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Rio put her inside the G Wagon and ran to the driver's side. He was calm before, but now he couldn't hide how nervous and even scared he was. He had never been through this before. He wasn't there when Marcus was born, when he arrived at the hospital everything had already happened, he wasn't with Rhea when she went into labor. He had no idea how it worked and he also didn't know what to expect going forward. Why is she crying now? Is there something wrong besides the pain? Is the pain she is feeling within what is considered normal?
Rio bit his lips and drove as fast as he could into a direction he thought was safe, but the usual traffic this time of day isn't cooperating. He looked at the dashboard of the car and the clock said 5:30 pm. People were leaving their jobs now, children and teenagers were leaving school and the traffic is really heavy.
He brought a hand up to his face, impatient behind the wheel and nervous at how uncomfortable she looked now. Rio punched the steering wheel with his free hand and mentally cursed as the light turned red again. He looked at her and saw Beth crying and in a lot of pain.
Beth leaned her left elbow on the door of the G Wagon and was no longer trying to hide how uncomfortable she was. She closed her eyes and tried to control her breathing, thinking to herself that they would be arriving at the hospital soon, that it was now over and that the baby was very soon to be born.
Rio reached out toward her and gently touched her face, drying her tears, then tucked her bangs behind her ear. Beth was concentrating on her breathing exercises when she was startled by the intense pressure she felt in her vagina. Involuntarily she parted her legs and brought one hand under her dress between her thighs.
“You need to run,” Beth said.
He didn't even think to argue with her, he just needed to run. Rio turned on the warning light on his Mercedes G Wagon and walked carelessly through the other cars, not caring about the horns or even if the light was still red. He needed to run.
“You're never going to stick your dick inside me again, did you understand me? I don't want to think about the possibility of going through that again.” Beth grumbled through tears and pain.
Rio just nodded and remained intent on driving, letting out a small smile. They're not a couple, maybe they never will be, but he knows she's not serious.
"I'm never going to stick my dick in you again" Rio repeated agreeing with her.
"What? You're not serious” Beth replied, she hadn't expected that answer.
"You're not either"
Rio finally managed to escape the traffic and a short time later they arrived at the hospital. He got out of the car and ran to the passenger side to carry Beth on his lap. The doctor was already waiting for her and in a few minutes Beth was admitted and taken to the delivery room. Rio didn't leave her for a moment.
xxx
Beth woke from a deep sleep when she heard Holly crying. When she opened her eyes, she came across a Rio holding her baby wrapped in a pink blanket. He looked straight into the girl's eyes as he spoke a few phrases in Spanish that she couldn't understand. Holly also looked directly into her father's eyes, but he suspected there was nothing he could do for her now.
“Hey, Mom. You slept for two hours, but now this little girl needs you.” Rio approached the bed as Beth sat up with a smile on her face.
He placed the baby on her lap and Beth realized how hungry Holly was as she suckled her breast tirelessly. He sat beside her bed and seemed delighted with what was right in front of him.
Elizabeth ran her index finger gently over the small forehead of her little girl and carefully studied every detail of her face. Holly was born with her father's golden skin and her eyes also looked dark brown. Despite the little hair, they looked as blond as hers.
"I'm holding you in my arms Rio" Beth smiled as she looked at him "She looks just like you".
"Yes" Rio nodded smiling and Beth thought she saw his eyes twinkle, but couldn't pay much attention because he stood up and looked away. She just shook her head and looked back at the small pink bundle in her arms. Of course he wouldn't let her see him emotional.
"Your girls are outside, they were waiting for you to wake up" Rio looked at her again, this time with both hands in his pocket "And I already know that all your kids, especially Jane, are excited to meet their new sister."
“Are they here too?” Beth asked smiling.
"No. Car-man picked them up from school and took them to dinner at grandma's, but they'll be coming soon."
“What about Marcus? Did you tell him?"
“No… I mean, he just knows there's a sister coming.” Rio took his cell phone out of his pocket when he felt it vibrate. “I need to answer the phone. I’m going to ask the girls to come in, all right?” Beth nodded.
Rio left the room. Ruby and Annie walked in the moment he left and walked happily over to her bed. Ruby carries with her a bouquet of flowers, which Beth lovingly received and asked her to leave on the counter, and Annie showed her sister a bottle of Bourbon. Holly let go of her mother's breast and Beth fixed her mother's bra before holding the little girl up so her girls could see her.
"You know I won't be taking this for a long time, don't you?" they all laughed.
“Oh I know” Annie said in her own way and placed the bottle on the bedside table “This is for Ruby and me, we are aunts to another child of yours and it seems to me that this little girl might be hard to to deal. By the way, when are you going to stop having kids? Jesus Christ, you are a rabbit, Beth.”
“Annie! Don't say that” Ruby scolded her and leaned in even closer, running her fingers through Holly's thinning hair.
"Oh she will" Beth agreed and they laughed "It's not like I planned them all Annie" Beth snapped.
“Homeboy was here the whole time, huh?” Ruby mentioned it and Annie crossed her arms as she watched her sister's reaction.
“Gangfriend changed relationship status to Gangdaddy. I mean, he seems very involved in this whole thing,” Annie said.
“Will you ever call him by name? And he has two, you could even choose" Beth rolled her eyes, but sighed in agreement "Yes, he's in it with me" the room was silent for a few moments, it was only possible to hear the cute and delicate mumbles of little Holly "I think we are doing this together, he bought the house next to mine that was for sale.”
Ruby's eyes widened in her usual way and Annie didn't look too surprised.
“We hadn't talked about it, I kind of didn't know what to expect, you know… He can be unpredictable.” Beth shrugged.
“Oh, come on, Beth! You're just not together because you don't trust each other, because today you're on his side and then tomorrow you see him hugging someone in the parking lot and you decide you're against him setting up with the SS. You're not going to go through with this, are you? I mean, before you went into labor you were literally ready to shove wiretaps in every hole you could to capture information for Phoebe and Dave.”
"Hey, I don't decide anything on my own, I'm just not selfish, I'm thinking about you too, I can't..."
"What are you doing?" Ruby interrupted, raising a hand. “Annie, although this time I agree with you, this is not the best time. Can we just be happy and peaceful for a single day?”
“Do you agree with her?” Beth frowned and Holly started to cry.
"Thanks Holly" Ruby thanked the little girl as she stroked her hair again.
Beth cradled her in her arms and naturally they let it go. Ruby was right, could they possibly have at least a few days of peace with Holly's birth? Without the SS on one side and Rio pushing them on the other? Beth knows that, as a woman, Phoebe could understand better than Dave and give them time to look for answers again, but she also knows that at some point they will have to deal with it, and internally Beth knows she won't be able to do anything against your daughter's father. She can't even explain why she took it this far. Maybe Annie really is right.
“Guys, even though I didn't go to lunch, I know who's boss” Beth said after they finalized the subject of diapers, bottles and motherhood in general.
“Is there really a boss? I thought it was an ambush,” Annie said.
“It's his grandmother. I think it's about his family in general” Beth said a little confused “It must be something big and probably from a long time ago”.
“Wow! Was Homeboy about to introduce you to the family?” Ruby raised her eyebrows with a laugh, “That seems fair, you're becoming one of them. From the family, I mean”.
“Don't talk nonsense. It's just business”
Beth got up from the bed with Annie's help while she still cradled the tiny baby in her arms.
“He already made it clear. Twice.” Beth emphasized the last word.
“Do you really believe that?” Ruby questioned.
“It is what it is, Ruby. A lot of things happened and I don't know if it's possible to establish a relationship of trust. I know Annie is right. I was about to shove wiretaps into all my holes possible” Beth mimicked Annie “Do you think he doesn't suspect? I mean, the other day he made me get naked because of the damn tracker in his car.”
"Do you think I'm right and you scolded Ruby for agreeing with me?" Beth just rolled her eyes.
“I just think you guys look like two teenagers” Ruby said “And proud. You more than him. He's in your hand, Beth” Ruby held up a hand in warning “I don't want to defend Homeboy, but this guy really likes you. I'm sure he was almost crying when he left that room.."
"You're weirdly on his side." Annie crossed her arms and frowned at Ruby.
“His grandma knows… I mean, everything. I don't know what he told her, but she knew about the pregnancy and also that he left lunch because of the baby's birth."
“That's what I'm saying!” Ruby pointed like it was obvious.
“Hey” Annie interrupted raising her cell phone “Deansie arrived with his kids but he doesn't want to come in, I'll go get them. I'll be right back".
Beth smiled excitedly and looked forward to her children's meeting with their new sister. Again the subject dissipated and the atmosphere became lighter and happier.
It didn't take long for Annie to return with the four children. Beth assumed she had said something to calm them in, because she couldn't remember ever seeing her children so silent.
Jane couldn't resist the urge to grab Beth's legs and hug her with her little strength, anxiously asking to see the baby. Elizabeth sat in the armchair next to the bed and kissed all her other children, showing them her younger sister.
Danny, Emma and Jane hung around the armchair and couldn't take their eyes off little Holly. Jane kissed her sister's forehead and Emma ran her small hand over the girl's rosy cheeks. Beth missed Kenny and looked around to find him standing next to Annie, watching Holly from afar.
Kenny is Beth's oldest child and is about to turn 14. Unlike his younger siblings, he probably has his own conclusions about the constant arguments between Beth and Dean and later about the divorce.
"Kenny, as a big brother, would you like to be the first to hold her?" Beth suggested with tears in her eyes, she knows something is upsetting him.
“I don't know, maybe.” Kenny shrugged his shoulders without showing much importance. Jane crossed her arms and sulked, Emma also complained and Danny scolded them, asking them to stop acting like two little babies.
"Come on dear, sit here" Beth got up from the chair and Kenny sat in her place, she placed the baby in her arms and slowly moved away, showing confidence and recognizing the independence of the eldest son.
Beth got between Ruby and Annie and entwined her arms in theirs. Kenny smiled shyly and kissed his sister's forehead. Beth looked between her friends and felt her eyes fill with tears.
Kenny looked at her startled as little Holly started to cry.
“Why is she crying, mom?” Emma asked curiously.
“Because she didn't want to get out of Mom's stomach” Jane said innocently.
Beth, Ruby and Annie couldn't ignore how funny this was.
“Who told you that?” Ruby asked.
"I once heard Aunt Annie say that being born sucked," Jane replied.
"Jane!" Beth scolded her and picked Holly up.
“OMG” Annie burst out laughing “You made smart kids Beth”
"Yes, for you to teach them that" Beth said angrily "Newborn babies cry until they get used to the world out here"
"And because being born sucks, man" Annie muttered under her breath and Beth scolded her again with just the look.
"Holly's dad isn't coming to visit her?" Kenny finally asked.
“Mom, it's because Emma asked dad if he'd like to be Holly's father, but he said she already has one.” Danny spoke as if he was justifying his brother's question.
Annie put her hand to her mouth trying to mask her surprised expression and Ruby nudged her with her elbow.
“We already talked about this Emma, you know Holly has another daddy”
"I know, but since he never showed up I thought he might have left so I asked dad why I don't mind sharing him with her"
“Me neither” Jane agreed.
“Is he coming, mom?” Kenny pressed the question.
“Yeah, he's here at the hospital” Beth replied carefully “I promise when we get home we'll talk about it, ok? And you will meet her father.”
Kenny just nodded and stayed away for the rest of the visit. Ruby and Annie gave her space and left the room for them to have a little family time. In the hallway, they ran into Rio and informed him that the kids were with Beth.
“And Car-man?” Rio asked trying not to sound too interested.
"Don't worry, he didn't come in, I picked the kids up from reception" Annie said and he nodded, asking her to let Beth know he was going to get something to eat at the cafeteria.
Rio sat alone in the cafeteria outside the hospital and ordered a chicken sandwich with a cup of coffee.
As he ate, he couldn't stop thinking about how much his life had changed since the last few hours. It's like he was waiting for something and when the time came, it happened completely differently. Rio was never a family man or even a romantic man. Because of the life he leads, he is always more likely to be a cold and distant man.
It's obvious that he fell in love with his little girl as soon as the shock of discovering her pregnancy wore off, but he found himself more interested than he expected. He knew he wanted to do it differently than he did with Marcus, but at first he felt that maybe he could take it as an obligation, but things unfolded in such a natural way that when he realized, he was really involved with the idea of being a father again. When he discovery out she was a girl, he felt even more willing to participate in every step.
Rio slipped through the back door of Beth's house and, as usual, moved around unnoticed as he tried to figure out which room she was in. He walked slowly into the living room when he heard some laughter. Beth was accompanied by Annie and Ruby on their girls' night. He noticed that there was an open bottle of wine on the coffee table, but only Ruby and Annie were drinking. As he noticed, Beth was drinking what looked like orange juice. From a distance, he leaned his shoulder against the wall and crossed his arms as he listened to their conversation.
"It's growing" Ruby nodded at Beth's stomach "The baby."
"Oh, yes" Beth put her hand to her stomach and the laughter stopped.
"He didn't show up anymore?" Annie questioned.
"Not since... Lucy. I mean, since the day I said we couldn't print anymore because the store is closed for them to find out what happened.
They both looked at the small yellow bird trapped inside a cage that now sat in the center of Beth's living room.
""You, me, us... It's just business"" Beth repeated what he had said that night and Ruby touched her leg in support.
"This is girls' night, I think we can start banning talking about men" Annie said as she grabbed the remote "I'm going to press play on the next episode"
"Do you mind if we leave it for another day? I'm exhausted" Beth sighed wearily.
"It's really late" Ruby looked at her wristwatch and started picking up the plates, glasses and all the dirt.
"Ruby don't do that" Beth stopped her "Tomorrow I'll do that please"
Ruby knew she wouldn't be able to argue with Beth, so she and Annie just hugged each other good-bye and Beth led them to the door.
"Breakfast at my place at 9 am, how about it?" Annie suggested before she left.
"I can't, I have a doctor's appointment at 9:30, we'll meet at lunch" Beth replied.
"Ok. See you tomorrow, mom"
Beth waved her hand and closed the door. When she returned to the living room to clear out the dirty dishes, she was startled to find Rio looking at the cage with Lucy's bird.
"Jesus! You can't come into my house like that" Beth said angrily "What are you doing here? Get out of there! Or do you want to kill the bird too?" Beth approached with firm steps and took the cage away from him.
There was never a moment when they were 100% ok, but this is definitely one of the worst possible moments. The return of Rio from the dead, the discovery of the pregnancy, the death of Lucy. The lack of resources for them to print funny money. Nothing contributed to the two being able to just put up with each other.
"Why didn't you tell me you have an appointment tomorrow?" Rio asked with both hands in his pockets.
"Are you kidding me?" Beth changed her tone, "Why should I?"
"Why am I the father?" Rio pointed at himself, also angry.
"Oh, now you believe you're the father? When you took me to your doctor's appointment, you made me look like some slut that you had sex with and ended up getting pregnant." I hit it in the bedroom when your husband was at work" Beth repeated what he said that day "Paternity test" What do you think I am? Beth pushed him in the chest "Me, you, us... Aren't we just business? This pregnancy was an accident and I can handle it myself."
"Wasn't that the same thing you did to me?" Rio grabbed her wrists as she pushed him away "You didn't bring me over to your house to fuck you and then send me away because your husband was coming back with your kids? Isn't that what you did?"
"You don't understand, I had to..."
"No you didn't have to, it was your choice" Beth was silent "I'll be here tomorrow at 9:00 am"
And the next day he was there at 9:00 am sharp. Beth gave in only to not make it bigger than it should have been. She knew he wouldn't give up, so it would be a waste of time to argue.
When they arrived at the doctor's office, Beth filled out a return form and they both waited in the waiting room. Beth crossed her legs as she read a magazine and Rio laced his fingers together as he restlessly swung both legs. Beth looked at him quickly and could have sworn he was nervous, it's the first ultrasound he's been to.
"So you have emotions" Beth concluded putting the magazine aside "Are you nervous?" She nodded at his legs that wouldn't stop swinging.
Rio didn't say anything, just shook his head, clenching his jaw and doing his best to keep his legs still. Beth laughed to herself and they both got up when she was called by the doctor.
Beth put on the appropriate clothes for the exam and got into bed with some difficulty. When Rio noticed, he approached her and offered her body as support so she could lie down.
"I didn't know you were dating" The doctor said smiling and looked at Rio. Edward was the doctor responsible for the birth of all his other children and because of that he and Beth became friends. Edward knew that Beth and Dean had recently divorced.
"Oh..."
"It's very recent." Rio returned the smile and approached the bed, ran a hand through Elizabeth's hair and tucked her bangs behind her ear. She looked at him confused, but didn't deny it.
"So today you're going to hear the baby's heartbeat for the first time and you're going to walk out of here knowing if you're having a girl or a boy" Rio looked at Beth and she looked away "Didn't you tell him?" The doctor looked at her "I hope I didn't spoil any surprises"
"You didn't mess anything up, don't worry" Beth forced a smile and got a little start when the doctor smeared the cold gel on her stomach.
"She must have forgotten" Rio spoke with empathy and attentive to the monitor.
Rio bit his lip and looked a little impatient as nothing appeared on the screen. Beth looked calm, she's done it so many times it's not a new thing anymore. However, when the baby's heartbeat echoed through the room she found herself smiling and with tears in her eyes. Rio swallowed and also let out a smile. Elizabeth looked at him and thought to herself that she had never seen on his face a smile that was sincere and free from any sarcasm or irony. She also thought she saw his eyes shining.
"Any guesses?" the doctor asked.
"Girl" they both spoke together.
"Yes, you're having a little girl"
Rio spread his smile even wider. The timing wasn't the best, the relationship with Elizabeth wasn't the best, but he was starting to feel like he could handle it, that he wanted to handle it.
The doctor finished the exam after a while and Beth went back to the bathroom to change. When she left, she took some questions with the doctor and the next appointment was already scheduled. As they left the office, despite the silence between them, Beth felt the mood lighten. They got into the car and still remained without exchanging words for a while.
"Why did you confirm that you're my boyfriend?" Beth questioned.
"Look, I know I wasn't nice when I took you to my trusted doctor to confirm the pregnancy, I know I embarrassed you and... I didn't want to do that"
"Are you apologizing to me?" Beth asked in surprise.
Rio didn't answer, just smirked and went back to looking at the road as he drove.
"And then you confirmed that you're my boyfriend because…?" she asked still not understanding.
"You're a woman, recently divorced and pregnant with a man who isn't your husband. People are mean to women. Men, mostly."
"You should think better of it. It doesn't just matter how you act around other people. It also matters how you treat me when it's just you and me. Don't think I want you to be my boyfriend just because we're having a baby, just I want you to consider my opinions and not demote me to a suburban mom who doesn't know what she's doing."
"Oh, don't you want me to be your boyfriend?" he asked in a relaxed tone, almost laughing.
"Of course not!" Beth frowned.
Rio turned left making a sharp turn and followed the overpass. He noticed that Beth rubbed her stomach and then brought her other hand to her mouth.
"Everything is fine?"
"I'm nauseous" Beth closed her eyes and took a deep breath, but it didn't help. "You need to stop" she said as she felt like vomiting.
"I can't now, we're on an overpass" Rio looked between her and the direction
"I'm going to throw up" Beth forced her hand even more in front of her mouth when she felt like she was about to throw up.
Rio slowed down and turned around in search of a paper bag that he was sure was somewhere in the car, but there was no time, Beth couldn't hold it and ended up vomiting on the rug beneath her feet.
"I'm sorry" Beth said wiping her face with a wet tissue she had in her bag.
"It's ok, don't worry"
When he parked the G Wagon in front of her house, Beth shifted her feet from where her vomit was and got out of the car. He did the same and walked her to the door.
"Thanks for letting me be a part of this" Rio said friendly.
"Well, you kind of gave me no other choice"
"Nah, if you didn't want to I wouldn't be here. I know you turn into a lioness mom when it comes to your kids. I mean, you broke into a drug dealer's house to get a pink blanket."
"She's yours too" Beth shrugged her shoulders "And I'm a drug dealer bitch too, aren't I?"
Rio just tapped her shoulder and walked back to the car. There was an unpleasant smell inside and he looked at the vomit a little disgusted.
"Girl, you weren't even born and you're already messing everything up... Like your mother"
He knows this isn't just about Holly, he knows it's the whole package that's making him lose sleep and it secretly hits him and it hurts to know she's not 100% present. He knows she isn't.
Rio took a deep breath and let out an exhausted sigh. In fact, he also just wants a few days of peace and rest, without having to think about money laundering, drops, drugs or any of that shit. He'd forgotten how fun it can be to just... dedicate your energy to what really matters.
He left a generous tip on the table and went back inside the hospital. Rio walked calmly through the hallways while fiddling with his cell phone, he wore a badge that identified him, so he didn't have to present himself at reception every time he left and came back in. He'd read a few minutes ago a text from Annie advising her that she and Ruby had already gone out with the kids, so he felt more comfortable going back to her room.
"Auntie, can you wait a bit? It's my friend's dad, I want to say hi to him" Jane said in her flustered voice, causing Rio to look to her left to visualize the two ladies with Beth's kids in tow. .
"Hi! You're Marcus' father, aren't you?" Jane flashed a toothy smile "Did you know my sister was just born? Her name is Holly" Jane said excitedly and Rio exchanged glances with Annie and Ruby before bending down to the size of the little girl.
"Really? So you're a big sister now. Congratulations!" Rio smiled gently and tucked Jane's bangs behind her ear, just like she does with her mother.
"Thanks. Why are you here? Is Marcus sick?" Rio's stomach lurched, he didn't know what to say.
"Jane, come on, leave him alone" Annie said as she approached the little girl and took her hand, leading her out of the hospital.
Jane waved, still glad to have found Marcus' father, and Rio waved back with the same smile on his face. He shook his head and continued on his way to the room where Beth was.
"I brought you food" Rio smiled and handed her a chicken sandwich with a bottle of fresh orange juice "How was the kids? I met them in the hallway"
"Did you meet them?" Beth asked a bit surprised "Well they'll soon know who you are anyway" she shrugged her shoulders and took a bite of her sandwich "It was great Jane and Emma are delighted but they think Holly is a human doll they can play and crush" Beth laughed a little.
"What happened?" Rio sat on the edge of the bed. Holly was sleeping in the crib on the other side of the bed "You're laughing but you want to cry" Rio laid a hand on her thigh.
"How... Oh... You... How are you capable of that? How can you read all my thoughts?"
"You are my girl"
Beth swallowed and they both exchanged deep, intense looks for a few seconds. He knows she is playing on his side and on the other side. She's sure he knows.
"Kenny seemed a little distant" Beth said with a choked voice "You know, he's the oldest, he's not as innocent as the others"
"For that reason he will understand you"
"Do you think he'll understand me, who got pregnant while I was still married to his father, or will he understand Dean, who's playing the poor thing? He doesn't know the reason for everything, the circumstances that you and I met... I mean, I don't know how to do it. We... You know, we're not a couple, how could I explain that? They're kids, they'll ask" Beth said apprehensively.
"Do you think there is any possibility of explaining to Kenny that his father did this first?"
"And then just because he did I did too?"
"No. But that was one of the reasons you felt hurt, lost trust in him, and ended up meeting someone else. These things happen, Elizabeth.
"You seduced me." Beth gave a relaxing laugh and pushed him lightly on the shoulder.
"Yes mami, I carried you to that bar bathroom" Rio was also laughing now "Don't worry Kenny will understand. If not now when he's older"
Both were interrupted when the bedroom phone rang. Rio got up and immediately answered on the first ring to avoid waking Holly. Beth finished eating and drank some juice. She noticed that he looked a little confused by whatever had been said on the other end of the line.
"I don't know how to say this, but... My grandma and sister are here. I asked her to wait until I talk to Marcus and you to your children... But it's her first little girl, she... "
"Rio... I look like I just gave birth" Beth smiled awkwardly and a little embarrassed.
"You just gave birth honey" Rio moved his eyes over her body "And you look even prettier than usual if that's possible"
Beth glared at him too and covered her arm with the sheet as she felt her hairs stand on end.
"Alright, ask them to come"
Beth got out of bed and went to the bathroom. She washed her face, combed her hair, and changed into a blue flowered dress that she brought to wear when it was time to return to her house.
With the bathroom door still closed, she listened as Rio opened the bedroom door and welcomed her grandmother and sister. The three exchanged a few words of greeting and Beth could hear how strong her grandmother's Latin American accent was. Rosa and Paulina approached the crib where Holly was sleeping peacefully and Rio watched them off and smiling.
"Where's Elizabeth?" Rosa asked without taking her eyes off her great-granddaughter, carefully moving the pink blanket around her.
"I'm here" Beth said as she came out of the bathroom, also smiling and a little nervous.
Rosa and Paulina's eyes turned to Beth and Rio's sister couldn't hide how surprised and mesmerized she was by her beauty. It was no secret to the entire family that Paulina is only attracted to women.
"You said she was pretty, but not like that" Paulina praised "How could a woman like you fall for that skinny guy's talk?" and they all laughed.
"I didn't fall... You know, after one drink and another..."
"These are Rosa and Paulina, my grandma and sister. My grandmother is probably the sweetest person you will ever meet and Paulina will try to flirt with you" and again everyone laughed and Beth greeted them holding out her hand.
"It's my pleasure, my dear" Rosa spread a wide smile and wrapped her hand around Beth's waist "I was looking forward to meeting you, he talks a lot about you" Beth looked at him and noticed that he forced his jaw, as if a secret had been revealed.
Rio looked relieved when Holly burst into tears and interrupted the answer Beth was ready to give. He touched the grandmother on the shoulder and brought her close to the crib again.
"Look who woke up!" Rosa said excitedly "Can I get her?"
"Sure" Beth patted her back as Rosa lifted the little girl out of the crib.
It was evident how emotional Rosa was, she couldn't hold back the tears, causing Beth to start crying too, since she is still taken by postpartum hormones. Rosa cradled the little girl in her arms as she sang a lullaby.
"She is so much like you" Rosa told her grandson.
"Her hair is blonde like hers," Paulina added.
Holly didn't stop crying and Rosa assumed she needed to breastfeed, so she passed the baby to Beth's lap, who sat in the armchair next to the bed and offered her daughter one of her breasts.
"So what's the deal between you two?" Paulina asked, but unlike seduction pranks, the question was just out of curiosity, since Rio always talked about Beth but never went into more detail.
"We work together" Beth said
"Business" Rio spoke at the same time
"And where does little Holly come into this?" Paulina asks laughing. Rosa also shows a relaxed expression, as if she doesn't believe a word that comes out of these two's mouths.
Beth tried to evade the question by shifting her attention to Holly, who was sucking her left breast hungrily.
"Why do you all of a sudden seem so interested in my love life?" Rio questioned with his arms crossed.
"Because it's not common for someone to get their business partner pregnant" Rosa said.
"Nah, things are not as they seem" Rio replied sincerely "I don't think any of us understood the size of this until... Until it happened, until she was born"
"From what?" Paulina asked.
"Share a child for life" Rio looked at her and this time she was looking at him too, through her gaze he could tell that she was agreeing with that.
"And we'll learn to deal with it" Beth completed "Together or not"
Rosa and Paulina seemed satisfied with the answer and suddenly silence took over the room, there was only the sound of Holly sucking her mother's breast.
"Beth?" Paulina called her attention "I'm single. You know, if he's an asshole..."
And again they all laughed. Beth was feeling strangely comfortable between them.