Chapter Twelve: 39 Weeks

"Well, I see at least one thing has changed since the last time I saw you," Dr. Smythe announced as soon as she walked into the exam room - her eyes zeroing in on Beth's belly. And how could she not? Not only was Beth gigantic, but the baby had finally started to drop. There was a marked difference in the position of her bump from a week prior until that moment. For Beth and Rio, it had been a more gradual shift, but for the physician, it was quite startling. "Congratulations. You made it."

"F'real, right," Rio responded, texting away on his phone, so he couldn't see the OB-GYN's reaction… which wasn't great when he continued, "I didn't think it was gonna happen for me."

"For you?," Dr. Smythe asked, stressing the pronoun.

Nodding, Rio doubled down. "I was cuttin' it pretty close, yeah?"

"Not your forty-one year old wife who managed to carry to term without a single complication," Dr. Smythe challenged him. The surly tone made Rio glance up from underneath his brows. "Not your son or daughter who, at 39 weeks, is healthy and finally ready to be born?"

Indicating his cell phone, Rio explained, "I meant the house. I just heard from the contractors, they're finishin' up today, so the movers can get us in tomorrow, and me and Elizabeth can get the kids' rooms ready this weekend."

"Oh," Dr. Smythe breathed out in realization.

Screwing up his face - part in insult, part in annoyance, and part in confusion, Rio demanded to know, "what'd you think I was talkin' about?"

Sheepishly, the physician admitted, "I thought you were making Beth's entire pregnancy about you - like you doubted you'd survive the last nine months."

"Yeah, 'cause I haven't been the first one to tell her she's a Boss Bitch, fuckin' amazin' me every day with how well she takes care of not just the baby but both of my kids. Me, too, for that matter."

"I'm really sorry, Rio," Dr. Smythe sincerely apologized. "Sometimes, I bring baggage in from my previous appointments with me. I shouldn't. It's wrong. I know that. But not all of my patients have such supportive partners. You're a great husband and father. I just… I forgot that for a moment, I guess."

"He's the best," Beth joined in on the praise, reaching over to lace Rio's free fingers with hers and squeezing. "But back to the business at hand, maybe we could skip the whole routine today. We already know what you'll find. I'm fatter, I'm still calm, the baby's heart rate isn't any faster or any slower than it has been literally the hundreds of other times we have measured it already, and she or he is much, much lower, though I am not currently, nor have I been, presenting any signs of active labor."

"Ah, but I am a woman of science," Dr. Smythe argued, "so I can't just fill your file with anecdotal information; I need the numbers, so quit being shy, get on that scale, and don't make me think that you're tired of my sense of humor, Beth Garza. Besides," the OB-GYN continued, "I thought of something about your new house that I forgot to ask two weeks ago. It's actually kind of embarrassing, considering I'll be delivering your baby soon, but I was more concerned with the nursery decor than I was with the practicalities of where you'll be giving birth."

Beth, scowling and pouting - she wasn't sure if both expressions were coming across on her face, but that's what she intended for Dr. Smythe to see, stepped onto the scale, while Rio responded. "She's havin' this kid in a hospital. We ain't interested in no weird home births in some plastic kiddie pool or some other new age bullshit. Wasn't that in our birth plan?"

"Yes, you included your preference for a hospital delivery," Dr. Smythe reassured him. "But you didn't list which hospital is nearest to your new home."

"Oh, we're less than a mile away from Royal Oak Beaumont," Beth informed her OB-GYN. "But you're my doctor. I'm coming to you at Henry Ford, don't worry."

"While I appreciate the loyalty, if there's anything that doesn't feel right or your contractions are too close together, please go to the nearest hospital. I have good standing in my field and with other local institutions. I can get courtesy privileges."

"Yeah, we ain't waitin' that long. As soon as Elizabeth has even the first twinge of a contraction, she's gettin' admitted."

"27 pounds gained," Dr. Smythe announced, prompting Beth to step off the scale.

Despite the eye roll she offered her doctor, she addressed Rio's remark, not her weight. "That seems a little… extreme. We'll leave for the hospital when my contractions are five minutes apart, last for at least a minute, and that has been the case for at least an hour… as recommended."

Stubbornly folding his arms over his chest, Rio contended, "you ain't pushin' our kid out in the car, Mami." Then he straightened up, smirked, and looked downright devious. "On second thought, it's cool. We'll do what you wanna do."

While he helped her up onto the exam table, Beth narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously. "What are you up to, Rio?"

"We'll take your car to the hospital whenever you wanna go. If you won't get a new ride now, you'll get one after you get amniotic fluid on the seats, 'cause that shit ain't comin' out of cloth, Sweetheart."

With blood pressure cuff in hand and ready to wrap around Beth's arm, Dr. Smythe looked back and forth between them. "I think I'm missing something here."

Sighing, Beth explained, "Rio wants me to get rid of my perfectly good and, more importantly, paid for Subaru and buy a Volvo XC90 Recharge instead. There's nothing wrong with my Forrester, and I happen to like not having a car payment."

"Baby, we buyin' outright, no loan. 'Sides," Rio added, teasing her, "as a yogi, ain't you supposed to be all about balance? You drivin' the Volvo'd offset my G-Class. After all, you and Marcus are always bitchin' about my gas mileage. Well, here's your chance to do somethin' about it."

"Or, I don't know, you could get the Volvo if you want it so badly. Leave my Subaru out of it," Beth warned him playfully.

"I don't know, Beth," Dr. Smythe feigned shock and awe. "He's already moving to the suburbs - which, I have to say, I'm struggling to picture; he's never going to give up his car, too."

"Whatchu talkin' about? I'm gonna love the 'burbs - all that space to raise and play with my kids, all those rooms with doors to fuck my wife."

In reaction, Beth just dropped her blushing face into her hands, shaking her head. Dr. Smythe, however, said, "I was talking more about how the 'burbs will not love you."

"Too fuckin' bad."

"Well, no matter what either of you are driving, I recommend making sure you have car seat bases installed properly in both of your vehicles." As she talked, Dr. Smythe eased Beth down so that she could check the baby's heart, positioning, and measurements. "It's easier and safer if you're not constantly switching it back and forth."

"Done," Rio informed the physician. "We've been ridin' around with the bases in the back since Elizabeth entered her third trimester."

"And your go bags?"

"Again, he keeps a smaller version in both cars, and my extended go bag is beside the front door of the loft."

"It'll be the first thing I personally carry into the new house," Rio promised the doctor.

"I usually recommend that Dad should have a go bag, too. You might plan to travel back and forth from the hospital, but after your baby's born, you won't want to leave, and all of our birthing and post-delivery hospital rooms come with full, private baths now."

"Yeah, the only reason I would leave would be to go pick up Pop, but Grandma'll bring him with her when she visits."

"It sounds like the two of you are completely ready to meet your son or daughter," Dr. Smythe praised their preparedness.

While she worked, they fell silent for a few moments. It was only once she moved back to the desk that Rio asked, "so, is there some kind of prize if your kid is born on its actual due date?"

Not missing a beat, the OB-GYN replied, "just the hope that you're actually going to get a prompt child. If anything," the physician continued, teasing them, "I should get the prize for being so awesome at my job that I accurately predicted when your baby would be born."

"Nah, no way," Rio argued, helping Beth to her feet. "You only as good as our ability to narrow down when we conceived. We practically handed you that due date on a silver platter."

"Or, in this case, a hardwood, kitchen floor," Dr. Smythe had the last word.

Because, really, what more could any of them say after that.

!

Stepping into Marcus' new room, Beth groaned, dropping her head back onto her neck only to look up at the ceiling and groan a second time - deeper, and longer, and not in the good, sexy way. "Rhea is going to hate me… if she doesn't already."

"What's this now," Rio asked, looking back at her over his shoulder from where he was unpacking his son's things.

The bones of the room - Marcus' new double bed, desk, and stackable metal storage for books and toys; the amazing hanging planet light fixture; and the stick-on constellation of the Detroit skyline on the night he was born covering the ceiling - were already assembled and arranged. Now, they were adding the details. Nine months pregnant, Beth was helping as much as she could, but her belly limited how far and how often she could bend over and reach above her. So, she was mainly sticking with laundry - washing bedding for the first time and making beds, folding all of the baby's things after washing them in Dreft. Even though she was used to stairs, thanks to the loft, the new house boasted a laundry room on the second floor, so she just had to walk down the hallway between loads.

"In the time that I have been in Marcus' life, he's gotten a new stepmom; a new obsession with space; technically two siblings, though only one has no say in whether or not they have a relationship with him; a new house with an amazing new room; and eventually…"

Eagerly, Rio interrupted her, "you really think Pop'll like it?"

It was sweet that he was nervous that the eight - soon to be nine - year old wouldn't absolutely adore his new space. "It's amazing. That's kind of my point," Beth insisted. "He's never going to want to leave and go home."

"This is his home, too."

Pausing in her efforts to attach the fitted sheet to Marcus' bed, Beth looked up at Rio and bestowed upon him a gentle, sympathetic smile. "You know what I mean."

Rio sighed. "He loves his Moms."

"He does. But he also loves you, and me, and this baby, and when we eventually get a dog…"

Again, Rio cut her off. "We ain't gettin' a dog, Elizabeth. They're needier than kids. At least with Pop and the baby, if we wanna go somewhere, we just take 'em with us. But a dog? We'd have to put 'em in a kennel or hire someone to house sit. I got plans, Mami."

Oh, Beth knew all about his plans! Rio was still upset that, due to the timing and circumstances of their wedding, they'd never gone on a honeymoon. So, he was bound and determined that, no matter what, they would be getting a babymoon instead. She had pointed out to him that, traditionally, a babymoon happened before the baby is born - like a last hurrah, but Rio argued that such timing didn't make sense. If a honeymoon happened after a wedding, then a babymoon should happen after giving birth. Plus, as much as he wanted to spend time with her on a beach somewhere, he wanted the trip to be one for their entire family. Rhea might have agreed to Marcus missing half a day of school to attend the baby's ultrasound, but she wasn't going to allow them to take the little boy out of school for ten days, so they could jet off to Hawaii or the Caribbean… which was where Rio had narrowed down their destinations.

There were five options still on the table for their trip: Anguilla, Costa Rica, Curacao, Kauai, and the Turks and Caicos. The getaway would also serve as an early celebration of their first anniversary. By then, the baby would be six months, and Marcus would still be on summer vacation. Beth had argued that August was too soon after her maternity leave for her to be away from work again for an extended period of time, but apparently, the business excuse would only work once. With her just buying into and becoming Rio's partner before the wedding, he had agreed that a honeymoon wasn't very feasible, but nothing was going to deter Rio from having his babymoon. And Beth didn't hate the idea either… even if she couldn't let him have the trip without a little pushback. Someone needed to keep him on his toes, after all.

"Once Annie sees this place, she might pay us to let her house sit."

"And if we had a dog, I wouldn't subject it to havin' to take care of your sister," Rio quipped, earning himself a feigned look of censure, because he wasn't entirely wrong.

"My point is," Beth emphasized, returning to their original topic, "we might want to stop with the big life changes for a while, especially because I was the catalyst for all of them. It's nice having one of the other parents not hate us. We were lucky enough that Rhea was so understanding about the house. Let's not… push our luck."

"Hey, she can't hold that against us," Rio argued. "I offered to limit our search to Pop's current school district, but she was the one who said, if we found a place in a district rated higher, Pop could switch schools. He can either use our address, or we can pay tuition, whatever."

"I don't think she realizes, though, how easy it will be for Marcus - and us - to justify him staying here more now that his school is closer to our place than it is to her's."

"We all just need to be flexible," Rio contended. "Maybe we don't have a formal arrangement - weekdays with Rhea, weekends with us. If Pop stays here during the week for school, then he goes and stays with his Moms for a few days. We let the kid decide where he wants to sleep."

"And what if he always wants to be here," Beth wanted to know. "Then how understanding will Rhea be, especially towards me?"

Finished with making the bed, she went to start hanging Marcus' clothes up in the closet when Rio intercepted her, guiding her into the navy and white ball chair he had picked out for the third grader. Once she was seated, Rio started speaking, easing her fears. "Trust me, it won't take long for the novelty of bein' a big brother to wear off. Just wait until we ask him to change a diaper for the first time or his brother or sister chews on one of his toys. He'll be back to Rhea's so fast that we'll be thinkin' we have a future track star on our hands."

Feeling better about the situation, Beth allowed herself to relax into the retro, space-age furniture. While running her hands over her belly, she looked around the room one more time, really taking in the whole space. With a navy, white, and gray color palette, it should have been quite sophisticated and serene - and it was… to an extent, but Marcus' things, the astronomy prints she had made him back when he first stayed over at her old apartment, and the amazing light fixture Rio had found added pops of color that made it more playful and fun. Beth should have known the kids' rooms would turn out wonderfully. After all, she loved the loft and appreciated Rio's sense of style. But Marcus' room even exceeded her expectations, and she couldn't wait to see the baby's… which he still had not let her catch even a glimpse of yet.

"And what about you," Beth returned to their conversation, smirking in Rio's direction. "Are you ready to change diapers again, Daddy?"

Pausing in what he was unpacking, Rio looked out at nothing as his memories seemed to overtake him. "Marcus, the little shit, peed on me so many fuckin' times, I lost count. And he knows it, too, 'cause Grandma loves to show off the photographic proof."

"Those are pictures she has yet to show me."

"Grandma ain't no fool," Rio replied, smirking. "She wants more grandbabies, so she ain't gonna scare you off before you can provide her with a few."

Widening her eyes, Beth sought clarification. "A few?"

"The more, the merrier, Sweetheart."

"That expression refers to company… which eventually goes home, not children." When Rio opened his mouth to argue, Beth continued, "let's just focus on this baby for now, okay?"

"All I'm sayin' is that, whatever the kid can dish out, I'm ready for it."

"Please," Beth scoffed, rolling her eyes at him. "Just because you didn't have fast enough reflexes to cover Marcus' wee-wee up in time, that does…"

"Wait, hold up," he interrupted her, already laughing and scowling at the same time… which was confusing. "What the fuck did you just call Pop's dick?"

"No, I am not saying that about my son!," Beth protested vehemently. "The only person who has a dick… or a cock… is you. Everyone else, but especially our children, have… euphemisms - like wee-wees."

"I ain't callin' it that," Rio dug in his metaphorical heels, folding his arms stubbornly across his chest.

Realizing how she could change his mind, Beth innocently asked, "what about if we have a daughter? Will it be… pussy and cunt for her just like it is for me?"

Rio visibly paled. "Why'd you go and say that, Mami?"

"A compromise, then," she suggested. It was kind of hard to believe that this matter had not already come up between them, but she was glad it did before she gave birth. "What if we just use the proper terms for the kids: penis and vagina." Granted, Beth would do whatever she could to avoid having to say anything at all, but if forced, she could say penis and vagina without dying of embarrassment. She was pretty sure.

"Those still sound fuckin' ridiculous," Rio groused. Before Beth could say anything in response, though, he relented, "but they're better than your euphemisms."

"Anyway, what I was trying to say is there's no way happy, sweet, smart, wonderful Marcus could have prepared you for everything… even if he was quite sensitive to cool air."

"What else you got," Rio challenged her.

"Well, there are diaper blowouts, playing in their messes, and pooping on you rather than peeing when you change them."

"That's all just shit, Ma. Wipe 'em up or give 'em a bath if necessary. Hell, you can just hop in the shower with 'em - two for the price of one," Rio quipped. He must have seen something flicker across her face, because he became more serious, approaching her and taking her by the hands. "I ain't gonna put all the baby stuff on you and then just sub in after the hard part's done and the kid's walkin' and talkin'." As he pulled her back up and onto her feet, Rio finished reassuring her with, "I ain't him."

"I know." She must have spoken too quickly, because Rio frowned, causing Beth to repeat herself, putting added weight on her words. "Rio, I know that. You are nothing like him. And I honestly wasn't even thinking about Dean. I was thinking about my own Dad, about all the stories I heard from the moms of Kensley's friends growing up. Even Stan, Ruby's husband - who is a devoted and involved father, conveniently found himself busy in the other room when it came time to change the worst of his kids' diapers or when they got sick."

As he led her out of Marcus' room and down the hall towards the nursery - the bedroom closest to their own master suite, Rio said, "it's just… you never talk about when you were pregnant before or what it was like when Kensley was a baby."

"That is intentional," Beth admitted.

"'Cause you think it'd bother me?"

"No, not at all."

"So, is it 'cause of your fears about lovin' your kids different, then?"

"In part," Beth acknowledged. They were standing outside of the closed nursery door, Rio making no move to let them inside. "But I also didn't want to spend my entire pregnancy or our entire relationship comparing them to what it was like for me with Kensley and Dean, because there is no comparison, and that wouldn't be fair to anyone… but especially me."

"Well, don't tell me about your dumbass ex and your daughter. Just tell me about you - what you were thinkin' and feelin' back then."

Before she could respond, he twisted the handle, pushed open the door, and revealed… the most perfect nursery. It was sweet but not infantile, warm and comfortable, pretty and handsome… all at the same time somehow. And it felt like them - like Rio, Beth, and their baby. They hadn't even met their son or daughter yet, but Beth just knew that this was their room. And at first glance, it seemed like Rio had thought of everything.

The baby's bassinet was already in their room, so it was absent from the nursery, but nothing else was missing. One entire wall, the focal wall on which the crib was positioned, was painted a dark, rich, saturated green, while the other three walls were a crisp, bright white. The softest, squishiest rug warmed up the center of the hardwood floors, and Rio had selected mid-century modern furniture - the crib, dresser with a built-in changing table, bookcase, rocking chair, and side table all coordinating. The bedroom was big enough for a daybed as well, someplace where they could curl up with the baby on nights when he or she didn't feel well or was fussy. The lighting was soft - more lamps than overhead, and both the bedding and the artwork were plant inspired - the sheets a forest motif, the wall decor botanical.

Beth was so overwhelmed, so touched, by Rio's thoroughness and care that she felt her eyes tear up. "If it's a girl, I thought we could add some pink; if it's a boy, maybe some black."

"I… thank you," she said effusively, a little choked up. "I… I love it."

"Yeah?"

Playfully shoving his arm, she teased, "oh, stop with the false modesty, Rio! It doesn't suit you." Laughing, Beth added, "you know this is stunning!"

"It's dope, huh?" Then, kissing her cheek, he told her, "stay here. I'll get the baby's laundry."

While Rio was gone, Beth sat on the very edge of the daybed and then scooted backwards until she was leaning against the pillows running along the three closed sides. He was back with multiple baskets stacked on top of each other before she managed to get completely comfortable. As soon as he stepped back into the nursery, Beth started talking. "My first pregnancy was… difficult. I was too young to be having a baby - not just mentally and emotionally but physically, too. My body wasn't ready for that kind of stress. I was still getting to know who I was physically, and then, all of a sudden, my body wasn't even my own anymore. To make matters worse, I had extreme nausea throughout my entire pregnancy - morning, noon, and night. I don't think it was morning sickness, though, especially not after my experience with our baby, which has been the complete and total opposite."

"'Cause you're ready now," Rio contended, sitting down beside her. "Your situation is good and right. We're good and right together."

Reaching over the clean and dry baby clothes he dumped between them that needed folded, Beth clasped one of Rio's hands, gripping it as tightly as she could. "I think the first time my sickness was really anxiety, fear, and dread. Actually, Kensley's pregnancy with Keane reminded me a lot of mine with her, but I couldn't say anything to her about it. When she was talking to me, it was never the right time; when she wasn't, I was afraid she'd accuse me of trying to make her baby about me or, even worse, that she would realize how different the two experiences have been for me."

"What was your labor and delivery like before?"

Eyeing him out of the corner of her eyes, Beth warned, "you really don't want to know."

"If I didn't, I wouldn't ask."

With wide eyes, Beth looked over at him and allowed some of the terrible and terrifying memories from her pregnancy to shine through. "47 hours."

Rio gulped. "Damn, Ma."

"I was always curvy but not this curvy," she waved a hand down her body as if to better display it.

Rio licked his bottom lip. "Lucky me, then."

"I was also eighteen and pregnant for the first time, and my body just… didn't want to have that baby. There was nothing wrong with either of us, but by the time I finally delivered, I was exhausted. My baby was, too." Lightening her tone, Beth taunted, "so, buckle up, because as much as you're hoping I ruin the seats of my Subaru, even if my second labor and delivery goes faster - as they usually do, we're in for quite a ride, Honey."

"And I'm gonna be there for every second of it," he assured her.

"Do you know how long Rhea was in labor with Marcus? I'm just curious," Beth explained, "should your DNA somehow influence the upcoming proceedings."

He shrugged. "Twelve hours, I think? I was at the hospital but not in the room with her. Rhea and I weren't…. We were never like that together."

"Maybe if I average the two," Beth suggested. Rio still grimaced, doing the math for himself, but Beth reasoned, "hey, 30 hours of labor is a hell of a lot better than 47!"

"No matter how long you pushin', Baby, I think you should enjoy yourself as much as possible between now and then, yeah?"

Beth narrowed her eyes at Rio. "What does that…," but before she could even finish her question, he was shoving all of their son or daughter's clean clothes onto the floor and practically crawling across the daybed towards her. "Rio!"

"Once the kid's here and sleepin' in this room, there's no way in hell you're gonna let me fuck you in this bed, Mami." Eyes already dropping towards her chest and hands already reaching for the hem of her shirt, Rio said, "so, I gotta do it now."

She wasn't adverse to the idea, but she still had to mess with him. "Oh, you have to, huh?"

"Mama," Rio implored her, holding himself up with one hand while the other grabbed her fingers and tugged them not just to the front of his sweats but underneath them and inside of his boxer briefs. "I need inside that pretty, pink pussy, and I think you need me inside of it, too."

She did.

She really, really did.

!

Beth had never really been one for relaxing. It started in childhood when she had to juggle school and take care of her Mom and baby sister, and then she never really had a break, because she jumped right into being a mom herself. Even while she was briefly married to Dean, she was still essentially a single mother. She got a job; Dean stayed in college, which his parents paid for. Beth cleaned, and cooked, and raised Kensley; Dean attended more parties than he did classes, slept around on her, and occasionally managed to spend a few minutes with his daughter before some sporting event or frat meeting pulled him away. Judith complained about having to pay Beth a wage for the legitimate work she did at the dealership; Judith gifted Dean with a brand new car when Kensley was born.

Her life actually became slightly easier after the divorce, because at least then she also wasn't partially responsible for a husband as well. They had no marriage to speak of, yet Dean and his mother still expected Beth to make Dean's life, including as a parent, as easy as possible. If Dean was going to see Kensley, Beth was supposed to facilitate that and guarantee that he wasn't inconvenienced by their daughter in any way. Plus, once she was on her own, not only did she lose 200 pounds of dead weight, but Wayne State's education department provided a daycare service right on campus, allowing Beth to enroll Kensley in a great program that was also close enough for Beth to visit her daughter during her lunch breaks.

Kensley's toddler years were probably the calmest of Beth's life, but she was still busy enough that there weren't any opportunities for her to learn how to enjoy downtime. If she was sitting, then she was slacking on something, obviously, and that only became worse when Kensley went to school full time, and Beth encouraged her daughter to be as involved and have as many interests as she wanted. Even after Kensley was old enough to get her driver's license, even after she graduated high school and entered college, even after she moved out of Beth's home, Beth still found ways to make sure that she was always, constantly busy.

There was Annie, of course. Even though her baby sister was technically an adult and had been for more than a decade, Beth still felt like she needed to watch out for her. If that meant cooking extra food and making Annie think that she was doing Beth a favor by taking it off of her hands, then so be it. She'd gift Annie with cleaning coupons for the lesser holidays, coupons that Annie could redeem at any time. And then there was just all of the time she spent simply being there for Annie emotionally. Her little sister liked to vent, and Beth liked to be useful.

Ruby, as a mother of two who worked full time, was not one to turn down Beth's help either. So, between her job at the university which had stopped being just an 8:00 to 4:00 gig years before with Beth allowing herself to be taken advantage of, her family, and her own attention to detail when it came to household chores, she was on her feet and busy from the moment she turned off her alarm in the morning until she laid down and set it again later that night. Her life was nonstop;

she was nonstop. And then all of that came to a screeching halt when she met and started dating Rio.

Rio worked just as hard as Beth did, and he found the time to take care of his family, too, but he understood the value of play as well, even in just… doing nothing sometimes. It had taken just one such lazy morning at the loft with Rio and Marcus to convince Beth that, for forty years, she had been missing out on a vital part of life. They had easily and thoroughly converted her. Now, some of her favorite moments were just laying on the couch between Rio's legs with his arms wrapped around her - one palm covering her heart, the other rubbing her stomach while, with each pass, he slowly crept his touch underneath whatever shirt she was wearing - or reclined on her back with her head resting in Rio's lap while he ran his long, elegant fingers through her messy, morning hair.

They didn't just cuddle together in the mornings after she slept over, though. Sometimes, Rio would pull her onto his lap during the middle of the day, catching a few minutes to just… be together - minds blank, bodies relaxed, drifting, even dozing; other times, they'd curl up together after dinner, keeping each other warm long after the sun had dipped below the horizon and night was upon them. Sometimes, Marcus joined them; other times, he'd be off and occupied elsewhere or even at his Mom's.

On that particular morning, it was the first Saturday after Beth's first week just working with Rio and not finishing up her job at Wayne State, too. It was also one of their last weeks with Marcus before he went back to school and Rio's custody arrangement reverted back to weekends only with his son. They were all going to do something together - maybe go to the park, or stop by Rosa's for a visit, or perhaps even catch an afternoon game down at Comerica, but it was still early, and no one seemed in any rush to get dressed for their day or to leave the air conditioned comfort of the loft. Following breakfast, Marcus slipped off to his room to continue working on the spaceship he was constructing, and Rio had tugged Beth towards the couch, gently pushing her down first so he could crawl between her legs, wrap his arms around her waist, and snuggle into her chest face-first.

Beth did not protest.

She loved holding Rio like that - bearing all of his weight and supporting him. Beth would trace her fingers against his bar tattoos and run her digits through his closely cropped hair, feeling it bristle against or softly brush her skin depending upon which direction she moved. With Rio on top of her, his heart would thud and his breath would mist against her chest. Usually, he'd be in nothing more than a pair of loose gym shorts, while Beth would make sure she at least had on a t-shirt and a pair of pajama shorts or a robe over her nightgown. Whatever she was wearing, though, there was never much to separate them. Rio would almost always grow hard, but even when Marcus wasn't there with them, if they were just relaxing, he wouldn't do anything about his arousal - the two of them merely savoring their attraction to one another but not acting on it.

At least, not right away.

Sounding half asleep, Rio called out for his son, "hey, yo, Pop! Come'er for a minute, yeah?"

When he spoke, his mouth was just barely to the side of Beth's left nipple, and his warm, wet breath made the sensitive tip of her breast bead and swell. Beth squirmed, trying to readjust them, needing to arrange herself, at least, in a way that was more presentable for Marcus, but Rio wouldn't budge. In fact, if anything, he pressed himself even further into her. He then delicately bit her breast through her tank - dragging his teeth over her protruding nipple, warning her, "all that squirmin' ain't gonna help matters, Baby. 'Sides, you run cold. This ain't the first time Pop's gonna see you standin' at attention, and it won't be the last neither, trust me."

Before she could even react… let alone formulate actual words to respond, Marcus was plopping down on the coffee table in front of them, grin wide enough on his cute, little face to show off his dimples. "What's up, Daddy?"

"What d'you think of the idea of Elizabeth movin' in here with us?""Wait, what?!," Beth exclaimed. In her surprise, she tried to sit up… only for Rio's weight to hold her down. It wasn't that she was fundamentally opposed to the idea of living with Rio and his son; he just hadn't given her even the slightest indication that he was thinking about asking her. Also, he had skipped right over asking her and was going straight to his eight year old for his opinion - like Beth's acceptance was a foregone conclusion.

Both Garza boys ignored her interjection, however. "Hasn't she kind of already," Marcus asked. He didn't seem upset by her presence, just a little bit confused.

That made two of them.

"But this would be permanent," Rio explained the difference. "She wouldn't just be stayin' over." Which, Beth had to admit, she did on a regular basis. While they'd had a few sleepovers at her apartment, most of their nights were spent at the loft. In fact, it had been at least a week since she had last stepped foot in her own home. Given their committed relationship, that wasn't the strange part; the strange part was that she hadn't realized how long it had been until that very moment. "This would be her home, too, now."

Feeling herself tear up a little, Beth quietly confessed, "it already is."

"So, let's make it official, yeah," Rio encouraged."Okay!," Marcus shouted, readily agreeing to the plan. But then his adorable face fell, and he suddenly looked worried. "But what about her stuff?"

Beth opened her mouth to answer, but before she could, Rio narrowed his eyes and observed his son closely. "There anythin' in particular you're concerned about, Pop?"

Marcus started twisting his small fingers together, and he wouldn't meet either of their gazes. "Well, I was thinking about the telescope, and the prints Beth made me, and the star light."

"I'll tell you what," Beth said to the eight year old. "When I pack up my stuff to bring over here," Rio made a little whining noise which made Beth pause, roll her eyes, and then clarify, "things like my clothes," he grumbled again, "books, photos, and kitchenware, why don't you and your Dad come with me? That way, you can make sure I don't forget anything, and your Dad can complain about my furniture."

Marcus giggled, and Rio justified, "we want you, Mama, not all your pastel, floral shit. 'Sides, the loft's full-up. We ain't got room for no more furniture."

"Well, you're in luck," she teased him by squeezing her thighs around his narrow hips, "because I think I'll just keep everything at the apartment."

That made him finally sit up. Bracing both of his arms against the sofa cushions - one on each side of her head, Rio looked down upon Beth and demanded to know, "what, like some kind of backup plan?" Without giving her a chance to answer, he denied, "nah, Sweetheart, that ain't gonna work for us," nodding his head towards Marcus to include him in the dissent.

"No, not like a back up plan," Beth contradicted. "My lease isn't up until the end of the year. It'll be cheaper for me to let Annie take it over… even if I have to help her with the rent a little... than it would be to break the lease and pay for a storage unit. Plus, it'll get my sister into a safer apartment and maybe inspire her to make some other changes in her life."

Being a brat, Rio suggested, "or you could just donate all your shit, and I'll have Gretch get you outta your lease."

Beth had met Rio's lawyer - now their lawyer - earlier that week. She had no doubt of the attorney's ability. In fact, by the time Gretchen Zorada was finished with the holding company that owned Beth's apartment building, somehow Beth would probably end up being owed money and not the other way around. But she had been trying to get Annie out of her current walkup for years. So, this was the perfect opportunity to accomplish that while not having to live with her baby sister again. Instead, she'd be living with Rio and his son. That was a win-win in Beth's book.

"Nice try, Rio, but I don't think so.""We should move you today," Marcus declared."Pop's right." Despite Beth's arms and legs being wrapped around him, Rio jumped off of the couch with very little effort. Once he was on his feet, he smirked down at her while he said, "time's awastin', Mami," punctuating his little announcement by slapping the side of her left hip where it met her ass. It was the best he could do, apparently, with Beth still laying down.

She sat up far enough so that she could brace one of her arms on the back of the couch, watching the two of them rush off - Marcus to his room and Rio to his closet. "But… but what about your spaceship," she protested, reminding the eight year old of the project that, minutes before, had him so engrossed. "And we were relaxing together," she leveled at Rio. For both of them, Beth brought up, "we also had plans this afternoon, you guys!"

Sure, they were very vague plans, but they were definitely going to do something besides pack up the personal effects from her apartment.

Marcus ran back out into the main area of the loft to yell, "plans change, Beth. Come on, let's go! You're moving in with me and Daddy today!"

Climbing to her feet, Beth couldn't fight a delighted smile from taking over her face. "I am, aren't I?"

And it was going to be amazing.