Are you okay with this?" She asks Stella, and the confusion on her face indicates that Stella has no idea why she is asking her that. "Look, Madison said you were like her mom, and I don't want to come between any bond you two have."

Stella was definitely surprised; she didn't think Madison thought of her that way. "I have no problem sharing her; she would be a lucky girl to have two moms."

They shared a little hug. "Even luckier with two dads," Kelly said, extending his hand out to Mike.

"I like the sound of that," Mike said as he was shaking Kelly's hand.

Benny stood by the pool, watching the happy little moment between the four. He didn't want to be the bad guy, but he knew what Christina was up to, and he knew one day she was going to come back and collect what was hers.

"Benny, why are you so against your granddaughter knowing her mom?" Boden asked as he came up to the man.

"I'm not," he denied.

"Yeah, right, you haven't taken your eye off her since she walked through the door."

Benny shrugs. "I know what she's after, and I'm just here to make sure she doesn't get it," he says as he looks over at Madison, who was on Matt's back in the pool. While Boden eyed him mysteriously.

The party was a success; it could have gone better, at least in Stella's opinion, but the girls were happy, and that's all that matters. She stood at the kitchen sink, looking out the window. All the guests were gone. Madison and Haley were playing with some crazy firework plane thing Capp got them. Matt was standing by with a fire extinguisher because he didn't trust Capp's gift. Kelly, Christina, and Mike were talking and laughing. It was good to see Kelly laughing and smiling. Benny was sitting in the chair, pretending to enjoy the conversation, but Stella knew he was still there because Christina was. She's not sure what he was trying to prove, but she liked Christina, and she legit didn't seem like she was up to anything. Benny, on the other hand, was very suspicious to Stella.

"What are you up to?" Gabby asked.

"Nothing, just admiring the view."

Gabby stood beside her, looking out the window too. "At least today went well; the girls had fun."

"Yeah, good day."

"Are you okay? You seem like something has been bothering you all day more than the whole Christina and Benny drama."

Stella sighed. "When Kelly was talking to Christina, you know, about the past and her finding Mike and him finding me, he said something, but I'm not sure if he actually meant it or if he was just saying it to prove a point to Christina that he moved on."

"What did he say?"

"That he was in love with me."

Gabby smiled. "Girl, he said that because that's the truth; he wasn't trying to prove a point; that's just how the man feels; it's written all over his face; it's written over yours too."

Stella looked at her like she was crazy. "I've only known him for almost four months; he can't...

"He can, and so can you, so don't even go there because it's already there," Gabby says, interrupting her. "Stella, you two have fallen completely head over heels for each other. Please don't run from it; just admit it, it's so much better when it's out in the open. Like, what are you scared of? You guys make a good couple, and the girls are extremely happy that you're together."

Stella sighed. "It's just too soon; everything is happening way faster than I could have imagined." She runs her hand through her hair. "I just need things to slow down."

Gabby stepped back and eyed her for a moment. "Are you pregnant?"