At Second Blush

by OyHumbug

Part Two of the Mother of the Bride Series - In the three months since her only child's wedding, Beth Marks' life completely changed. Not only did she fall in love again, but she, Rio, and his son, Marcus, became a family together. Now, that family is about to grow. Doubly so.

2. Chapter Two - 16 Weeks

Chapter Two: 16 Weeks

As soon as Beth started walking towards their usual Sunday brunch table, Annie and Ruby spotted her, the former, apparently, already at least two mimosas deep. Beth had to wonder if her little sister was still riding the same drunken wave from Friday night, keeping the buzz going rather than crashing under her inevitable hangover. If that was the case, when Annie was forced to sober up and return to the real world the next day, it was going to be quite the come down.

But that wasn't Beth's problem - hadn't been now for years… even if Annie occasionally tried to trick Beth into taking care of her by claiming that she was sick instead of merely feeling the effects of her own overindulgence. However, what was her problem… at least that morning… was that,

still tipsy or not, Annie had noticed that Beth was running a few minutes late, and she and Ruby were not going to let the anomaly slide.

Taking the only remaining chair at their small, bistro style table, Beth didn't even have her purse strap off of her shoulder yet before her sister and best friend started their little

comedy routine, talking about Beth like she wasn't there but knowing and wanting her to hear every word. Ruby started them off. "It must be pretty serious.""I know," Annie sympathized, sounding less worried than she did giddy. "Beth is never late.""And if she was going to be late, she's considerate enough to call or text us to say that, oh I don't know, there was a car accident, and she's now stuck in traffic.""Or… that a bird pooped on her head when she was walking to her car, and she had to go back inside and shower again.""Did you know that's actually supposed to be good luck," Ruby informed Annie.

Beth's sister became quite thoughtful, quite serious. "Does the luck only work while the shit is literally on your face, or is the indignity of it happening at all enough for you to earn those cosmic, karma brownie points?"

"You know, that's a good question. Normally, I'd ask Bee what she thought - you know, get another opinion, but, again, she's late, and there's been no word from her.""I hope she's okay," Annie started out sweet, but then, of course, she added the saltiness. That was her sister, after all: a self-proclaimed, pint-sized margarita. "So that I can lord this over her head forever and ever. Whenever I don't arrive precisely when she thinks I should, I can say, 'hey, remember that one time you practically stood up me and Ruby for Sunday brunch?'""Okay, I get it," Beth cut into their banter. They'd made their point. Loud and clear. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to worry you. But I'm only a few minutes late, right?"

She was starting to glance down at her watch to check the time, but before she could, Ruby stated succinctly, "try thirty four minutes, Beth." She quickly lifted her head back up to meet her best friend's still worried and slightly accusatory stare. "

You can't do that. This one," Ruby hooked her thumb towards Annie. "I'd be concerned if she wasn't running at least a few minutes behind. But you?"

For several seconds, Beth struggled with what to say. She had so much to tell them, and she didn't just want to blurt it out as an excuse for her tardiness. It was bigger than that, meant more, and maybe she was being a little dramatic, but she kind of wanted to make a whole thing out of telling them just exactly… well, maybe not

all of the details… why she was half an hour late. So, eventually, Beth settled on, "it's been quite the eventful weekend.""You're telling me!" Her sister whistled to emphasize her agreement. "Those groomsmen really know how to throw down. But they all had to drive home this morning, so they started drying out last night. Losers. Meanwhile, I'm still going strong." To emphasize her point, Annie caught the eye of their waitress and, before she could reach their table, held up her empty glass and signaled for another. And then another."They all might have jobs now, real lives, but once a frat boy, always a frat boy," Ruby stated decisively. "But we're not talking about your inability to be in a room full of strangers and not buddy up with the one person who never leaves home without their beer tap. We're talking about Beth, and I know that, when she said her weekend was eventful, she wasn't inferring that she spent it with the cast of Animal House.""No, Animal Farm would be more her scene… except they'd be cute and fluffy pets and not socialist revolutionaries.""Anyway…," Ruby segued after giving Annie a glance of surprised confusion - one never knew what would come out of Annie's mouth. "Beth was telling us why she was late."

Holding her hands up and out in self-defense, she started with, "again, let me apologize. I really didn't know I was running so behind."

"I will either accept or reject your apology based upon how juicy your excuse is," Annie warned her. At that moment, their waitress returned with her double order of mimosas. Annie made grabby hands, took a hearty gulp, and then added, "considering that it's you, though, I wouldn't get your hopes up, Sis.""Just a coffee for me, please," Beth requested of the server, rightfully assuming that, if they already had their drinks, Ruby and Annie had probably gone ahead and ordered their food, too.

Once the young girl walked away, Beth swiveled back around to the table to find Ruby frowning at her. "The wedding is over, Bee. There's no need to fit into your mother-of-the-bride dress now. You should eat something."

Flushing at the rudeness of her next admission, Beth confessed, "I actually… ate earlier?"

"You having bitch brunches with some other bitches we don't know about," Annie questioned in a way that only Annie could. Gasping, her little sister added, "oh my god, Ruby! Beth is cheating on us!"

God, these two! She would never actually get to her reason for being late… let alone through a recounting of her entire weekend… at this rate. So, deciding to just shock them into silence, Beth got straight to the point and happily confessed, "I met someone."

"Yeah, I meet people all the time: the lady in the stall next to me who hooks a girl up with an emergency tampon, the kid I catch running a cart into Boomer's car who I then slip five bucks for his impeccable aim, the old dude in the laundry mat who always carries butterscotch candies in his pocket like a total grandpa… or creeper, I haven't decided which one yet."

Without tearing her eyes off of Beth, Ruby blindly threw her arm out to the side to slap Annie. "Shut up, bitch. She meant she

met someone.""Ooh," Annie realized. Then, eyes widening and hands coming down to loudly smack against the table, she leaned forward, intent upon her interrogation. "Were you late because you came here directly from Pound Town?""Do not call it that!," Ruby protested."Fine," Annie agreed far too readily for her not to be up to something. "How was the drive in from Dickville?""Oh my god," Ruby moaned, dropping her head into her hands."Did you take a detour through New Jerk City, or was it a straight shot from the Cockswolds?""I swear, I do not know how the two of you are even related," Ruby exclaimed. "And you," she turned to Annie in exasperation. "Would you please dial it back and actually let Beth tell us about this encounter she had.""I'd rather hear about all the on counter she had." Off of Ruby's irritated glare, Annie defended, "what?! I'm like Pat Mahomes, yo. I keep it 100 all of the time."

Intervening, Beth just allowed the words to flow from her still swollen lips. "No, I was late, because I went home and showered, changed. If I hadn't, I would have had to wear my dress from Friday night to brunch, and it could… use some dry cleaning."

"Wait, so you met someone at your daughter's wedding?" Ruby sounded absolutely shocked. "And this has been going on all weekend, and you didn't have the decency to even send your best friend, oh I don't know, a sweat drop emoji?!"

Beth wasn't exactly sure what that meant, but she knew enough to know she never would have done it. "In my defense, my battery died sometime Saturday afternoon, and I kind of… forgot to charge it?"

"Oh no," Annie groaned, shaking her head back and forth emphatically, like she was in denial. She also looked a little green, and she was far too experienced of a drinker to suddenly become sick right in the middle of a brunch cocktail, which meant that, whatever she was thinking, it was bad enough to turn her iron stomach. "Please, please do not tell me you hooked up with Deansie?"

Beth reacted without thinking. "Ew! No, of course not!" When Annie still didn't look convinced, she added, "even if he wasn't there with his secretary-girlfriend, I would never, ever, ever go there again. Why would you even think that?!"

"I don't know," her sister said with a shrug. "He's… familiar, you're not exactly adventurous, and it was an emotional night - your only child getting married. Stranger things have happened than a divorced couple banging out their feelings.""No. Just… no!""Alright, so if not your forever never ever, and I'm going to hold you to that promise, Sis, who popped that reconstructed cherry?"

Of course it was at that moment that their waitress dropped off Beth's coffee. The server was smirking when Ruby told her, "I will pay you

not to bring this one," she hooked a thumb in Annie's unapologetic direction, "any more drinks. She's cut off, okay?""Your food will be out in a few minutes," the amused stranger told them. "Maybe that'll help."

The girl couldn't be older than Kensley. In all likelihood, she was a local college student or home for the summer. Maybe Beth had even passed her before on the campus of Wayne State. But it was embarrassing to consider what she must think of them: three mostly middle aged women, sitting around a brunch table and talking about their sex lives. Forget the Bechdel Test. They were the Detroit, bourbon and red wine version of

Sex and the City, and that was not a compliment. In Beth's defense, she was forty years old, and this was the first time she'd actually been able to actively participate in such a conversation beyond offering a vibrator suggestion, but their waitress didn't know that.

Or… maybe she did, given Annie's

colorful query."His name's Rio." Before she could say more, Ruby and Annie were oohing and aahing, repeating Rio's name with affectations of intrigue - like he and his name were something exotic. Talking over their nonsense, Beth continued, "he stayed in the back the whole time, so you wouldn't have met him, but he actually owns the reception hall.""Wait, you hooked up with Neck Tats Guy," her sister asked in disbelief. Frankly, it was insulting how incredulous Annie sounded."Like I said," Beth emphasized her words, "his name is Rio. He's a businessman.""And by businessman, you mean the business, right," Annie wanted to know. "I mean, with the throat ink and all…?""He's a parent as well. Marcus, his son, is eight. He's funny - he has this really dark, dirty sense of humor, and he's a little full of himself, but he's also sweet, too, in his own way. Yes, he has tattoos, but what exactly about owning an event center and apartment building screams mob to you?""So, it's more than just the throat tat?"

It was Ruby who answered Annie. "You really think someone gets their neck inked and then says 'you know, I think I'm good. No more tattoos for me.'?"

"What I want to know," Beth ignored the both of them, "is how you even knew about Rio."

Ruby and Annie exchanged a glance and then, at the same time, blurted out, "Deansie."

"Every time somebody complimented the space, the decor, the food, he'd go off about how the place was owned by some gang thug, to not be fooled by the pretty picture; the building was obviously a front for some kind of shady, illegal business."

After listening to Ruby's explanation, Beth turned to her sister, "and you believed him?"

"In my defense, I have not been completely sober since the rehearsal dinner Thursday night.""Well, Dean wasn't looking out for his guests when he told them that. In spreading those rumors, he was trying to prevent them from finding out that, contrary to all of his boasting, he didn't pay for Kensley's wedding. Aaron did. Because Dean bounced the deposit check.""What a wanker!," Annie exclaimed."At least we now know what your pillow talk consisted of," Ruby smirked."Actually, that was more foreplay."

Approvingly, Annie insulted, "slut!," in a way that only Annie could and with the timing that sometimes Beth believed only her little sister possessed. Because, of course, it was then that their waitress dropped off Annie's eggs benedict and Ruby's waffles. Silver lining? At least the food might keep their mouths busy enough for Beth to get through her entire story.

After refilling water glasses, their server left them alone again, and Beth started talking once more. "I needed a moment to myself, so I slipped away a few hours into the reception. What I thought was a storage room, though, turned out to be Rio's office. We talked. He let me vent. We shared a drink."

"And then he did something really nasty to you, nasty enough to get your dress ready for the dry cleaners."

It wasn't worth pointing out to Annie that sometimes clothes had to be dry cleaned regardless of what was done while wearing them. What Beth did relish in telling her sister was, "actually, he did something twice, but I wasn't wearing my dress, Annie."

"So, when I saw you later that night…?""You mean when both of you," Beth looked back and forth between her best friend and her sister, "abandoned me to clean-up on my own?"

Ruby at least had the decency to wince. "I'm really sorry about that, Bee. The official story, should he quiz you later on about what I said, is that your food was so amazing that Stan ate too much, but really that fool was overserved, and I had to deal with his whiny, needy ass

and a wire poking out of my bra all damn night."

Had Beth been frustrated and hurt Friday night when her family didn't stick around to help her? Yes, absolutely. But everything that happened afterwards was too good, and she felt too incredible to let it bother her at that point. However, that didn't mean she wasn't going to tease them. "But you didn't call, and you didn't text," Beth challenged, using Ruby's own accusations towards Beth against her.

With a nod of her head, Ruby acknowledged the double standard. "Touché."

"But, yes, to answer your question, Annie, when I saw you later that night, Rio and I had already… met. Then, I ended up spending the night, because I was exhausted, and my feet hurt, and he wanted to see me again. He ended up helping me clean up the hall the next afternoon, and I finally left his apartment this morning to run home and quickly get ready to meet the two of you. And, now, here we are.""Really, you should be thanking us then," Annie reasoned. "Because we wisely didn't stay to schlep dirty dishes to the kitchen with you, you were able to have a sex weekend fling with a tatted up stranger. Essentially, we were your wing women, and, Baby Girl, we helped you fly!"

Slowly, hesitantly, but with her excitement and joy obvious, Beth wondered, "what if it wasn't just a fling, though? What if this is the start of something… really great? He wants to see me again."

"Of course he does, because you're fantastic," Ruby complimented her. "But - and I can't believe these words are about to leave my lips - I actually agree with Annie on this one. You had your weekend; you ended your dry spell and realized that you want more for yourself, which is wonderful, Honey Bee; but you should just leave it at that. I don't think this is the guy for you to have that something more with."

Undeterred, Beth argued, "why not? You don't even know him!"

"And after thirty-six hours, you do?"

Before Beth could counter her best friend, Annie added, "if you're not supposed to buy the first house you tour, you certainly don't date the first peen you've seen in twenty-two years!"

Beth couldn't deny that she was hurt that they thought so little of her judgment. Yes, Dean had been a colossal mistake, but she had been

a child when she started dating him, then a baby having a baby when she married him. It didn't take Beth long, however, to realize her mistake and rectify the situation, divorcing her ex-husband and creating a pretty good life for herself and her daughter… if she did say so herself. Didn't that earn her at least some of their trust back? And as her best friend and as her sister, Ruby and Annie should support and encourage her no matter what, yet it was the 'tatted up stranger' who currently seemed to be offering Beth that loyalty, not her family.

Pushing her chair back, Beth reached for her bag while standing up. Once the purse was situated on her shoulder, she took a deep breath and then said, "Rio is more than just his… penis, Annie, and he's more than just his tattoos. I

like him, and he seems to like me. He makes me laugh, and we have fun together, and he makes me feel good about myself. I don't know what's going to happen between us… or if he even wants something to happen. What I do know is, whether he calls me up for a date or a… a booty call, I'm going to go. Hell, maybe I'll call him."

With those parting words, Beth turned around and walked back to her car, leaving her best friend and little sister in complete and total shock.

!

Although it was only her second appointment so far, Beth was comfortably and, more importantly, safely into her second trimester. She, Rio, and even Marcus knew that she had a slight baby bump, but it was difficult for someone to notice when she was fully dressed thanks to the size of her chest. Usually, with a second baby, mothers would start to show earlier than with their first, but with twenty-two years between pregnancies, Beth felt it was safe to say that the normal rules wouldn't apply to her. She and the baby were doing well, though, both growing and still coexisting peacefully. Beth had gained three and half pounds during the four weeks since her last appointment, and, frankly, she felt amazing.

No small part of her positive experience this time around was Rio's attentiveness. It was one thing for him to attend the first check-up with her. Not only were they confirming the pregnancy, but they heard the heartbeat for the first time, too. But Rio had made it abundantly clear to Beth that he would be at every doctor's visit with her. But his consideration didn't just start and stop there. He initiated foot rubs; she didn't even have to ask. Perhaps he was still recalling how sore and painful her feet had been after Kensley's wedding, but whatever the reason, Beth appreciated the attention. He drew her baths at the perfect, safe temperature; refrained from drinking, because she couldn't join him; and he was constantly finding ways to both show and tell her that, if anything, she was even more attractive to him now, carrying his baby, than she'd been before. Considering the fact that they couldn't keep their hands off of each other was why Beth was pregnant in the first place, his increased passion and interest said a lot.

"It's still a little early for this, so if the answer is no, do not panic," Dr. Smythe addressed the latter part of her remark more specifically towards Rio. "But have you felt any movement yet?"

"I don't think so?" It wasn't that Beth couldn't remember what the sensation was like. It was just that there were other things in her life that made her stomach flutter and swoop, that caused her belly to tumble and twitch, her nerves in her core to zap with adrenaline.

Casually, the OB-GYN shrugged. "Like I said, it's early. I suspect by your next appointment at twenty weeks, you'll be singing a different tune."

"We'll also have the ultrasound then, yeah?"

"You will," the physician confirmed for Rio. "So, start thinking about whether or not you want to find out the baby's sex."

Sharing a glance with Rio, Beth suspected, for the first time in her pregnancy, they were not going to be on the same page when it came to this all important decision. She knew that, if requested, the office could provide them with the results in a sealed envelope, so the parent who didn't want to know wouldn't be spoiled during the ultrasound, while the parent who did want to know could read the results later. However, given Rio's level of excitement, she had very little faith that he'd be able to keep that news to himself. Oh, he wouldn't tell Beth directly, but he'd brag to the other people in their lives, and it would eventually get back to her.

"And we'll start measuring your belly, Beth, for fundal height. Together, those two things should give us a pretty accurate estimate of the baby's growth rate. Your fundal height measurement will also indicate if further ultrasounds are needed down the road."

"How do you do that," Rio wanted to know.

Using one of those realistic models of a baby in utero that every OB-GYN office seemed to have, Dr. Smythe retrieved her measuring tape and demonstrated for him on the model. "I'll measure from Beth's pubic bone to the top of her uterus. The length should match the number of weeks she is pregnant, plus or minus two centimeters."

Sounding a little worried, he pointed out, "but she's hardly showin'!"

"Don't worry, she'll pop. Beth is gaining weight at the correct rate, her blood pressure is fantastic, and she and the baby are in peak health. Beth is also tall for a woman, and her height is in her abdomen, not her legs, so it's taking her a little longer to present, that's all. Trust me, we'll get a measurement, and it'll likely be exactly what we need it to be. If I'm not worried, Rio - and I'm not, then you shouldn't be worried. I don't need you stressing Beth out, alright?"

"I ain't nervous so much as I'm eager, you know? We got to hear the heartbeat, but I wanna see the baby, feel it."

Dr. Smythe teased, "yes, we covered how impatient the two of you are when we discussed your due date last time."

Apparently, her entire pregnancy was going to be one embarrassing moment after another. Leaning back on the exam table, Beth felt her cheeks warm and pink to the point where she could only imagine how difficult it was to distinguish her face from the patient gown she was wearing. They really needed to work on their story for how they were going to share the news of the baby with their family and friends. Because it was one thing to be so frank with her OB-GYN. After all, it was absurd to be bashful with the woman who gave her an internal pelvic exam once a year. However, the same level of openness was not necessary with, for example, her sister… even if Annie wouldn't necessarily agree.

"Now, I'm going to do something counterproductive to my advice just now," Beth's physician warned them, "and ask you if you've thought any more about genetic testing?"

"We won't be getting the quad screen," Beth informed her. "We discussed it," she met Rio's gaze and squeezed his hand, "and this is our baby. Whether or not he or she has a genetic disorder isn't going to change that. We want to enjoy this pregnancy. If there's something wrong when the baby's born, we'll make adjustments then, but knowing our baby is sick now isn't going to change anything; it'll just make us worry about something we can't do anything about."

"If you change your minds…."

"We won't," Rio interrupted, tone serious and decided.

"I have to say this," Dr. Smythe told him patiently. "If you change your minds, we can run the quad screen anytime during your second trimester, Beth, and afterwards, there's always prenatal cell-free DNA screening. Neither is invasive or a risk to either you or the baby."

"Yeah, but if you found somethin' in the screenin', the testin' is invasive, and it could be risky, and it wouldn't change anythin' anyway. Like Elizabeth said, this is our kid. We're gonna love him or her no matter what, Doc."

Holding her arms up defensively and with a smile on her face, Dr. Smythe conceded, "I've said my peace." Standing, she picked up her tablet and Beth's file and prepared to leave the office, giving them a moment alone to change and gather their things before stopping at the front desk to schedule their next appointment on their way out. "I'll see you in four weeks."

!

It took more than four weeks for Kensley to agree to see Beth again, to talk with her. At first, she had proposed a whole mother-daughter day. They could get pedicures, have lunch, maybe do some shopping for the babies, but Kensley had immediately shut that idea down. In fact, she would only agree to meet with Beth during a very small window of time on Saturday morning, and it had to be in a neutral location. She didn't want to be at the loft, and she didn't particularly want her mother in her home either. It was supposed to be Kensley's safe, happy space, and Beth these days, according to her daughter, did not make her feel either.

Unfortunately, Beth already had plans for that Saturday morning. Marcus was currently obsessed with space, a love she had helped initiate. For weeks, she had been promising to take him to the Wayne State Planetarium for one of their Saturday youth shows, but the Planetarium was closed during the month of August, the first Saturday of September had been Labor Day weekend, and their lives were hectic. Beth knew it was a risk - having Marcus with her when she met with Kensley, but she wasn't going to break a promise to an eight year old to appease a pregnant, twenty-two year old who was acting like a child herself.

Beth believed that she had been patient with Kensley. She allowed her daughter to express her dismay at the news that Beth was dating someone when Beth first broached the idea of Rio with her. She accepted Kensley's decision not to have a relationship with Rio or Marcus. And she bit her tongue whenever Kensley turned a blind eye to Dean's faults but then put Beth under the microscope, holding her to an entirely different and sometimes seemingly impossible standard. Beth would certainly admit that she had made mistakes with her daughter, most recently in how she reacted to the news that Kensley was indefinitely forgoing grad school and, instead, was having a baby. But she had apologized, and she tried to genuinely express her pride, love, and sincere congratulations to her daughter. Shy of just doing anything and everything Kensley wanted of her - no matter how inappropriate or overstepping the demand, Beth was at a loss, and she and her daughter were in a stalemate.

"Beth, did you know that they have these shows once a month?!"

Laughing joyfully, she squeezed the hand that Marcus was allowing her to hold. "I did." He was such a balm to her - so affectionate, so open to her presence in his life. He loved his mother, and Rhea was great with him, but Marcus did not feel the need to pick one or the other or pit them against each other. His view seemed to be the more people for him to love and to be loved by, the better. And, looking back, Beth knew that she had started loving him the moment she realized just who had sculpted 'The Boxer.' "Did you know that they also host even longer shows almost every Friday night during the semester?" His eyes widened in excitement, those big brown eyes already getting even bigger and a little wet as he prepared to sweeten her up. The effort wasn't necessary. "We'll have to convince your Dad that dinner and a Planetarium show is the perfect date night lineup."

Now that school was back in session, Marcus only stayed with them on the weekends rather than every other week as he did during the summer. With the baby on the way, she and Rio thought it would be a good idea to do as many things as they could with Marcus to still make him feel just as special. It was Marcus' idea, though, to start a family date night. After all, Beth called both of them, Rio and Marcus, her boys, so they both needed to treat her right. Wherever he picked up that expression, Beth had no idea, and she was pretty sure she probably didn't want to know.

"Why don't you go in and pick our seats," she suggested, handing him his ticket and keeping the ones she had gotten for herself and Kensley. The show was free, but the Planetarium staff asked that you reserved your seating in advance to guarantee your spot. Beth strongly suspected that one of their seats would go unfilled. "I'm going to wait out here for Kensley, but I will definitely be in before the show starts, okay?"

"Any recommendations," Marcus asked seriously, having heard the stories of how Beth used to bring her daughter to the Planetarium when Kensley was his age.

"Um… the middle?"

"Okay!" And then he was off and running, making Beth take a quick glance down at his tennis shoes - Converse… just like his Dad - to make sure that his laces were tied and he wasn't in danger of tripping. It was quickly becoming a new habit for her, Marcus never going anywhere at a walk if he could run instead.

"Well, he at least looks like he wants to be here." Not having noticed Kensley approaching her from behind - her attention too focused on Marcus, Beth jumped slightly when her daughter spoke off to her side.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Instead of answering her, though, Kensley said, "and here I thought you picked this place, because you were trying to make me think fondly about my own childhood. I should have known better. This was about your new kid."

Sighing, Beth told her, "I made these plans with him weeks ago."

"And, what, Rio - his actual parent - couldn't bring him instead, so you could spend an hour with your daughter separate from your brand new family?"

"Kensley, I don't want there to be Rio, Marcus, and the child I'm carrying and then you and your baby. I want us to all be a family together."

"What about Aaron," her daughter pressed her.

Beth rolled her eyes. "You know what I meant, Kensley. Don't split hairs looking for something to fault."

Ignoring her request, Kensley asked, "what about Dad?"

"Your Dad and I have not been family in more than two decades. We were barely family when we were married."

"Well, he's a part of my family, and if I'm supposed to accept Rio and Marcus, then I think you can accept the father of your child."

"You're an adult now, Kensley," Beth reminded her… which was ridiculous, considering that she was pregnant. "I made nice with Dean for eighteen years, and we can coexist now when necessary for you and our grandchild, but he's not my husband, and I'm not having his baby. That's Rio. So, you know that what you're asking of me is very different than what I'm asking of you."

"It's just… it's just so weird, Mom! My whole life, it's been you, me, and Dad, and, yeah, I know the two of you were divorced before I was even out of diapers, but still. And now? Now, in a matter of months, I got married and learned I was expecting my first child, but you also got married to this younger guy with tattoos and just… this aura of danger… that I didn't even meet until after you eloped, became a step-mom to his son, and are also pregnant. I don't even know how to start wrapping my head around all of these changes."

Beth scoffed. "You're acting like Rio is closer to your age than mine! He just turned 37, Kensley." And then she couldn't help but get in a dig. "Dating children is more your father's style, not mine."

"Actually, Dad and Amber broke up."

The way she said it, it was like Kensley was hoping the news would… change Beth's mind about everything - about Dean, about Rio, about who she wanted to be with and who was her future. But that was utterly ridiculous! Even if Beth wasn't pregnant with Rio's child, she wasn't going to leave him for a newly, yet most likely not for long, single Dean. After all, she hadn't married Rio because of the baby. They didn't learn that she was expecting until after they exchanged 'I dos.'

"If the decision to end their relationship wasn't mutual, or even if it was but your Dad is still upset, I wish him nothing but the best, and I'm sorry if he's hurting right now," Beth said graciously. "But your father's relationship status has nothing to do with me, Kensley."

"But you've never liked any of his girlfriends or wives before," her daughter would not let the topic drop. "I always thought that was because you still had feelings for him."

"Those women just weren't his significant others, Kensley; they were your step-mothers, occasionally your caregivers. No, I didn't like them, because I knew that none of the relationships would last, and you'd be hurt and disappointed once more when your Dad told you he was breaking up with or divorcing someone else yet again."

Glancing at her watch and realizing that she only had a few more minutes before the 11:00 AM showtime, Beth tried to get Kensley back on topic. Dean was irrelevant. They were meeting to try and get their mother-daughter relationship back on track. "As for your other charges against Rio, he is a wonderful father, Kensley, and an amazing partner. He's not dangerous! Do you really think so little of me that you'd believe I would ask you to put your unborn child at risk by being around him, let alone my own baby?"

"What does Aunt Annie call it - a dong fog?"

"Don't even start with that nonsense," Beth snapped, reaching her breaking point. "I could give you a thousand reasons why I love Rio that have nothing to do with sex, but until you're actually ready to listen to me, why waste my breath? You don't need to be his friend, and you don't need to look at him as a father figure, but you do need to respect him. He has been nothing but kind to you and good to me, and you shouldn't need any more than that to act like the adult you are, like the woman I raised you to be."

"But Dad…."

"No," Beth cut her off, shaking her head emphatically in denial. "You treating Rio with kindness and consideration has nothing to do with Dean, nor does it diminish your relationship with your father in any way."

Getting out the ticket she had for her, Beth extended it towards her daughter. "I will, however, be holding you to a higher standard when it comes to Marcus and your unborn half brother or half sister. They are children, Kensley - innocent in all of this, and as an expectant mother yourself, if you cannot understand that, then, frankly, I'm a little worried about your ability to transition into motherhood. But I want to help you with that," she continued when Kensley opened her mouth to protest. "I want to go to your doctor appointments with you if Aaron can't make it, and I want to help you decorate your baby's nursery. I want to talk about our pregnancies together like only a mother and daughter can. And the first step in doing all of that is for you to just come in and watch a Planetarium show with me and an eight year old little boy who is utterly fascinated by twenty-two year old scientist you."

Instead of taking the ticket, though, Kensley took a step back. "You really want to help me with my pregnancy?"

"Of course I do!"

"Then don't tell anyone about yours."

Stung, Beth flinched backwards. "Excuse me?"

"I mean, you can tell Rio's family and friends, of course," Kensley oh so graciously allowed. "I don't care about them. But I'm not… I'm not ready for anyone else we have in common to know. It's too stressful - the questions, the looks, their curiosity… like we're this grotesque aberration or something."

"Oh, come on!," Beth exclaimed, rolling her eyes. "That's a little dramatic, don't you think?"

"You weren't the one who had to sit with Grandma Judith for hours, discussing this, Mom, and I won't - I can't - do it again."

"Wait," Beth finally heard the desperation in her daughter's voice. "What do you mean by that - you can't? And you mentioned stress. Kensley, are you having complications with your pregnancy?"

"The doctor doesn't think I'll miscarry, and I'm almost through my first trimester now, but I was spotting there for a while, and my blood pressure is… not good, to say the least." Kensley started crying, but she immediately dashed away her tears… like she didn't want Beth to see her emotions. "I can't keep anything down. I'm losing weight, not gaining. I had to be admitted for fluids, because I was so severely dehydrated. My doctor has me on Diclegis now, and it seems to be working, but I'm constantly tired, my back is killing me, I'm experiencing restless leg syndrome, my feet and hands are so swollen by the end of the night that I can't wear real shoes or my wedding rings, and I've already had both urinary tract and kidney infections, and the doctor is worried about kidney stones now, too." In the blink of an eye, Kensley turned nasty once again. "So, I'm sorry if you think I'm being dramatic, but this - you not telling the world that you're having a baby at soon-to-be forty-one - is what I need from you."

"Alright," Beth agreed reluctantly. Yes, she would do anything for her daughter and grandchild, but this felt like such a steep ask. And she wouldn't be able to keep it a secret forever. Annie was pretty oblivious, and Ruby was extremely busy, but they would eventually notice Beth sporting a giant baby bump. "I'll talk to Rio."

"Thank you."

"Now, the show is about to start," she gestured over her shoulder towards the still open but soon to be closing doors to the Planetarium. "Would you like to just… forget everything for an hour, sit with me, and look at the stars?"

"Mom," Kensley exhaled, sounding totally exhausted. "How have you not realized yet that I don't like science? I never did."

Without giving a flabbergasted and hurt Beth a chance to respond, Kensley turned around and walked away. Beth only gave herself a moment, though, to feel the sting, because she had a little boy waiting for her whom she would not disappoint. Rolling back her shoulders and banishing any negative emotions, she put a smile on her face and made her way towards Marcus and the Planetarium. And it wasn't as difficult as she might have thought it would be, because, yes, Kensley's rejection cut deep, but Marcus' effervescent joy, sweetness, and impish, dimpled smile was just the salve Beth needed.